Overflow

IDENTITY CHECK

REfresh reflections auckland prayer breakfast ministry training workshops ABIDE CONFERENCE

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FromtheEditor

Tēnā koe, Malo e lelei, Ni sa bula vinaka, 안녕하세요, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Kia orana, 你好, Noa‘ia, Hello!

We have now passed the shortest day of the year and winter has made itself known with colder temperatures and more unsettled weather. With more time indoors this is often a time of year when we have more time to reflect and plan. People are more reluctant to venture outside the comfort of their homes.

Perhaps you too have had the opportunity to spend time in reflecting on your journey or you may have some time coming up. Remember, there are resources available to help you on the WMCANZ Website - https://wesleyan.nz/discipleship/.

In prayer,

Denise Barrington Editor

IDENTITY CHECK

National Superintendent: Rev. Brett Jones

At the recent Refresh Pastors’ Retreat Brett Jones introduced an “identity check”. We asked him to reflect on this for our Overflow readers. How’s your identity?

When it comes to identity, a good place to start is with your name. Brett Jones seems rather plain and uneventful. But Brett - LlewellynJones. Now that’s a name of epic proportions. That’s a name that carries weight; carries origins; carries whakapapa.

There’s been a Llewellyn in every generation of my family for many generations. My grandfather was Llewellyn Jones. His grandfather was Meyrick Llewellyn. My Dad was Glen Llewellyn. My son Rory is Rory Martin Llewellyn. Or as he called himself for a long time Rory watermelon Jones…I relate. 4 L’s. 1 w and a y. Llewellyn. Because we ’ re Welsh, boyo. That’s where we come from. Coity, in south Wales between Swansea and Cardiff. That’s my identity. Except it turns out I’m not. I actually did an identity check, a DNA test to prove my Welshness. It yielded a few surprises. I’m 53% English! Turns out I am only 11% Welsh. My identity check was not what I thought it was. We can tell stories about ourselves that are not true.

The same often applies to how we see ourselves. We tell stories about ourselves that are not true about who we really are. Richard Black’s research into leadership dysfunction in the church points to 5 Saboteurs of healthy leadership - this the first one:

“Over-identification with the role when leaders have their own identity overly connected to their work as church leaders and connect any success or failure within that role to their own worthiness.”

We can easily become confused about our core identity and how it relates to our relationships, our calling and our ministry function or role. When the issues of identity confusion become most profound then the different parts of our identity come under tension. For example when our calling is in tension with our ministry functionthere might be an issue with being in the right role. Or when our family relationships come into conflict with our ministry roles. But by far the biggest danger is when our core identity becomes subsumed within our ministry roles (or for that matter our vocational roles in any setting). When we begin to believe that we are what we do we are moving onto dangerous ground. Our whole identity can become tied to the success of what we do, the popularity of our decisions and the approval of others.

One way of visualising a more healthy way of functioning is to get clarity on the centrality of our core identity as suggested in the diagram below:

Romans 8 offers us a clear picture of who we are and whose we are:

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

WearechildrenofGodbeforeweareanythingelse.TheSpirit himselftellsusthis,not“success”ortheapprovalofothers.Clarityon thisissueofidentityleadsusawayfromthetrapoffear-based identitywhichreliesonavoidingfailureandtherejectionofothers. WhenweliveaccordingtotheSpiritwearefreedfrombeingslaves andlivingfromadefaultsettingoffear.Thisisafarbetterstorytotell ourselves!

So,wheredoesyourcoreidentityflowfrom?Aretheredifferent elementsofyouridentityinappropriatebalance?Isthereanyidentity confusionthatisthreateningyourwellbeingandthatofothers?

Takeamomentforanidentitycheck.

Congratulations and Happy Birthday to Rev. Edgar Hornblow, (National Superintendent Emeritus) who celebrated his 90th birthday on 10th July!!

REFRESHREFLECTIONS Cambridge,May2024

Pastors gathered in May for Refresh. A time to refresh, reflect and reset. Leaving with a reminder that first and foremost our identity is found as a child of God and the way that supports and influences all of the other roles we have.

Second, the other roles we have create complexities in relationships. It is precisely because of these complexities, where we connect with people in multiple roles e.g. family memberteam member; friend-team member, that we need to nurture our primary identity.

There was a time of sharing where we saw how God had provided breakthroughs in people's lives. The connection was evident in how each honoured their relationship with Christ first, finding rhythms that supported them in their spiritual journey and relationships in addition to nurturing their physical health and wellness.

