If you are new in the parish, you may not have heard about the parish renewal program that we are on called “Genesis Compass”.
The Genesis Compass programme, inspired by Divine Renovation, is designed to guide parishes through a process of spiritual and structural renewal. Its focus is on helping parish communities move from maintenance to mission, fostering a culture of discipleship, hospitality, and evangelisation. Through practical steps and
ongoing support, Genesis Compass aims to revitalise parish life, encouraging every member to play an active role in the faith journey and outreach of the community. The program is divided into 7 modules or “days”, which is a reference to the creation story of Genesis.
The first module/day which the leadership did was on “Missional Prayer” and the fruits of that module was the revitalisation of our Prayer Ministry and the development of new prayer initiatives. The second module/day was on “Forming and Casting Vision”. You may remember gathering in the hall to reflect on a draft mission statement which was refined and then became “Experience Christ’s love through worship, service and community.” This vision of who we called to be guides our preaching, our ministries and our service.
The third module/day which we have just completed was on “Becoming the leader you are” and had four key objectives:
- Develop an understanding of self-leadership as “a developed sense of who you are, what you can do, where you are going, coupled with the ability to influence your communication, emotions and behaviour on the way to getting there.”
- Deepen relationships, understanding and trust within the Genesis team.
- Grow in understanding the strengths, weaknesses and unique make-up of the genesis team. We did this use of the Clifton Strengths survey and the APEST survey (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, Teacher).
- Discern the areas of personal growth that God is calling you into.
To lead a process of parish renewal our leaders must first be renewed and strengthened in their own leadership. They must be united behind a common vision and united with each other under their pastor. I would like to thank all those leaders who participated, and I am looking forward to the next module/day
which we will do in the second half of the year.
