Where is God leading us?

Statue of John Wesley

Statue of John Wesley

The Process

In September, 2007, the congregation began a process of clarifying its mission directions for the next five years, and of planning for its longer-term future.

Motions about this went the congregational meeting on November 25th, 2007.

Mission Priorities

That Wesley Church seeks to serve Christ by adopting the following mission priorities for the coming five years:

  • to provide services of worship, building on our present style,
    and with a special focus on the ministry of music.
  • to continue to welcome, care for and nurture all who share in our worship.
  • to grow as a cross-cultural and inclusive community,
    especially welcoming and supporting visitors and international students,
    while expanding our partnership with the Gospel Hall.
  • to be a vital centre available to the Uniting Church and ecumenical partners.

This motion was framed by the members who met at a Day Camp on October 13th, 2007. They considerd the results of the September meeting, and developed this satetment.

This motion was approved by the Congregational Meeting on Nov 25, 2007

Early in 2008, groups will be considering particular projects within these general goals.

Main Planning Day Responses

A planning day for members was held at the Church on September 17th, 2007. We considered eight questions and members gave the following answers.

Q.1 What has this congregation done well in the last six years

Q.2 What has been tried and failed in the past six years? Why has it failed?

Q.3 What is the particular gift (or gifts) that this Congregation can give to God, to the community and to the wider church?

Q.4 What are roles that this congregation should not attempt, but leave to other churches with different gifts?

Q.5 If this Church became famous in five years time, for doing two things well, what do you hope they would be?

Q.6 If you could give two hours a week to help this church do something you believe is important, what would you do?

Q.7 What longer-term direction should this church develop over twenty years?

Q.8 Is there anything else you want to say?

13 comments, all making different points.

Wesley Church Mission Statement

This statement is the report of a mission study conducted with the congregation early in 2006. The process was convened by Rev John Rickard, and the statement was adopted by the Congregation in 2006.

City Church

Wesley Church Melbourne is situated in the Central Business District in Lonsdale St, Melbourne. We are surrounded by State Parliament, many theatres, several hospitals, and a variety of teaching institutions including RMIT. Each of these institutions offer possibilities for mission.

As a city church we are deeply challenged by the people who live on the streets of Melbourne and who seek refuge on our block.

Our congregation is made up of a diverse group of people who travel from well beyond the Central Business Districe (CBD) to gather for worship and witness. Being a gathered community in this way shapes not only who we are, but how we are called to ministry and mission.

Wesley Church Melbourne is also diverse culturally. Although the one congregation, it is made up of people from many different cultures.

We also share the site with the Chinese Gospel Hall Congregation.

Mission as Witness

Our community is fed by the Word and by its sacraments, the Eucharist and Baptism. Music enhances our worship and is significant to our life. Through preaching and studying together, we are committed to deepen and enliven our faith.

Others beyond our congregation are touched by these means of grace as they are enacted in our midst. Weddings, baptisms and funerals become important evangelical acts as the Word is proclaimed to those who are usually beyond our community. In this way the story of hope is not only embodied in our midst but proclaimed beyond to those who observe our life.

We are committed to listen to preaching that is relevant to the times – a word that provides inspiration and hope to a fragmented age. This is not only important to us as a gathered community but is an act of witness to the city of Melbourne. We are the primary Uniting Church in the city, a situation that will become increasingly important when the offices of the Synod are re-located to the Lonsdale St site. Our profile in the community at large is important beyond our own self-identity.

We will continue to explore the importance of music in worship. We would welcome an extension of this ministry to provide for greater opportunities for other music groups, soloists and a variety of instrumental music from other cultures and genre to contribute to our worship.

There is openness to new forms of worship and a diversity of activities beyond worship that facilitate fellowship and strengthen relationships. The strength of these relationships will witness to the unity and bonded-ness of the community and the reconciliation accessible through the work and life of Jesus Christ.

Mission as Ecumenical Witness

Wesley Church Melbourne is a committed member of Melbourne City Churches in Action (MCCIA) where we join with our partner churches in the Melbourne CDB to witness to the Gospel in our context. This ecumenical activity is a critical witness to the unity of the church in our time. We may be separate denominations, but we witness to the unity of the church as we worship and serve in dynamic relationship with the other churches of our city.

The Stations of the Cross project is an excellent example of these dynamic relationships and how they witness to the unity of the church to the world.

Mission as Service

Wesley is a mission church that has a proud tradition of service in the city of Melbourne. Fundamental to our existence has been the combining of word and deed where the church, empowered and motivated by the proclamation of the Word of God, reaches out beyond its membership to serve those in need.

This mission focus has grown steadily throughout our history as a faith community, with the emergence of a new entity called Wesley Mission in 1893. Both the Congregation and the Mission then have a long history in the Methodist city mission tradition. With the formation of the Uniting Church, Wesley Church and Wesley Mission were called Wesley Central Parish Mission.

