Description
Foreword by Stuart Lange
Tēnā koutou katoa, i runga i te ingoa o tou tātou Ariki, o Īhu Karaiti.
This book, which directly reflects the inspiration and hard work of Dr Mark Nichols, arose as a follow-up to the New Zealand Christian Leaders’ Congress in September 2023. The Congress was a gathering of over two hundred Christian leaders, from both churches and Christian organisations. People were present from many different denominations and cultures, bringing together in one place a wonderful huge depth of Christian faith, commitment, ministry, wisdom, and experience. Those who have written contributions for this book were some of the many speakers or panel members at the Congress.
The Congress was convened by the New Zealand Christian Network, a very widely inter-denominational network whose whakapapa (lineage) goes back to the 1846 Evangelical Alliance in Britain, with its emphases on Gospel, Bible, new birth, evangelism, mission, the spiritual unity of believers in Christ, and the renewal of church and society. In our own era, the New Zealand Christian Network is the New Zealand affiliate of the World Evangelical Alliance.
The calling of the New Zealand Christian Network is to ‘gather, build, speak:’ to help gather Christians and churches in unity, to help build and strengthen the Church in New Zealand, and to speak with biblical grace and truth into both church and society.
The New Zealand Christian Network called the Congress because it felt it was time for Christian leaders from across the nation to come together and take stock of where Christianity is at in our very rapidly changing New Zealand society; to listen to the Spirit of God; to listen to one another; and to discern together. The theme of the Congress was ‘Strengthening the Church in Aotearoa.’ That theme is also the theme of this book, but the contributors were not restricted to just what they were able to say at the Congress itself.
It is our prayer that this book may indeed make a useful contribution towards strengthening the Christian church in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Rev Dr Stuart Lange (National Director, New Zealand Christian Network)
