Reverend Duncan McLea visited Ardess on Tuesday evening to speak on the topic ‘Constant Change Is Here To Stay’.
Duncan is minister of Christ Church Kenilworth in Cape Town and part of the leadership of ‘New Wine South Africa’.
Church change is a current issue at Ardess, following Chancellor McGirr’s retirement, so this teaching session was particularly apt for us. And visitors joining us from other churches also appreciated his insights. Our worship band got the event off to a rousing start with half an hour of great songs, leaving us fully alert and ready for the message!
Duncan observed that churches have fluid structures and that as they grow they always becomes more complex. The role of the pastor/leader changes and the dynamics within the congregation undergo a shift. He mentioned four church types (pastoral, family, programme and corporate) and their very different management needs. When a church is moving out of one type into another it can be unsettling. He outlined strategies for managing change, dealing with resistance, addressing concerns and resolving conflict.
He quoted one memorable strategy used by his own church after a (radical!) decision to replace the pews with chairs. The pews were being gifted to a new, penniless church in Cape Town. So on the chosen Sunday the members of the new church worshipped together with them and afterwards every member of the congregation used the screwdrivers they had brought with them to detach the pews then load them onto a waiting removal truck – so his church got to say goodbye to their beloved pews and send them onward with a blessing.
Duncan invited us to quiz him throughout the talk, and to offer feedback on our own individual experiences of change, so it was interesting to hear a number of different perspectives. He suggested that, out of his general message, we each should take away some ‘nugget’ for our own personal benefit. After the talk Duncan and his team from New Wine South Africa offered prayer ministry to anyone who wished. Our customary tea, scones and chat went on in the background – an opportunity to have a natter with visitors, catch up with each other and discuss issues raised during the evening.
Great worship, fellowship, teaching, ministry and tea! We are so privileged to get to share in these gifts, but there is always more. As our speaker reminded us, we are all Christ’s ‘work-in-progress’ and we will never stop learning…or changing.
If you missed the talk you can catch up now on our podcast page.
