Coping with Developments in the Church, Supervisory Notes and Reflections

On 12 July, I drove to Ashburton Baptist Church to meet with my external supervisor. Ashburton is one hour’s drive northward of Timaru.

Having external supervision support is one of the NZ Baptist registration requirements.

External supervision provides a forum where you are able to critically engage with your work, reflect on your actions, review your decisions, and learn. It is an interactive dialogue between you and your supervisor. Through supervision, you should feel empowered to develop your vocational strengths and competencies and be supported in your personal and professional growth and development. It will also provide you with accountability in professional standards (e.g., ethics and safety) and is a practice that the Baptist Union of New Zealand are very committed to.

NZ Baptist Registration

On our third meeting, I discussed with my supervisor the developments that had happened in the church I am pastoring based on my April-June ministry updates.

• Fellowship – After worship service, tea continues. We have a monthly fellowship lunch, where we enjoy foods from different cultures (Kiwi, European, Filipino, Fijian-Indian, South African, Malaysian, etc.).
  
  To celebrate my one year working with OBC, birthdays, anniversaries, and what the Lord has done for OBC, we had a lechon (roasted pig) during the 11 June monthly fellowship.
  
  
• Attendance – Oamaru Baptist Church’s attendance had grown. All seats were occupied on the 21 May service for the first time since starting in June 2022. Four persons have rejoined OBC in the past three months.
  
  For those who might be reading this post for the first time, OBC’s attendance waned to ten or fewer people when I started last year. The church is regrowing gradually.
  
  
• Discipleship – We resumed one Bible study group last 9 July Sunday. We have two ongoing groups. Our target is to have four small-group Bible studies.
  
  
• Admin concerns – Regular administrative concerns in the church, Updated and certified – Health and Safety plan, Fire Evacuation Plan, Building Warrant of Fitness.
  
  
• Community Outreach – Help Yumo Fundraiser, networking with the Salvation Army Oamaru, Totara School, and Rural Support Trust Otago.
  
  
• Missions – Conducting an Online MAP Toolkit Training with Filipino Pastors on 16 June 2023

Church leadership training needed

Going forward in the next two months, my supervisor and I talked about creating opportunities to discover and grow leadership skills in the church.

A leadership training activity needs to be conducted, which would enable the church to identify the possible future leaders. I see this as a primary necessity.

Mobilising teams around admin matters

He also emphasized the importance of mobilizing more people to help in the church’s administrative areas, so, I could focus on facilitating and coordinating the ministry areas of the church.

As the number of attendance increase, the possibility of increased membership is not farfetched. This implies an increase in pastoral care needs, discipleship, and other matters in the pastoral ministry.

While my civil engineering education, past and present work experiences give me the needed knowledge to tackle the District Council’s requirements and other administrative matters, in reality, I don’t have enough time to work on all these alone. I must organise a team around these concerns.

Along with the continuing development in the church ministry is the commitment to stewardship of church properties, which compliance and conditions are up to or above standard.

“Inter-melting” of Sunday afternoons

I also mentioned about the realities of multicultural life, which entails the heightening of intercultural relationships. I see the “inter-melting” of Sunday afternoon family practices will be needed as we develop our church community.

By “inter-melting”, I mean in the pursuit of Jesus Christ’s mission “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” (Mark 10:45), we in the church need to “melt” some of our traditional Sunday practices to integrate or mix and form a practice that suits the multicultural facets of the congregation.

I have observed that church members who come from the rural side of town love to stay longer after the church tea. For them, going to town on a Sunday is a break from their rural environment, which often in remote and isolated places.

So, in many occasions there are these families from the rural side town staying the whole afternoon. They either fellowship in a home or at the church, or wander around in parks and recreations areas before going home at late afternoon.

Of course, the easiest option is to leave it as it is. Like, families could stay if they want to stay, and others will go to their respective regular Sunday afternoon routines.

However, I have seen in some Sundays when we have an afternoon Bible study sessions, that while the adults and a few high schoolers join the Bible study, the younger children plays in the adjoining room, some play the instruments, or if the weather is good play ball at the church yard.

I don’t desire to see the Sunday afternoons at OBC developing into an afternoon for migrants. Somehow, an inter-melting needs to happen. How and when, we pray and ask for the Lord’s wisdom.

Family life and well-being

We also discussed how my wife and I are coping with the pastoral ministry work at OBC. For those who don’t know, we are based in Timaru, and I go to Oamaru twice a week. On rare occasions, I would add another trip.

So far, we have adjusted and see the trip to Oamaru as part of our weekly routine. It is the early waking mornings that is challenging especially in winter time.

There are weekends when I would suggest that I travel alone to give my wife and daughter a break from rising early on Sunday mornings.

I also attend to my day-off religiously. I take the opportunity of visiting friends, if not, spend time for myself on hobbies, personal and household chores.

I am thankful for my supervisor for taking the time to meet me and provide wise feedback, counsel, and prayers.

The rain had stopped and it was sunny when drove back to Timaru. Before driving back, I made sure I stopped at St. Piere’s to buy some sushi packs for our lunch at home.