Our churches still lose about two-thirds of our young adults. A primary cause has been identified as a lack of known reasons for believing this faith to be true.

Jesus spoke through stories. Of note, he never explained the meaning of the parables to the crowds. Their interpretation was left to the audience to work out. He did this for a few reasons – including the presence of hostile elements in his audiences.

United Church structure – wider Church unity is sometimes a difficult topic. Most local congregations have connection with a denomination of some kind. This can add strength.

God’s intent was that we work together when needed. Our unity was to go beyond relationships and prayer to outwardly­ focused action. The goal wasn’t unity for unity’s sake – but unity for mission’s sake.

It is generally recognised that over 80% of those who come to faith do so before the age of 20. Youth ministry is therefore logically a wise area of focus for outreach.

In the current Western church environment it is rarely recognised that the mission of God’s Church is also the mission of the church small group. It is certainly true that church small groups serve a few purposes.

For we who hold this faith dear, the growing negative attitudes toward our faith that are being fed within our society are a challenge to adapt to.

For a few decades ‘evangelism training’ in NZ was relegated to the Saturday seminar – which even the pastor didn’t attend. Something was clearly wrong. Our understanding of our God-given mission had become strangely disconnected within our changing culture.