A rapidly expanding network of evangelicals and charismatics … in the Uniting Church

Propel, a movement of evangelical and charismatic congregations that have decided to stay in the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA), is proliferating. (In UCA-speak, congregation means a local church).

“The Propel Network is significantly bigger than the old EL250 network (probably 4-5 times bigger), Adam Low, the Executive Officer of Propel Network, told The Other Cheek. EL250 is the name of a predecessor group of large evangelical churches in the UCA – the 250 number designated a “large” church.

Propel includes some of the best-known churches in the UCA: Newlife Church (QLD), Seeds Uniting Church (SA), Real Life Christian Church (QLD), The Journey Church (SA), Hope Valley Church (SA), Wesley Mission Sydney (NSW), Encounter Church (SA), Waypoint Uniting Church (SA).

An entire network in SA, Generate Presbytery, holds membership in Propel. 

“The Uniting Church, while doing many wonderful things through its community services agencies, on the whole, is a fast-declining mainline denomination that can often be distracted and consumed by its own complex and costly systems of bureaucracy and governance,” Low told The Other Cheek.  

“Like many organisations, it can be challenging to keep the main thing the main thing. So, to find space for cultivating and stimulating Christ-centred, Spirit-filled encouragement and equipping toward living out the Great Commission with like-hearted, like-minded others, an evangelical network is needed at such a time as this.”

Propel’s priorities are clear and evangelistic. 

• To foster confidence in the power of the gospel.

• To make disciples of Jesus Christ. That is, to disciple people toward a faith in Jesus Christ and then in a faith in Jesus Christ. To this, we need to both bring and be Good News.

• To renew and plant healthy and multiplying churches as they bring the Good News.

• To develop younger leaders for the mission and ministry.

“As a network with these clear objectives, we attract partnerships from a range of other networks and parachurch organisations such as Exponential Australia, BDC, Compassion Australia, City to City Australia, Alpha and more.”

At the same time that another evangelical group in the UCA, the Assembly of Confessing Congregations (ACC), was experiencing escalating conflict with the denomination that has led to the dissolution of two of their churches, Propel’s flagship, NewLife Church has been planting new churches including into Brisbane.

That these opposite trajectories have occurred in the same region, South East Queensland, heightens the contrast between ACC and Propel. ACC has announced that the UCA is no longer the place they wish to be and is shutting down.

Some ACC churches will end up in Propel, and some already have. The difference between the two has been that while ACC has loudly proclaimed their differences with the UCA, especially over LGBTQIA issues, the Propel churches have made comparatively muted protests. But it can be hard to find a UCA logo on their church buildings.

It is an over-simplification, but this writers observation is the ACC put a lot energy into manifestos and campaigning. EL250 concentrated on quietly growing their churches.

Propel knows having good theology does not mean a church automatically grows. There’s a sense of being new kids on the block with a big task ahead. 

“The Propel Network is still relatively new and was run by volunteers only until mid-2022; the pandemic made getting energy and traction challenging. However, with some funding to resource some staff and our freedom as COVID restrictions have eased, there is increased engagement from across the various sectors of the Uniting Church. However, the reality is that being evangelical in your theological perspective does not automatically equate to being a growing church or fruitful in mission. Instead, Propel hopes to cultivate a vital missional praxis that is empowered by the Spirit and sees disciples multiplied and correspondingly congregations renewed and new churches planted.”

Propel is an optimistic movement with good news shared at their recent national Conference. “Stories were told of people coming to faith in countries where Christians are persecuted through the wonder of digital ministry,” Low told The Other Cheek. “Stories of new churches being planted from larger and smaller churches alike were shared. Stories were shared of people putting their trust in Jesus through being ministered to in homelessness or family crisis.”

But seizing the moment for growth or renewal will require a change in the church. “It is imperative for churches to be healthy in Australia that they are Christ-focused, Spirit-led, and Great Commission committed. This will mean being married to the mission and not the methods. Too many congregations decline and die because it is more important to them to maintain their form of church life and witness rather than adapt it to engage with those who are yet to put their trust in Jesus.“ 

“There is so much potential for Church renewal if resources can be prioritised away from institutional maintenance and into the hands of communities and congregations on the ground. In his address to Propel and his recent book – ‘A Non Anxious Presence’ – [Melbourne pastor and author] Mark Sayers affirmed that the harvest is ripening as people in our local communities wrestle with the great anxiety-amplifying shaking of our times. As Christ-followers who get to live and rest on the ‘Rock,’ we have much to offer our anxious world.”