VOLUME 10 NUMBER 6 | DECEMBER 2018 atalyst ASSEMBLYACC OF CONFESSING CONGREGATIONS OF THE UNITING CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA Keynotes, Conference Decisions, Sermons & report 2018 Directions Costly Features of a Musings of a New Discipleship Healthy Church Grandmother FEATURE • 11 FEATURE • 15 BELLA • 38 [email protected] | ACC Catalyst | 1 EDITORIAL e give thanks to God for our 2018 conference. In these difficult times, Wcoming together and sharing our faith is a blessing and something we should not take for granted. ACC members in congregations with liberal ministers often mention they find the conference a breath of fresh air. I am hoping that the contacts people made at the conference will continue to be an encouragement as people support each other by email, phone and mail. Most of the conference presentations are now available on the ACC website and it would be helpful to share these with your church members so they learn and understand more about the confessing movement. Peace and grace, Peter Bentley Cover photo - Supplied ACCatalyst is published by the Assembly of Confessing Congregations Inc. Office: 2 Erskineville Rd, Newtown NSW 02 9550 5358 ABN 73 794 518 715 ARBN 128 001 785. Email for ACCatalyst: Incorporated in NSW. INC 9887628. [email protected] Liability of members is limited. Opinions expressed in ACCatalyst do ACCatalyst is a member of The Australian not necessarily reflect the official views of the assembly. Religious Press Association Executive Editor: Max Champion Design & Layout: Wes Selwood (Selwood Media) Managing Editor: Peter Bentley Printed by Brougham Press, Scoresby Rd, Bayswater Consulting Editor: John Sandeman Vic. ISSN 1835 2073 ACC NEWS Across the Tasman: 25 Years of AFFIRM embers who attended the Fellowship, and some in neither. The the interdenominational AFFIRM 2017 ACC Conference will strong conviction was that it is best booklets. Over the years, we have run Mremember Rev Dr Stuart when we all work together, and that many conferences and events. AF- Lange’s excellent overview of the mis- together we can bring positive change FIRM has no authority over anyone: sion and matters within the Church to the life of the PCANZ. Early we are just a witness and a voice. But in NZ. leaders in AFFIRM included John what we have said has resonated with In June of this year, Presbyterian McKinlay, Ian Woods, Stuart Lange, many people and by the grace of God AFFIRM had a significant birth- Beryl Howie, Bruce Nicholls, Anne we have had some influence. day: AFFIRM was birthed 25 years Bowie, Ivan Moses, Steve Jourdain, Sadly, AFFIRM’s existence has co- ago, at a meeting held at Greenlane John Evans, Peter Cheyne – and incided with the very difficult debates Presbyterian. The inauguration of many more. about sexuality which have preoccu- AFFIRM reflected concerns that lib- AFFIRM’s name (which came from pied many western churches for the eral theological agendas were leading an inspired moment in a prayer gath- last three decades. We have not initi- the PCANZ in destructive directions, ering of Anglicans) is an acronym, ated those debates, but have simply and that various streams of evangeli- and sums up what we are about: Ac- actively defended a faithful biblical cal Presbyterians were not working tion, Faith, Fellowship, Intercession, position. In doing so we have at- well together to give a more helpful Renewal, and Mission. tracted both much support and quite lead. AFFIRM was eager to see the Presbyterian AFFIRM has never a lot of antagonism. But those who Presbyterian Church re-emphasise been in any way a high-powered, have accused AFFIRM of being just the Gospel of salvation and new life well-funded professional organisa- a ‘pressure group’ on sexuality issues in Christ, biblical orthodoxy, the tion. We are essentially just a fel- have completely misunderstood us. work of the Spirit, prayer, disciple- lowship, a loose low-key network of In essence, AFFIRM exists to work ship, evangelism, church renewal, like-minded people. We rely almost with others for the spiritual and and church growth. entirely on busy volunteers. People theological renewal of our denomina- Presbyterian AFFIRM sought supportive of AFFIRM’s vision for tion. Our by-line puts it another way: to work across the spectrum of all the church have been active in all Presbyterian AFFIRM is a network Presbyterians who saw themselves areas of the church’s life, seeking to of Presbyterians with a passion for as evangelical, or charismatic, or make a constructive, Gospel-minded the transforming gospel, biblical faith reformed, or simply orthodox. Some contribution. As a movement, we and vibrant churches. AFFIRM members