Rev. Tim Jensen | Saltbush Scattered Community Minister
At St. Clements Retreat Centre, Galong.
In June the most recent statistics on the census were published revealing that Australians are less religious than ever before. It is no surprise to us as it’s a statistical fact that we have known for many years. The decline of church numbers and any identification with Christian communities is something we have witnessed in the ever-increasing empty pews of our churches. Rev. Michael Jensen wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that this is due to the exposed abuses perpetrated by church leaders alongside a general mistrust that all institutions are experiencing. Rev. Jensen (no connection to my ancestry) encouraged the church to not seek to be more secular or cool in order to be relevant but to be more like Christ. Since its beginning Saltbush has intentionally steered our conversation and our mission to how we can be more like Christ. This has meant that we have some difficult conversations, face stark realities of where our churches are positioned in society and seek through discernment, an understanding of where the Holy Spirit is leading.
