On the weekend of 20 to 23 July 2023 the Minister in Synodical Service (MSS) of Congregational Witness, workshopped with a few congregations from the Presbytery of Fish River.
As always, we started off with a blessed Dwelling in the Word session. According to the Lectionary readings, we read from the Psalm of the week, Psalm 119. Like always this missional practice not only helps us to build spiritual muscle and the importance of putting on the full armour of God, but it also ensures a lively, engaging, and interactive way of reading and reflecting on the Biblical text.
However, most of the day has been dedicated to sharing information with the congregational leaders. We focused on the accompaniment process or journey with congregations – what it entails and the goals we want to achieve. We informed them about the three phases of the process and all the tools they are being empowered with during the assessment phase, to do the second and third phases: discernment and implementation.
But the most exciting part of the day was the session about Contextual Bible Study (CBS). The MSS was assisted by Sr Nosipho Konki of the CWM of the Fish River Presbytery and a leader of the host congregation, URCSA Immanuel-Cradock. After she gave an overview of what CBS is all about, we facilitated the SEE part of CBS with the group of leaders.
We started off with the question: What are the communal challenges, what do they see, facing their congregations today?
As usual, this was also a lively and interactive part of the session. The group identified four challenges:
- Unemployment
- Loss of interest in church attendance
- Substance dependency
- Lack of mentorship
After a very challenging reflection on the four challenges, the group agreed that the challenge of congregants, especially the youth, not coming to church, loss of interest in being part of church, is at the root of the other three and many other challenges facing congregations and communities.
Because it is at church and being part of church that you are being part of a network of contacts and possibilities about work opportunities, etc. It is at church that you are shaped and formed to be a leader and mentor according to kingdom values and the example modeled by Jesus Christ. Here you can get help and support with your dependency, and where you get exposure to constructive role models. You are inspired by the Word of God and are being formed to be and make disciples of Christ. At church you enjoy warm fellowship and are embraced and excepted just the way you are. Here a sense of belonging is experienced amidst a world which so easily rejects and cancels.
So, at the end of the day we’ve decided that the challenge of dropping in church attendance, people having lost interest in being part of church, will be the focus when these leaders reconvene to do the DISCERNMENT AND ACT parts of the rest of the CBS.
The group identified Luke 15 which focuses on loss, as a possible text that will be read together, slowly, to discern what actions can be taken to address and transform this pertinent challenge for a lot of URCSA Cape congregations.
It was indeed a blessed weekend. As one of the participants summarised it: “Thank you for a very informative workshop. We are ready for the next step, thank you.”