I'm grateful for all the effort many people put in to Refresh

Brett’s input on Identity I found useful and interesting for reflection.

Cohort groups a great time of Prayer

The sessions were very insightful and nourishing. Very thought-provoking. I came away with tools, encouragement, and motivation to find rest and peace in the Holy Spirit, my identity as a child of God, and be truthful about my weakness--I must decrease, so that Christ may increase!

This year, it was rea refreshing with the right amount of time allocated for each activity, and we had more time to rest.

The session on identity was excellent and has left lots of food for thought and reflection

Through our cluster group, I was encouraged to take up a weekly fast to connect spiritually and physically with God.

My main takeaway was connecting with the whanau-my colleagues in ministry. All wonderful, thank you!

Ministry Training Workshops

Building Small Group Communities - Rev Kristen Jones

Where: via Zoom Video Conferencing

When: Wednesday 31 July 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Cost: $15/person

*FREE for enrolled/fee-paying WMCANZ Ministry Students & Licensed Ministers

The Preacher's Toolkit - Rev Jo Verkerk & Rev Melissa Powell

Where: AUCKLAND - East City Wesleyan Church

When: Saturday 31 August 10:00 am -12:00 pm

Cost: $15/person

*FREE for enrolled/fee-paying WMCANZ Ministry Students & Licensed Ministers

AUCKLAND | 8-10 OCTOBER 2024

I would love to personally invite you and your team to consider registering for Abide 2024 – a conference for church leadership teams happening in October. With a programme curated by and for Aotearoa’s church leaders we are believing for a beautifully rich time as we learn with and from each other. We have over 30+ New Zealand practitioners involved as well as 4 guests coming in from overseas – Pete Greig, Laura Barringer and Mark & Trudi Sayers.

Alongside the keynote sessions there will be 5 streams on offer and plenty of time to connect, network, receive prayer and even coaching. We encourage you to bring your whole team – elders, staff, volunteer leaders – and spread out amongst the streams to be able to share in the breadth and depth together!

You can read the full programme here and the FAQ at the bottom of this page should answer any immediate questions. However, please do email cfcl@laidlaw.ac.nz if you’d like to know more. I also just want to mention there’s currently an early bird pricing available till August 15th which brings a saving of $100pp!

Rev. Dr Clint Ussher

CHRISTIAN SAVINGS

GovernanceConference2024

Incomplextimeslikethese,Gospel-inspiredgovernanceisneeded morethanever.Andyet,wehearstorieseverydayofchurchesand Christiancharitiesstrugglinginthisarea.

KickingoffinAugust,ourGovernanceConferencefor2024runs acrossChristchurch,Auckland,andWellington.Learnfromour wonderfulspeakersandbeequippedwithpracticalgovernance skills,inspiredbytheGospel,andinformedabouthowtoovercome challengesthatlieahead.

Findoutmorehere

Auckland Prayer Breakfast is a special gathering of fellowship, prayer, networking, worship and of course breakfast.

doors open at 6.30am | mihi at 6.55am | breakfast at 8.20am.

The price of a ticket is $40 per person (early bird special).

Please email Sian (sa@wesleyan.nz) by 24th September if you are interested in joining the WMCANZ table.

Thursday 24th October 24

Eden Park

Theme: Build

The 2024 Hornblow Memorial Ministry Training Trust (HMMTT) funding round is NOW OPEN. Applications can be found HERE and will be accepted up until midnight on Wednesday 31 July 2024. The HMMTT provides grants to individuals for ministry training and church planting that contribute to WMCANZ priorities.

To apply please complete our online application form using the link above or contact Rev Melissa Powell for an application form. All applications must be received by midnight on Wednesday 31 July 2024. dmf@wesleyan.nz

Event Calendar

Tongan Language Week | 18-24 August

Cluster Groups | 24 August

Father's Day | 1 September

National Council | 21 September

Maori Language Week | 16-23 September

Auckland Prayer Breakfast | 24 October

Donations

We invite you to make donations to the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Aotearoa-New Zealand. Join us to make a difference and reach the lost with the grace and holiness of Jesus Christ. Using the WMCANZ bank account number below, please include your first initial and surname in the particulars field and 'donation' in the reference field.

03-0206-0380248-000

Particulars: e.g. 'J Smith' Reference: e.g. 'Donation' Please email accounts@wesleyan.nz with your details to receive a donation receipt.

Thank you!

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Looking for your local Wesleyan Methodist Church? Click here to find your nearest Wesleyan Methodist church Services are held in English, Fijian, Rotuman and Tongan with several churches using multiple languages in their worship.