Sydney, Australia
Australian churches that have plateaued in their growth or are in decline are being encouraged to engage with a new 12-month mentoring program to “grow into great, multiplying churches and leaders”.
Developed by City to City Australia – the church planting organisation founded by US evangelist Tim Keller – Revitalise Australia aims to walk “shoulder to shoulder” with churches and their leaders to develop greater connections in their local communities.
A scene from Sydney’s harbour-front prior to the current COVID-19-related lockdown in the city. City to City Australia is offering churches tools to help them develop greater connections in their local communities. PICTURE: Aldrino/Unsplash
Alongside it’s ongoing church planting program, CTCA says Revitalise Australia offers struggling churches “the proven training, coaching and funding tools” developed by Keller’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York, but tailored for churches in Australia.
“It then puts these tools in the hands of seasoned and fruitful church leaders who serve as Lead Consultants, who then work with multiple churches and leaders over a year-long revitalisation consultation to bring new health, life and growth to those churches,” CTCA said in a statement.
Chief Operations Officer Mark Morley said the program provides churches with a consultant who walks with them on a 12-month journey to implement a program that meets their needs.
“We don’t want a cookie-cutter approach. Churches start communities with a calling and what we try to do is work out and adapt a program specific to their needs,” Morley said.
CTCA says data shows that somewhere between two-thirds and three-quarters of Bible-based churches in Australia have either plateaued or are declining.
“They are stuck…we think it doesn’t have to stay that way. It’s possible to get ‘unstuck’ and for the church to be relevant again to Australia,” it said.
CTCA CEO Andrew Katay says the decline of Protestant churches is likely due to the “evaporation of Christian nominalism” where there was no longer any cultural status, or ‘pay-off’ in identifying as a Christian.
In an interview with Sight in early July, Katay spoke about the revitalising of declining churches across Australia.
“We have a program ‘Revitalise Australia’ which is recognition that it’s great if we can plant 20 or 30 [new] churches a year, but if we could get the right staff on board and the right funding we could potentially see the revitalisation of up to 200 churches a year,” he said.
Already, staff have received interest from many churches along Australia’s east coast, including from Churches of Christ, Bretheren, Lutheran and Anglican denominations.
Meanwhile, a trial has begun in three churches in Tasmania, with another three due to start in the coming months.
COVID-19 was proving no impediment either to engaging with remote churches, rather, was providing an opportunity for ministers and pastors to evaluate what they were doing and where they were heading in terms of their ministry.
“COVID-19 has provided an opportunity for pastoral teams to do a temperature check on how their current and future status looks,” Morley said.
As well, technology was allowing continued connection, “reducing the tyranny of distance“.
“There’s a lot of online communication, but it’s still no substitute [for direct meeting] so we are hopeful that over the next 12 months, there will be opportunities for face-to-face connections.”
During August, CTCA partnered with Christian bookstore Koorong around Australia to promote Revitalise Australia and links to materials written by Keller, CTCA’s ‘founder and patron’.
Correction: The name of the Christian bookstore Koorong has been corrected.
