By Andrew Humphries
In a constantly changing world, how, where and when we worship God also needs to be adapted.
With that in mind, a new app to be launched Australia-wide at the end of this month may prove to be one of this year’s best innovations.
The godsend app will have its national launch on March 27 and offers an exciting way for Christian people to share faith and explore “new forms of church”.
New and Renewing Communities Catalyst Rev Mat Harry says a two-year listening project conducted by the NSW and ACT Synod uncovered learnings also relevant to the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.
“What they discovered in NSW and the ACT was that the majority of people don’t know how to speak to people about their faith and that people weren’t confident in what the story of the Gospel actually is,” Mat says.
“I then asked people whether they felt that was true here in Victoria and they said ‘yes, absolutely’.”
Mat hopes the godsend app and accompanying online sessions will be embraced as a first step for those wanting to explore different pathways towards Christian community.
“I think it’s important to stress that this is about new forms of church rather than renewed forms of church,” he says.
“It’s not about reinvigorating the Sunday morning service, it’s about creating a different form of church, or a fresh expression of church.”
Mat says the app, which can be downloaded, presents an easy way for Christians in the same area to look at how they could start a new form of church or worship.
“The app is basically a program for people who are interested in connecting with those who have left the church and are no longer engaged, or who have never been involved in the church, in different ways rather than having as the only option a traditional Sunday morning service,” he says.
“The launch of the app is about taking people through the process of how they might invite friends along to a form of church that is different and how they would go about gathering a community around a different activity in a different place (and) to think about how we follow Jesus in the 21st Century.”
Mat says one of the concept’s key features is increasing the options for people of faith to gather together.
“Yes, absolutely, and (it’s also about) increasing the options that are available for people to explore what Christian spirituality is about,” he says.
“The app is being launched (on March 27) and then there are six weeks of people meeting together online and that takes them through the process of what it is you need to think about, what it is you need to do and how you would be inviting people along to what has been set up.
“It also looks at how you need to be quite flexible and adaptable with it all, so it also gives people an understanding of the community they are wanting to reach out to.”
The godsend app will be launched at 7pm (Victorian time) on March 27 and further information, including registration details, is available here.
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