Mark 10:45
"Kihai nei hoki te Tama a te tangata i haere mai kia mahia he mea mana, engari kia mahi ia, kia tuku hoki i a ia kia mate hei utu mo nga tangata tokomaha."
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
"Auā e le‘i sau le Atali‘i o le Tagata ‘ina ‘ia ‘au‘auna mai tagata ‘iā te ia a ‘ia ‘au‘auna atu o ia ma foa‘i atu lona ola e ‘avea ma togiola mo tagata e to‘atele.”
In Mark 10:42-45 Jesus speaks about two ways of leadership:
Leadership that lords it over people; and leadership that serves them. Leadership that is characterised by power and control; and leadership that is characterised by sacrificial service.
Many of us are in eldership-led churches whose eldership is made up of volunteer elders and paid pastors who are also elders. What does Jesus’ model of servant leadership look like in the context of this kind of leadership relationship?
It looks like mutual servant leadership.
Elders serving pastors by entrusting leadership to them and encouraging them to serve, shepherd and teach; and pastors serve the eldership in their leadership as they shepherd, teach, and pastor the church.
When I reflect on the times I have created stress in leadership relationships either as a volunteer elder or as a paid elder/pastor, I can see that deep down, one of the things going on in my own heart is that I have wanted to be served and not to serve. I have wanted to get my own way. I have wanted to “be lord” and to "lord it over" people and not entrust them and the team to His lordship.
Ultimately, what is behind those desires is not being satisfied in his sacrifice for my sin. It is not being satisfied with his lordship. It is not being satisfied with his sacrificial service. It’s not that I haven’t believed the gospel, it’s that I haven’t applied it to my own heart.
Grace enters our leadership relationships when we see ourselves in profound need of a saviour.
Grace enters these relationships when we give over our need for power and control to His power and control.
Grace enters these relationships when in the midst of wrestling with contentious issues we realise: it is likely that we are all wrong to some degree.
Grace enters these leadership relationships when elders and pastors mutually serve one another, because their saviour sacrificed himself for them all.
By Mark Grace, CCCNZ Ambassador
Churches Share the Gospel with their Community
I received an update from Victor Moore, an Elder at Heretaunga Community Church in Hawkes Bay.
Victor mentioned the church family had a special Easter service and reached out to those in their circle of influence by distributing Easter buns.
Families in the church have been through so much due to the cyclone.
We are so thankful for all you are doing, pointing people to Jesus through the gospel from the Scriptures.
Above left: Brian Morton delivering the Easter Message
Māori and Pacifica Leaders Dinner
On Friday night 80 Māori and Pacifica leaders gathered together for the Auckland Māori and Pacifica Leaders Dinner. I will write more next week, but it was an absolute joy being involved in the evening.
Chris and Sue Barrow and the Willow Park team were generous hospitable hosts. I am grateful for the leadership of Max Guptill and Jerome Edwards. We were blessed to have Kemp Pallison and Paul Samuels travel from the Waikato, and delighted to have Dale Wairau join us from the South Island for the evening.
International Brethren Conference on Mission: Malaysia
IBCM stands for the International Brethren Conference on Mission.
CCCNZ is part of a global movement of 40,000 churches in 155 countries made up of 2.7 million people, served by 17,000 workers.
From the 19th-24th of June, over thirty leaders from the wider NZ movement will join two thousand others at the IBCM 8 Conference in Malaysia.
Above: GC3 and CCCNZ leaders at IBCM 7
This year over 30 leaders from across our wider movement will attend.
The goal is that when we gather with IBCM, we will see more men, women, youth and young adults participate in God’s global mission—from New Zealand to the world, and from the world to New Zealand.
We are grateful for the GC3 mission partners, board members and staff attending:
Bruce and Ruth Stormer (The Anchor Church)
Rebecca de Jong (Lincoln Road Bible Chapel)
Michael and Carolyn Hanson (Orewa Community Church)
Hannah Fleming (Mission Partner—Philippines)
Ben van der Voorn (Mission Partner—Thailand)
We are grateful for the college and mission leaders attending:
Dr Francine Bennett (Pathways College)
Murray and Joy Stevenson (Clark Road Chapel)
We are also grateful for CCCNZ board and staff members attending:
Rick Iles (Tamaki Community Church, Board Member)
Gillian Guptill (Mt Wellington Community Church, Board Member)
Ane Ponifasio (Life Church Manurewa, Board Member)
Mark van Wijk (Auckland Bible Church, PastorLink Enabler)
Kerry Rickard (Kingston Community Church, Leadership Support Enabler)
Julie McKinnon (Hillcrest Chapel, Children and Family Ministries Enabler)
Mark Grace (Feilding Bible Chapel, Ambassador)
It is a delight that along with GC3 and CCCNZ, a good number of missions leaders from our wider movement of churches are attending.
We are grateful for the mission mobilisation, support and resourcing our movement of churches receives through the work of GC3.
Michael Hanson, GC3 Executive Director writes:
"Every four years, believers from the International Brethren Community gather at the IBCM Network conference. This year's conference is in Malaysia, this coming June.
"The conference is an opportunity to strengthen leaders, encourage churches, facilitate mission, and connect worldwide.
"We have been approached by a number of church leaders from Pacific countries requesting financial support to attend this important conference. We would love to support our Pacific leaders to attend, but we need your support.
"If you are able to assist us, then please consider making a donation.
"You can donate by credit card GC3 | Donate or directly into our bank account: 06 0729 0336879 00. Please include 'IBCM' in your donation details.
"Any questions, please contact our office +64 6 357 8388 or admin@gc3.org.nz."
