Rod Robson, the Chair of Assembly Council, brings you this update from their last Assembly Council gathering on 12 October.
On Saturday, the Assembly Council met for our October meeting, our last meeting before the 2024 National Assembly (National Hui).
During the meeting, we were part of the Pōwhiri to welcome Elijah Brown to Aotearoa, New Zealand. Elijah is the chief executive of the Baptist World Alliance – you can read more about his visit here.
There are a few areas of note that you should be aware of.
Constitutional Review
The Constitutional Review Committee and Assembly Council have received much feedback on the Constitutional Review. We appreciate all those churches taking time together to consider these matters. Following feedback, more time may be needed to discuss the proposed addition of Clause 36 (churches leaving the Union). Discussion around this clause and the other proposals for constitutional amendments will still occur during the Thursday afternoon session at this year’s Hui. However, the Assembly Council has agreed that if, following the discussion, it is the position of the delegates to delay the vote to allow more consideration, this will be accommodated.
You can listen to Wayne Schache and me chat further about the Constitution on The Lowdown podcast here.
National Leader
Charles Hewlett will come to the end of his current term as National Leader at National Hui 2025. Charles has informed the Assembly Council that he will not put himself forward for a further term. Charles has served as our National Leader since March 2019. Charles’ ongoing encouragement to our Baptist whānau has been to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. During the past five and a half years as National Leader, Charles has revitalised the regions and the National Support Centre. We have been a movement focused on bringing gospel renewal to people and places in our local neighbourhoods. I, along with the Assembly Council, look forward to continuing to work with Charles over the next 12 months.
During our meeting, we began discussing the process and timeline for appointing a new National Leader. More information about this will be available in due course. We also started to think about what kind of person God might want to lead the Baptist Churches of New Zealand at this time. We invite you, our churches, to contribute your thoughts on what skills might be important for the next National Leader to possess. We will come back to you with a survey in due course.
Please pray for this process and the person who will be our next national leader; that God will bring clarity to the appointment process.
Te Whāriki
During the meeting, the Assembly Council passed the following resolution to recognise Te Whāriki as the governing body of Te Rununga (the gathering of Baptist Māori).
Assembly Council acknowledge the gathered group of Te Whāriki made up currently of the members, Ray Totorewa, Josie Te Kahu, Manaakinui Te Kahu, Rāwiri Auty, Rangiaruaru Hema, Steve Te Keepa Mihaere, Leonnie Motu, Sean Delaney & Matt Renata as the current governing body of Te Rununga of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand.
Assembly Council express their support for the ongoing relationship between Te Whāriki, Te Rununga, and AssemblyCouncil.
Church Committed Giving
Church Committed Giving (CCG) is how churches contribute to the work of the National Support Centre. Churches are asked to contribute to the work of the National Support Centre through CCG, and also to their Regional Association.
This year, the Assembly Council has commissioned work to determine what a reasonable request for CCG would look like. We resolved that the 2025 CCG request be amended to request churches give 3% of their donations or members’ giving. While we recognise that this level may be above the current giving for some churches, and it may need to be a target to be worked up to, we believe that this is an important part of our contributing together toward the collective.
Final Thoughts
A lot is going on at the moment in our Baptist whānau. Let’s remember to treat each other in a Christ-like manner, keeping the gospel at the centre of all that we do.
Please pray for your fellow churches, the regional and national teams, and those who serve alongside me on the Assembly Council as we all seek to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as we move forward together.
