Over the past few months we’ve changed the way we do our church services to allow everyone, of all ages, to stay together for the first half of church.

We have done this deliberately and strategically because we believe that church is best when old and young people grow together.

For our church, it means that everyone of all ages will be together for three of our four songs, for all our Bible readings, for our public prayer, for question time, for our creed and confession, for the Lord’s Supper, for updates and interviews, and for our church news (which include birthday shoutouts!)

During this time, our younger members will truly experience church with the rest of our congregation, and they will grow up richly experiencing church as a normal part of their Christian life.

At the same time, since our children learn in a way that’s different to teens and adults, we provide a special program for the final 45 minutes of both church services, where we teach and nurture them in a way that is best for their learning and growth.

We also know that there are benefits in drawing together similar people from time to time to focus on their special opportunities and needs, such as our youth group each Saturday after dinner, and various men’s and women’s ministries in our parish.

And we know that doing church intergenerationally is good and natural because when Paul wanted to get a message to the kids in the church at Ephesus, he directly addressed them in his letter, knowing they’d be in church when his letter was read (Ephesians 6:1).

That’s why our church loves being together as much as possible, as our children and adults learn and grow from each other, united in Christ.

JODIE McNEILL

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On Wednesday, an official opinion was unveiled by a high-ranking group of Australian Anglicans in which they decided that it is OK for an Anglican church to conduct a service to bless a same-sex union.

This group, called the ‘Appellate Tribunal’, has the special role of providing a legal opinion to our national church, although it’s not binding until the formal parliament of the Australian Anglican church (called ‘General Synod’) meets next May to decide whether to adopt the opinion.

In making up its mind, the Appellate Tribunal asked the official opinion of a board of bishops of Australia, as well as another panel of theologians, and both groups came up with the same, united decision that a same-sex blessing was, in fact, contrary to the Bible and the doctrine of our church.

It is possible that some Anglican churches in Australia might decide not to wait till next year’s General Synod, but will ‘jump the gun’ and soon start to conduct blessings of couples that have already had a civil same-sex marriage ceremony.

If these liberal churches do this, then it will place enormous pressure on the unity of the Anglican Church of Australia, and may lead some churches and ministers to seek leadership from a different bishop than the one in their own diocese.

This is the very thing that happened recently in New Zealand, and which could easily happen in Australia.

Thankfully all of the leaders in our own Diocese of Sydney reject this liberal view, as do the majority of Australian Anglicans, as represented by General Synod.

At a time like this we are thankful for the fellowship of Gafcon, which stands alongside orthodox Anglicans as they seek to be faithful to God’s good word about life and salvation.

Let’s pray that those who have departed from God’s word might repent and turn back to him, and that those orthodox Anglicans who stand firm in these liberal dioceses might be able to continue to serve God and their congregations during these tough times of disobedience.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit Kumon via Flickr)

The sixth and final value of our church says that, “we are heritage in our style, as we gather in our historical building in a contemporary context.”

In a sense, this final value is all about aesthetics—the look and feel of our facilities and image.

Since we gather in a building that is over 150 years old, we value the look and feel of the sandstone, the stained glass, and the traditional architecture.

We prefer a vintage and classical styling in our design and development, as we embrace the experience of gathering in a venue that enjoys continuity with many generations of Jamberoo residents.

In these unsettling, unprecedented times, our setting provides some comfort in its connection with the faith and the faithful of the past, who found their anchor in Christ.

At the same time, we recognise that a vibrant and contemporary Christian congregation must engage with the latest in technology and design in order to make the most of innovation within the rapidly-changing patterns of society.

So, whilst we have a vintage ‘vibe’, we choose to utilise modern technology and architecture in the way we connect and gather.

Yet the notion of heritage also acknowledges that our current congregation has inherited our buildings and properties from those who sacrificially provided the place in which we now meet together with Jesus, for the glory of his name.

We continue this legacy as we take our unchanging message to an ever-changing world, developing our heritage facilities for the next generation of believers.

We celebrate the history of faithful, Christian ministry in our buildings by committing above all to the faithful ministry of the word of God that takes priority over all, regardless of the aesthetic.

JODIE McNEILL

Our fourth value says that, “we are intergenerational in our fellowship, as all ages and stages are nurtured together in faith and love.”

Throughout history, the family has been at the heart of the Christian fellowship, and people of all ages have gathered together for church.

As the Bible was read and taught together, children were told to obey their parents, and their parents were told to bring them up with the Lord’s discipline and instruction.

Our church continues this practice, as we include children and youth within our weekly corporate worship services, baptising infants and adults as members.

People of all ages pray, sing, hear the Bible, declare the faith, join in the Lord’s Supper, and learn about the work of God in the lives of our members and in those we share with in mission throughout the world.

We love children to witness their parents and grandparents enthusiastically praising God, and we cherish adults witnessing young people expressing their faith.

Yet, we also recognise that children learn best when they’re taught according to their developmental needs, and so we provide a special program for them during the time that the adults and youth hear the Bible teaching.

Likewise, because adolescents are a defined cultural group, we offer a youth ministry to address their specific needs and to provide a platform for them to reach their teenage friends during their years of school.

Jesus said, “the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children”, and so we value the opportunity to learn together from each other as we see the day of the Lord approaching.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: Vormingplus Gent-Eeklo vzw via Flickr)

The third of our six church values states that, “we are missional in our outlook, as we recruit, train and send people and resources to proclaim the gospel locally and globally.”

In his final words in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, and so continue in this mission today.

We long for people of all nations to become disciples of Jesus, so that as they follow him, they might join us in making more disciples of Christ.

We aim for our church services to be easy to understand for unbelievers so that as they hear the Good News that saves, they also experience the joy of gathering around Christ.

We actively recruit gospel workers to be ministers of God’s word in our diocese and across the world, in churches and other strategic contexts.

We strategically train gospel workers through ministry apprenticeships and placements as we partner with training institutions to pass the baton of leadership.

We joyfully send people from our church to gospel harvests across the globe, as we aim to share the resources Christ has given us to build his church. 

We prayerfully support missionaries who partner with us in this mission across the globe, as we generously support their financial needs.

We seek to develop ministry models and resources that can be shared with other churches in rural and regional contexts.

Knowing that the gospel is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, we encourage and support every member of our church to confidently and naturally talk about Jesus at every opportunity.

God’s mission is our mission, and it is a privilege and a joy to know Christ and to make him known.

JODIE McNEILL