Fostering Unity and Collaboration

Dear Friends in Christ,

A recent joy in my work has been facilitating congregations and parishes to gather in exploratory dialogues, seeking to discern how God might be leading them to collaborate more intentionally for the sake of the gospel.

Each forum has welcomed pastors and up to three lay-leaders from each invited community, providing a platform for open communication and collective discernment.

I’m observing, with gratitude, a newfound openness to explore what sharing resources and ministry and mission opportunities might look like. Some creative and adaptive ideas have been emerging.

Dialogues have taken place recently at Ararat, North-West Metropolitan Melbourne, and at Shepparton, with each gathering having its own distinct ‘flavor’, tailored to respond to the unique local contexts of the participating communities.

I’ve left each meeting with a sense of joy in observing the diverse gifts of the people of God, and the congregations that they support.

At each gathering we have been:

1. Sharing Joys and Challenges: We commence with each community sharing their current ministry successes and obstacles. This sharing creates a vibrant tapestry of experiences, illustrating the diverse landscapes in which these congregations and schools operate.
2. Listening and Discerning: A key emphasis has been placed on attentive listening – to God’s word and to each other. Attendees began by dwelling in God’s word, and seeking to discern where God might be calling them to cooperate regionally. The intention was to move beyond individual concerns and towards a collective understanding of the broader mission.
3. Establishing Agreed Upon Next Steps: Recognizing the need for cooperative action, the forums have aimed to establish concrete next steps. Acknowledging fundamental adaptive challenges, they have sought an inclusive response from ‘every-member’ and ‘every entity.’

Each is going to be a ‘work in progress,’ with further conversations needed to refine and design outcomes.

Watch future District Voices editions for an upcoming series of articles reporting in more detail the themes discussed.