As a person who works in the area of children, youth and young adults, I have regularly heard of the reality of we being a declining, aging church and without the necessary skillsets or capacities to take the church into a future that ensures its survival. I acknowledge the challenges are real, and pressing. Many of our churches are struggling – financially, communally and spiritually – due to a number of different factors from within and from outside of the church walls.

These problems are evident at all levels of church life as well, from local parish to the Connexional Office. But it is not all doom and gloom, nor should it be, if we are willing to look for inspiration and encouragement in the right places. 

I recall President Andrew’s address at Conference 2020 where he reflected on the theme of ‘what do you have in your hands.’ Using the Exodus text and Moses’ encounter of God in the form of a burning bush, a shepherd’s stick was used as imagery to illustrate the reality in which God can use whatever - and whoever - we have for a glorious purpose. 

As an example, the young leaders within the Tauiwi Youth Ministry team include social workers, registered nurses, teachers, political science majors, government agency workers, law graduates, sports science and commerce graduates, and high-level corporate workers. In facilitating the work of this team, I sometimes feel like the most under-qualified person in the room! 

Coming back to my opening words, if we are short of ‘skilled people’ my question in response would be ‘where are we actually looking for them?’ I am not naïve about the challenges at hand, however I do believe we have, by blessing of God, people within our reach who are capable and willing to play a part in shaping the next part of the journey for what our Haahi will do and be. These people are young. They are ready. They are not the future of the church. They are the here and now. 

As a Haahi, I believe this is not just an ‘English speaking’, Tauiwi or Taha Māori church issue that we must address. Across the board, Weteriana must be better at recognising what God has placed in our hands. On all levels of church life, I believe this is possible. In conversations with many people around the church that I am privileged to talanoa with, many of my older colleagues have often shared ‘how things were in their day.’ I wonder if there is a way in which we can challenge our elders to instead say ‘how can your experience of the church now be even better than it was in my day?’ 

I will be blunt and suggest that sometimes, we have not given capable people a chance because they are not of the typical mould of what we’re looking for. Perhaps they are too eccentric, bold or, as young people would say, ‘out the gate.’ Sometimes it is because they are simply perceived as being ‘too young’ or not from the same cultural or ethnic background. Yes, there are tough conversations that must be had around racism in the church as well. These are all failures on our part. 

If we, as the church, can look at the needs at hand and recognize that across the church we already possess in our hands, the skilled and passionate people who can make a difference, we may go a long way to ensuring that we don’t just survive beyond our bi-centennial, but also thrive. We owe it to generations of Methodists in the past, present and future that we take the challenges of the church in the 21st century head on, with confidence in our identity and in Christ as reconciler and redeemer of new hope. All people – young and old together – have a part to play. 

So what do we have in our hands? Something that we’re willing to give a chance to be used by and for the glory of God? Or something that simply reminds us of days gone by. I’m hopeful that we will be church that strives for the former. Because if you know where to look, you will find our hands aren’t so empty after all.