were also in- have sent out this free newsletter volved in Presbyterian Renewal Min- widely, on average about three times From Presbyterian AFFIRM istries, and some in the Westminster a year. We have helped produce newsletter - pre GA2018 2 | ACC Catalyst | confessingcongregations.com Charlie’s Angels by Robyn Painter Pastor, Peterborough Uniting Church few years ago I was having a chat between countless varieties of breakfast cereals. We with a young friend named Bradley. choose our doctors and where we shop. By getting He was four years old at the time. on the internet we can choose to fill our minds with Bradley was telling me about how pictures and information about anything we want. Nicholas had come to visit him for Choice of products is not even limited to what is avail- the weekend, and all the things able in Australia. I wanted a particular Bible which they had done together. I couldn’t get in Australia so I bought it from the US “Is Nicholas your cousin?” I on Ebay. And these days to a large extent we can even asked. Bradley pondered this for a minute. choose how we look through hair style and colour, A“Mmm, sometimes,” he replied. and if someone is wealthy enough, plastic surgery and “Nicholas is sometimes your cousin?” said I. various implants. “Yes. And sometimes he’s my friend.” asserted Brad- But there are some things we can never make ley. I was left wondering whether Bradley thought they choices about. My friend Bradley had not yet learned were cousins when they were friends, or at the times the saying, you can choose your friends but you can’t when they weren’t! choose your relatives. We can’t choose who our par- We live in an age where choice is considered an indis- ents are, or where we come from, or how tough we’ve putable right. And never in history has a society faced had it. We can’t change the fact that there are seven the number of choices as we have today. We can choose days in a week and 24 hours in a day. We can’t change the fact that our bodies are getting older every day. And we cannot choose what God is like. God is as he always has been and as he always will be. We can wish he was different. We can be deceived about what he’s like. But we can’t make him different. And we can’t choose whether or not we were created by him. We can’t choose whether God loves us, whether Jesus died for our sins, or whether God wants us to know him personally. He does love us, he does want us to know him personally, and Jesus has died to deal with our sins. But we have a choice. We can receive all of this from God, or we can say no. And that is the most important choice we will ever make! [email protected] | ACC Catalyst | 3 ACC NEWS Questions &Given that the Uniting Church already has non-geographic presbyteries for the UAICC and Korean congregations Answers (in NSW), it would seem illogical and in relation to the recent decisions truth. But to those who take the plain discriminatory for Synods or the As- of the Assembly of Confessing reading of Scripture as authoritative, sembly to say that NGPs do not fit the Congregations Inc. (8 October 2018) that is unacceptable. We also believe polity of the UCA. that having freedom of choice at the At the Synod level, the ACC and its ollowing the ACC National individual and local level (as the 15th member congregations have no prob- AGM in Sydney, ACC member Assembly decisions allow) is unwork- lem in working with the Synods in Fcongregations and individual able, will create countless local and as much as the Synod is primarily an supporting members have been learn- personal difficulties, and ultimately administrative servant body accord- ing about the decisions made at the will lead to freedom of choice and belief ing to the Basis of Union. We see no conference and seeking to understand being restricted. problem in dealing with the Synods in their practical consequences for the Some will say that what the ACC has matters of property, finance, insur- ongoing life of congregations. We have decided is impossible in relation to the ance, etc. (The question of ministry already reported on the decisions in the polity of the Uniting Church. To this training is addressed in point 5 below) document ‘Standing Aside and Moving we reply that the 15th Assembly has It is at the Assembly level that ACC Forward’ (a rationale for the decisions put us in an impossible situation, and and its member congregations have taken at the recent AGM of the ACC this impossibility needs to be borne in the major difficulty. The Assembly, in Inc 21 September 2018.). The following mind in understanding what the ACC its role of ‘determining responsibil- should be understood in addition to is advocating.