“It’s amazing to see how when we put ourselves out there, God uses us in ways we wouldn’t have thought of previously.”
Henley-Grange Anglican has been carrying out ministry in various ways in its local area for the past one hundred years. Around eight years ago, John Miller became the minister as the parish began to think about moving towards a more contemporary ministry to complement the traditional ministry they were already engaged in.
As the parish began to contemplate change with its aging congregation and in the wake of the COVID pandemic, the parish began to feel the need for support to develop a more substantial and concrete vision for the future.
John, having been introduced to City to City Australia’s (CTCA) work in 2013 when Timothy Keller visited Australia, approached CTCA initially with the idea of seeking a church planter but instead decided to participate in the Revitalise Australia (RA) program as it addressed the broader needs of the parish.
City to City's Revitalise Australia program brings together the training, coaching, and finance tools that have been developed over many years in Australia and overseas contexts, puts these tools in the hands of experienced and fruitful church leaders who serve as Lead Consultants coaching churches and leaders over a year-long revitalisation consultation to bring new health, life and growth to those churches.
“We had been a gradually developing parish seeking a more relevant ministry, but the RA program helped us take a great leap forward.”
During the Revitalise Australia process Henley-Grange saw new life and growth in their ministries, with one of the most powerful changes being a new spiritual formation working group which gathered lay people to consider how best to form a culture of deepening faith within their parish. The outcomes of this group were effective new ideas that were designed by their people and for their people.
Henly-Grange also undertook CTCA’s Ripple Effect evangelism course as part of the Revitalise Australia process with more than a third of the parish participating. In response the church had more people who volunteered to lead than they could accommodate. The Ripple Effect course also led to the formation of small groups in the parish. “It set a new tone in the parish, that we were ready to pursue spiritual growth,” says John.
Another highlight of Henley-Grange’s participation in the RA program was the establishment of a new contemporary service. “We didn’t think we would be able to manage that, but the program gave us a real boost and extended us in ways we wouldn’t have previously thought possible,” says John.
Establishing this new service helped around 20-25 younger people step up and moved a large number of younger people away from simple church attendance to be focused on participating in ministry instead. This new dynamic helped the younger generations of Henley-Grange feel a sense of ownership which enabled a spurt of spiritual growth.
The older generations were also energised by the new, compelling vision for the future, and became much more optimistic about the future of the parish. “I think we lacked a substantial vision and a concrete plan,” says John. “The Revitalise Australia program gave us both of these things, and also a picture of how to get from point A to B. It was viable and achievable, because it was set up to be achievable.”
Looking outward, the church began to see young couples who were on the fringes participate more in the life of the church, new people join the church and people who had been confirmed decades prior return to church.
Having a lead consultant who coaches ministers through the process was a key benefit of the Revitalise Australia process for John and the church. “I wouldn’t underestimate how important it is to help the minister stay on track during the process,” says John.
“The resources of CTCA are extensive and there’s nothing out there like it for revitalising churches. The more I did it, the more convinced I was that we could never have done this on our own. Usually consultants come and go, and that’s it. But it’s not the case with CTCA. They’ve really thought through what it takes to make this work, and you can have the confidence that you’re connecting with something effective that will serve your church.”