The Other Cheek gets strong encouragement about the future of country churches from leaders of regional dioceses.
A comment on The Other Cheek: “Last Sunday my wife and I attended an Anglican Church Service in a Central Queensland town. Very welcoming traditional communion service, and we joined the 20 or so in the congregation for morning tea. The median age was around 80, so I wonder how will this group survive as people die. Wonderful Christian folk but only maybe 3 or 4 of working age.” He got back to me explaining that he and his wife spend six weeks a year volunteering to tutor children on a property and added, “The service and the sermon was led by a lady Reverend who was excellent.”
I trust this commenter to pick a good church; his family is gospel minded.
The image above is NOT the church brought up by the commenter, but the situation might be similar. A comment on a public thread from a church in the region, Gayndah Anglican, says “Still in irregular use, the community is now so very small, and church expenses so very large, that we can no longer pay the diosecan bills- insurance, rates, safety inspections, and a myriad of other challenges. Gayndah have been caretakers for some time now but can no longer do do. This is a common rural community problem.”
The Other Cheek asked two people with knowledge of the stresses Country churches are under, Jennifer Hercott, the Registrar of the Anglican Diocese (region) of Central Queensland, where the first church is located, and Bishop Mark Calder, who is leading a revitalization exercise in the Anglican Diocese of Bathurst which looks after a wide sweep of western NSW.
“It is no surprise to me that your friend found a warm, well run traditional Anglican service in Central Queensland,” said Hercott.
‘In Central Queensland we take the gospel imperative to make disciples seriously’
Jennifer Hercott
“The challenges he raises, however, are also no surprise. The town that your friend visited has (at the last census) a population of 731 with a median age of 42; almost 20% of the population is over 65 years of age. Of those still working 20% are employed in the mines, meaning that weekends are a normal part of the working roster, therefore many who may otherwise attend church are working.
“You will find this story repeated throughout rural and remote Australia, and as a consequence churches are closing and regional dioceses are stretching to provide meaningful ministry in many remote locations.
“Central Queensland is not immune from this; however, in Central Queensland we take the gospel imperative to make disciples seriously; we are loving, encouraging, and resourcing local congregations, and we are working hard to raise up local lay people to love and serve each other in ministry, to share the hope that they have in Jesus Christ.
“Can these churches survive? was your question; I believe that God’s church will always survive, it just may be in a different format to what we are used to. God will build His church! We believe that many of the building blocks are in place, we are simply waiting on God to send the rest of the resources!
“Please pray with us to the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers to rural and remote parts of the land. Workers willing to relocate to Parishes outside of the major cities. Workers who are willing to roll up their sleeves and be part of a great ministry team. Workers who can meet locals where they are and walk with them in discipleship. Workers who can value and love remote Australia as much as we do.
“In some places we have full-time opportunities and others we are looking for workers who can tent-make and speak in the public square. In all this we give thanks to God for the support of BCA in parts of our Diocese. Our Diocese covers 570,000sq km, but we in CQ believe that it never to far to go and preach the good news – how beautiful are the feet that bring Good News!”
Over the border in NSW, Bishop Mark Calder has now placed ministers in more than half the parishes in his Bathurst Diocese. It workd. “We’ve seen encouragements in those churches where I’ve commissioned new ministers. Oberon and Cobar congregations have tripled in size. The Cathedral [in Bathurst] and Holy Trinity Orange – doubled. Those first two [results came] this year. The latter [two results]in the last two years. “
Bishop mark gave the Other Cheek a list of 13 churches he’s seeking ministers for.
- Bourke/Brewarrina
- Condobolin
- Coolah/Dunedoo
- Coonamble (see profile)
- Cumnock
- Dubbo
- Gilgandra (see profile)
- Narromine (see profile)
- Nyngan
- Trundle
- Warren
- Kelso (see profile )
- Cudgegong Valley (Mudgee, Gulgong, Rylstone, Kandos)
“I am keen to find ministers for them all!” Calder said. “I don’t use the term ‘viable’. With the Lord’s gracious provision, he can provide both ministers AND the finances needed.
“I want full time ministers in all of these places – Sharing Jesus for life!
“Unrealistic? Maybe…. but we are told God can do MORE than either we can ask or imagine…!”
Thanks John. Of course there is hope! But perhaps not with the model of church we’ve sustained for so long in many of these small and remote communities (paid priest and dedicated building for worship). God has given us everything we need to be church, whether there are two or two hundred people gathered, we may just need a bit more imagination about how it looks if we are going to be church in this new season. In all of these communities there remain faithful witnesses to the Gospel who continue to share that Gospel with or without clergy and buildings and all of the other things that many of us take for granted.
Sam Wells, the English priest and writer, says that “the secret of happiness is to enjoy what God is giving in abundance, not to pine for what is scarce… Through [the Incarnation] we learn not to search for mammon, the things that run out – comparison and competition, and their children, envy and greed – but to love the things that God gives in plenty, that never run short – love, joy, peace. God is plenty. Joy is to find, and be overwhelmed by, the abundance of God. Sin is the fear that we won’t have enough and the vain search to find security elsewhere.”
This speaks to the abundance of blessings to be found in even the most remote corners of Australian Dioceses.
Bishop Jeremy, it will be fascinating to see what models work. The diocese of Bathurst is rolling out Bishop Mark Calder’s vision of a minister in every parish. I have a story of a bi-vocational church planter in Tasmania for tomorrow. That’s a diversity we can all agree on!