My Hopes For 2019

Dear Pastors

Like me you will have come into your year with hopes and aspirations for your own life, your family perhaps and most certainly for your church and/or ministry. Perhaps you might also have some hopes for the Church (capital C) in NZ. Afterall we together make up the Body of Christ in NZ and therefore what is going on in one part of the country or one part of the Body affects us all in some way. So today I would like to share five ‘hopes’ I have.

1. Unity. How I wish we were more united. In many ways I feel we may have regressed since the 80’s and 90’s. We are a very small country. Everyone knows everyone…..pretty much…….yet we give tacit approval to unity. We are struggling to display true biblical unity between ourselves as local churches in a given town/city. Further, many denominations are experiencing growing tensions within, not to say anything about local church and parachurch relationships. So very challenging times for sure. I hope that in 2019 we may see a greater display of true biblical unity wherever and whenever this can be achieved.
2. A much stronger prophetic witness. I feel deeply that the time is well overdue for a strong well-articulated voice from pastors in the evangelical ‘wing’ of the church to speak up and speak out in ONE voice. The issues of our day are many and complex and we need pastors to speak out I believe. Personally I am very grateful for organisations like Family First who in my opinion are doing a fabulous job but where is the voice of bible believing pastors who have done the research and are speaking ‘truth to power’. My hope for 2019 is that we may hear this voice.
3. Deep Distress. Our country isn’t faring at all well. If you are a grandparent you would have to be worried what kind of world our children are growing up in, surely? Without reciting all the sad statistics in this blog I am troubled that I observe so little genuine distress amongst Pastors, Elders and Christian leaders generally at the state of affairs. It feels like we are still having a party on the top deck but the ship already has a gaping hole in it and it is only a matter of a very short time and she will sink. I’m not sure that we can get away with simply ‘business as usual’. I believe it is a day for mourning, repentance and soul searching. My hope for 2019 is that all around the country church leaders will call for solemn assemblies (or similar) to pray and seek the face of God with tremendous hope at the same time that God hears us and wants to change things in NZ.
4. From consumerism to discipleship. I detect a growing dis-satisfaction with the consumeristic ethic of our day. I think I see signs of ‘done with that’. Could it be that Christians are going to decide ‘all in or all out’? Consumerism¹ within the church is a horrible thing in my opinion. Consumerism ultimately is all about ME rather than all about God. Consumerism makes us picky and fussy and even judgemental. “I don’t like that, I like that, I don’t want to do that, I’m not going anymore and please don’t ask me to be uncomfortable no not even for a minute”. Actually, it may be forced on us. With a growing societal intolerance to Christian belief it may end up sorting the nominal christians out from the committed followers of Christ. My hope for 2019 is that a new breed of on fire, bible informed disciples are unleashed in our churches and into our nation.
5. Engagement. This may be our ‘new’ word for the next few years (and linked to 4 above). I perceive we are going to worry less about attendance and possibly even Sunday morning services to questions around ‘mission engagement’. It’s only a matter of time and people want a challenge, a kingdom vision to hook their lives to and a cause to die for (aaahh maybe live for). So how can we as pastors facilitate mission engagement better? My hope for 2019 is that a renewal of mission engagement will take place in churches up and down our fair land.

Blessings

Alan

¹ Consumerism is technically a preoccupation toward the buying of consumer goods. It is rampant and unnecessary shopping. In fact the consumerist says, ‘I shop therefore I am’. This must not be confused with the notion that we are all consumers and therefore to that end we all have to buy stuff to survive. Consumerism is excessive spending all or most of the time.

Faith and Adolescence Tour with Crystal Kirgiss in May. Location, dates and content here.

Alan Vink is currently the Executive Director for LeadershipWorx. Prior to this role he has been the Executive Director of Willow Creek Association NZ (WillowNZ), a Baptist pastor (23 years), Bible College teacher, and church consultant.