“Will our children have faith?” or “Will our Faith have children?”⁽¹⁾

This is the shift in focus Gary Bouma suggests is coming into play in congregations across Australia.

There is an age gap opening up between the church and community. The gap is at both ends of the age spectrum. The church has a much higher percentage of people over 60 and a much lower percentage of those under 40. (see below)

BCA focuses its ministry and mission on the 15% who live outside the urban and inner regional areas yet we are not much different from the national picture recently cast by the Christian Research Association in its March Bulletin. The gaps identified are concerning for us, as is the children/faith shift matter.

With the balance leaning toward the more senior cohort in our churches and on our decision making councils and committees there is always the possibility that our missional activity could be eschewed. In times past the missional activity of BCA did just that, recruited clergy and focused the larger part of its missional activity in the support of ministry to this group.

The Society realizes that this group is significant and must be ministered to and reached with the gospel, after all there is most likely less time to do that than with those in generation X or Y.

BCA regularly reviews the shape of its ministry portfolio and has a small dedicated panel of people to review not only new and existing ministries but also the ministry mix to ensure that it
is balanced and has the capacity to take up the presenting opportunities. Supporters have noted the wider generational spread of those engaged in ministry and the focus of their ministries and encouraged us to press on meeting missional opportunities across the age spectrum.

We will continue to make placements which make the most of years of skills and experience acquired after a life time of ministry. Bill and Jackie France just finishing in the Murchison, Bill and Jocelyn Ross preparing to hand over to the Knights in Hedland and Bob and Sue Witten, who are to take on another term with us in Winton in central western Queensland. These senior, well equipped folk bring a confidence and quality to the missional endeavour. At the other end of the scope we have Stuart and Kathy Haynes who are off to a flying start in developing a family ministry in Blackwater with some very encouraging results from the initial contacts. The Chapmans, Bruce and Jodie take on a new developmental youth work position in the Diocese of the Northern Territory in the coming months. They will be based at St Peter’s Nightcliff, an early BCA planted church in Darwin.

A quick scan of the BCA Prayer Notes gives a full synopsis of the ministry portfolio spread of the ministries supported. (These notes are free on request)

Returning to the Children and Faith matter, which often tears at the heart of parents young and old, BCA has recently been alarmed by the shrinkage of the Religious Education footprint across rural regions. Many clergy and lay RE teachers are being prevented from taking up the opportunities in schools, ranging from small rural through to larger regional ones, as a direct impact of a climate of change being experienced in the rural sectors. Parishes just do not have enough funds to cover the costs of doing RE. Some Lay people are older and too frail while others find it much harder to fund the travel costs to get out to small schools with the harder times, rising fuel costs and lower returns in the agribusiness sector. BCA’s recent RE support program has been seen as a life saver by the 54 parishes now in the program; where the Society covers the cost of doing the RE ministry from its Outback Education Fund.

This injection of funding has not only made it possible to keep the normal parish ministries and children’s outreach in place but provides a ‘godly presence’ in the lives of young people whose families are still doing it tough on the land.

In late breaking news Arthur Tanner based with our support in Leigh Creek has pioneered a chaplaincy role with the School of the Air in his region and Mark Doyle has just been appointed as school chaplain to the high school at Gulargambone. Mark is a Co-worker with BCA and was encouraged to consider the position through the excellent work established by Rich and Julie Lanham down the road at Gilgandra.

BCA is very much aware of the trends being experienced across the Australian church scene and doing what it can to provide quality ministry to all age groups and is seeking to address the children and faith questions so that rural and regional churches will have a continued and vital future.

Brian Roberts
National Director

⁽¹⁾Bouma G 2006 cited in Christian Research Association
Bulletin March 2008 Vol 18 No 1 p14

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