The School of Ministry presents its annual continuing education opportunity with Rev Andrew Dutney as the keynote speaker.

Who should attend?

The School of Ministry provides a strong basis for each minister’s Continuing Education program for Ministry Agents and those working in leadership in their congregations as pastors or in a voluntary capacity as pastors and active retired clergy.

Lay preachers, lay presiders, church council members, and committee convenors are especially encouraged to attend.

Dates and Times

• Monday 29 June from 11.00am to 7.30pm (includes dinner)
• Tuesday 30 June, Wednesday 1 July and Thursday 2 July: 9.30am to 4.30pm (includes lunch, concluding with afternoon tea and Holy Communion).

Cost and registration

• The cost is $200 per person. To register, click here.

Ministry in a Secular Age

Life in our churches has changed. Yet around 52 percent of people in Australia still adhere to a recognised form of Christianity (Census 2016).

Rev Dr Andrew Dutney, president emeritus of the Uniting Church in Australia, will present both a theological understanding of our current context and how we will shape up our identity moving forwards. He will focus on his new book “Angels in this Wilderness” and the work of Andrew Root, “Ministry in the Secular Age”.

Normally when a patient has a problem such as lung cancer arising from a lifetime of smoking cigarettes, we jump to blaming the patient for his condition as an individual.

We do not ask why cigarette companies spend millions on advertising, or how the product has been researched deeply to increase its addictive capacity and more effectively deliver the nicotine hit. We do not question the right of these companies to legally sell their product to millions of people around the world.

When a minister moves into despair or ennui, begins falling by the wayside with a variety of health issues or marriage difficulties we move to deal with the problem as if it resides in the individual, rather than looking at the social context in which ministry takes place.

The nature and experience of being a ministry agent in this generation in Australia have radically changed. Often we wonder why the ministry is so hard to do and why old patterns of ministry are less effective than previously.

Come, let us join together to explore the origins of this spiritual malaise/ennui/context for us all and encourage one another to stand together as a team working on theological and social insights into ministry context and how we can support one another moving forwards, dig deeper into our spiritual roots and stand strong.

This School of Ministry is one that has clues for the future, affirms our identity as a church, and challenges us to take hold of the missional opportunities which abound.

If COVID-19 has taught us anything at all, there are new ways of doing church which is not tied to buildings; new ways of being the people of God in community and being present to our neighbours. This is an opportune time to capitalise on these new learnings and move ahead into an exciting future in ministry.

Contact

For further information, please contact Dr Kerry George on 9260 9800 or email [email protected].