APCM 1 Draft 1

APCM 2013 – Rector’s “Sermon” / Report / Remarks / Ramble!

A good APCM is a bit like the Oscars.

I’d like to thank my mum, my agent…

Thank yous to you all.

For your regular prayers, your encouragement, your support, your partnership, your practical help, all that you do in the life of the church (sometimes hidden).

Other thank yous to come from others.

Invidious to pick out individuals.

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Sorry to anyone I forgot to thank!

The rest of this ought to be familiar, motherhood and apple-pie, useful reminder stuff – but maybe some people would find it revolutionary, controversial and thought provoking.

A deliberate, thoughtful, intentional, purposeful church

A church with a mission

A sense that we are about God’s business

Not just going through the motions, keeping the show on the road, doing what we’ve always done

Intelligently planned, focused, creative, effective

Mission not just maintenance – though maintenance would be impressive

Not the management of decline!

Our purposes and priorities:

If we don’t agree on much of this, we might as well give up!

(1)   Discipleship – follow Jesus – be disciples

It’s Jesus who has brought us together and who keeps us together.

Church is radically  different from the History Group or Rotary or the Golf Club in that respect.

(2)   Evangelism – help and encourage others to follow Jesus – make disciples

(3)   Training in ministry – help and encourage one another to be those who can help and encourage others to follow Jesus – be disciple-making disciples

Not about keeping the show on the road, balancing the books, looking after the building.

All of that is important, but it is for the sake of our purposes and priorities.

We are not an amateur and underfinanced branch of English Heritage or Social Services.

We have a gospel to proclaim Good News for all!

A united team.

Every member a minister.

Not a one man band.

I cannot fill Dallington church.

All with our part to play.

One body, many different parts.

All with our gifts.

Some of you won’t want to preach sermons, I’m no good at flower arranging.

No one a mere passenger.

Working together across the benefice.

The importance of the school – assembly & governors’ meetings etc.

A Mission Action Plan that says what we’re going to do to seek to fulfil our purposes.

Going for growth.

What we have been doing gets the results we have been getting and we are not satisfied with that.

We want to grow in depth and in numbers.

Willingness to change in order to peruse our priorities and grow.

A selfless servant hearted attitude that thinks of others, including those who don’t yet belong to the church.

Faithfulness is success, but that’s no excuse for not constantly seeking to be as effective as we can be.