You may or may not have heard of Wayfinder – it’s a new initiative this year. Wayfinder is a day in which members of the Bishop’s Ministry Team work together with a group from a parish, which often includes vestry members and clergy, to work out a vision for the parish going forward.
There have been four Wayfinder days run throughout the second half of 2024, of which I have been able to attend three – Buller, Hira and Motueka this past Saturday. We ask them questions like “If you were to visit your parish 10 years from now, what words would you use to describe what it will look like?” We then use these words to craft a 10-year vision, followed by four 3-year goals, a 1-year vision and more immediately, four 90-day goals, each of which requires a champion to put their name down for being in charge of that goal. The catch is that it can’t be the vicar’s name!
We also ask them in their table groups to identify 3 things that they think their parish needs, alongside the Word of God and prayer (which are non-negotiables), using Wayfinder cards designed by Brad Wood. Options include sung worship, leadership, discipleship, young adults, reconciliation and many more. It’s always interesting to see what comes out on top.
On Saturday last week, 15 people from Motueka Parish gathered at St Thomas’ alongside three members of the Bishop’s Ministry Team – Spanky Moore, Brad Wood, and me.
The day started with prayer and then we delved into the work. Brad and Spanky led most of the facilitation throughout the day, although I was able to lead the card exercise and finish off with the four 90-day goals. Mission, local outreach, hospitality and home groups were some of the priorities that came up when we went through the Wayfinder cards.
The day included a lot of discussion and many hopes came out for what the parish could look like in the future. One theme that came out quite strongly was connecting newcomers, which turned into one of the parish’s 90-day goals. They decided that they needed to have a pathway for connecting newcomers into the parish, with newcomers cards to record contact details, a newcomers pack and people being trained as welcomers.
I was also encouraged by the emphasis placed on hearing testimonies during the services, especially the 9am service, to hear what God has been doing in the parish. The group were so keen on this that they decided they were going to start encouraging the service to include these as soon as this past Sunday! On the board I had to write, “starting testimonies at the 9am service TOMORROW”.
I loved the energy in the room and especially enjoyed being able to meet some people that I’d never met before, as well as reconnect with others that I had met at previous diocesan events. We continued working hard throughout the day – though not without a morning tea break when we enjoyed delicious pikelets made by Anna Pickersgill-Brown. We finished the day feeling like some good work had been done and like the parish had an idea of how to move forward to continue growing and going strong as Motueka Parish.
One piece of feedback from an attendee summed up the day’s impact: “God showed me, and us, some home truths, and that was needed. The day was led well, directed well, helped us journey well, and work as a team.”
I look forward to seeing what the Wayfinder days of 2025 bring and encourage parishes to make the most of this initiative!
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
You may or may not have heard of Wayfinder – it’s a new initiative this year. Wayfinder is a day in which members of the Bishop’s Ministry Team work together with a group from a parish, which often includes vestry members and clergy, to work out a vision for the parish going forward.
There have been four Wayfinder days run throughout the second half of 2024, of which I have been able to attend three – Buller, Hira and Motueka this past Saturday. We ask them questions like “If you were to visit your parish 10 years from now, what words would you use to describe what it will look like?” We then use these words to craft a 10-year vision, followed by four 3-year goals, a 1-year vision and more immediately, four 90-day goals, each of which requires a champion to put their name down for being in charge of that goal. The catch is that it can’t be the vicar’s name!
We also ask them in their table groups to identify 3 things that they think their parish needs, alongside the Word of God and prayer (which are non-negotiables), using Wayfinder cards designed by Brad Wood. Options include sung worship, leadership, discipleship, young adults, reconciliation and many more. It’s always interesting to see what comes out on top.
On Saturday last week, 15 people from Motueka Parish gathered at St Thomas’ alongside three members of the Bishop’s Ministry Team – Spanky Moore, Brad Wood, and me.
The day started with prayer and then we delved into the work. Brad and Spanky led most of the facilitation throughout the day, although I was able to lead the card exercise and finish off with the four 90-day goals. Mission, local outreach, hospitality and home groups were some of the priorities that came up when we went through the Wayfinder cards.
The day included a lot of discussion and many hopes came out for what the parish could look like in the future. One theme that came out quite strongly was connecting newcomers, which turned into one of the parish’s 90-day goals. They decided that they needed to have a pathway for connecting newcomers into the parish, with newcomers cards to record contact details, a newcomers pack and people being trained as welcomers.
I was also encouraged by the emphasis placed on hearing testimonies during the services, especially the 9am service, to hear what God has been doing in the parish. The group were so keen on this that they decided they were going to start encouraging the service to include these as soon as this past Sunday! On the board I had to write, “starting testimonies at the 9am service TOMORROW”.
I loved the energy in the room and especially enjoyed being able to meet some people that I’d never met before, as well as reconnect with others that I had met at previous diocesan events. We continued working hard throughout the day – though not without a morning tea break when we enjoyed delicious pikelets made by Anna Pickersgill-Brown. We finished the day feeling like some good work had been done and like the parish had an idea of how to move forward to continue growing and going strong as Motueka Parish.
One piece of feedback from an attendee summed up the day’s impact: “God showed me, and us, some home truths, and that was needed. The day was led well, directed well, helped us journey well, and work as a team.”
I look forward to seeing what the Wayfinder days of 2025 bring and encourage parishes to make the most of this initiative!
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