In more recent times, the involvement of the declining congregation in mission has decreased, while Wesley Mission has extended its work way beyond the CDB, establishing programs across much of the Melbourne metropolitan area. It has also grown into a very large organisation running a multi-million dollar budget. This has led to the management and governance of the Mission being separated from Wesley Church, Wesley Mission Melbourne becoming a separately incorporated company in 2001.

With the main focus of Wesley Mission Melbourne moving outside the CBD, Wesley Church Melbourne has been forced to redefine what its mission might be in the local context.

There are a number of groups of major concern:
- The people of the street who seek refuge on our site, the homeless and the drug dependent,
- The students of the local teaching institutions,
- The growing population of residents in the CBD.

Each of these groups challenges us to be at mission. But then, the way that mission manifests itself would vary with each group. We realise that as a small city congregation we are not able to address the needs of all these groups. We either need to prioritise them, and make a choice as to where to place our energies, or seek partnerships with other Christian organisations to achieve our goals. For example, we could go into partnership with Wesley Mission Melbourne in order to develop our mission with the people of the street, or perhaps explore possibilities of partnership with the Tertiary Chaplaincy Unit of the Synod for our work with students.

Our profile would need to further explore these possibilities.

Mission as Evangelism

Although some of this work is achieved ecumenically, we still have a challenge before us as to how we work with God that our congregation might grow. How does a church community engage the business district? How do we begin constructive relationships with the relatively new high rise residents? How might we address the challenge offered by the students who surround us? How might our community offer itself as an appropriate venue for worship and fellowship for students from overseas? These are questions that are critical at this time in our ministry.

Weddings, baptisms, and funerals have been used very effectively to proclaim the Gospel to many who visit our community, Follow up has also been tried, in an attempt to further link these people into our community. The proclamation of the Good News at these events has deliberately focussed on the evangelical task.

We also have a website that provides excellent information about our activities but we need to be careful about the target group.

There are those in our community who believe we are being called to a ministry with young people. With the number of students who live and study in close proximity to us this is not surprising. They are an obvious group who require our attention. If we are to attract these young people we would need to change the way we worship in at least one of our services. It is possible that a service on a day other than Sunday might be appropriate.

Mission as hospitality

It is clear that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God reaches out to all humankind in an overwhelming act of hospitality and grace. If we are to be followers of Jesus, this hospitality is to also be a part of our life together.

As a consequence Wesley wishes to be an open and welcoming community where pastoral care is emphasised and fellowship activities are encouraged. Acceptance and respect for everyone, particularly the marginalised are highly valued.

Implicit in hospitality is mutual trust among church members and acceptance of diversity. Many of our members have experienced and valued inclusive acceptance within this community of faith, but for some, there are still memories of the divisions of the past.

Wesley, like the community in which we are situated, is crying out for reconciliation, to be a whole congregation, reconciled to one another, and its Lord. There remains however, a strong commitment to build a strong worshipping, witnessing community where every person within and beyond the worshipping community is accepted as of equal worth and value.

One practical way in which to promote this hospitality would be the use of name tags by each member of the congregation. The role of stewards as they welcome people is of course, vital.

Mission as Stewardship

Wesley Church Melbourne has been endowed with a beautiful church building, a quiet place located in the centre of the metropolis. But there are several heritage buildings on our site that are in dire need of repair and renewal.

A joint committee has been established with the Mission and the Synod to examine the future of the Lonsdale St site. One of the motivations for this group has been to generate sufficient income to fund the repairs necessary to the heritage buildings.

But how are we to repair these important buildings?

Are we to merely refurbish the buildings so they are maintained as heritage buildings? Or rather, are we to address the missional issue, as to what sort of buildings are required for the ministry and mission of our community into the future? Do we desire our building to remain as it is, with its sacred space, that retains a sense of the Holy Spirit, or are we prepared to move towards, at least internally a more functional structure, perhaps even a building that has a flexibility of use, even considered multi-purpose in its usage?

These questions remain unanswered at this point in time.

But they are missional in nature. For the nature of the building not only defines its usage. It also defines how the building is seen by the community at large.

Mission as Public Profile

We must not underestimate the importance the importance of the Wesley Church Melbourne community to the city. This is a community with a long and proud history of service to those who are marginalised in our midst.

In partnership with the Mission we have also a history of strong reflection on that service that has influenced the social policy of this state.

We must seek ways to continue this tradition.

This will of, course, require partnership with the separately incorporated Wesley Mission Melbourne to be further developed.

The combination of good social policy with Gospel values and motives provides a sound platform for social change.

Mission as preparing the members for Mission

Most of our members do not live in the city. They come to the city to worship but live and work in other places. Their mission field therefore lies in another place, either at home or at work. Of course, it is our requirement that the teaching and preaching of our community prepares people for ministry and mission in their lives. Only in this way will the gifts that we receive be lived out in a corresponding service.

It is critical that this teaching ministry continues as part of our missional strategy.

Possible Mission Partners

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