Our mission is clear… It’s all about making disciples.
Our Vision: A thriving disciple-making movement across Victoria.
Vision.
Mission.
Strategy.
We’re told that, by definition, a movement has 10% growth per year – now what would it take to
achieve that? From the General Conference strategic plan, a conference like Victoria should have six church plants per year and eighteen Centres of Influence. We currently have thirteen church plants underway, and while that’s great, we need many many more if we’re going to be effective in achieving the mission Jesus gave us. And we have a number of Centres of Influence. I’d like to think that every church, school and aged care facility is a Centre of Influence – at least it should be. However, according to the General Conference, a Centre of Influence will have the potential to become a new Seventh-day Adventist Church so I guess existing churches don’t count. While we do have some Centres of Influence that fit the definition, there’s plenty of room for more.
The Conference is half way through its current term of office. You may well be asking, what’s been done towards making our vision a reality?
Victoria is home to 25% of Australia’s people, and growing rapidly.
Melbourne is soon to be Australia’s largest city, and possibly as secular as any other significant urban area.
The Conference exists primarily for local churches, schools and aged care. While we deal with matters of governance and compliance, the function of the Conference is largely to train, empower and equip. It’s about promoting organizational health, leading to effectiveness and growth.
So, what IS the Conference doing to promote effectiveness in achieving our mission?
The leadership team has identified seven strategic areas and while they’re not all equal, they’re all important. First and foremost is Christ Centred Living, which underpins and flows through everything that follows. Next Evangelism and Discipleship create a framework for the other five areas: Adventist Identity, Worship, Healthy Relationships, Nurture and Compassion, and Stewardship.
Our Conference team has been busy resourcing, equipping, empowe
ring and training people for effective disciple-making ministry in the context of local churches and schools in particular. What happens in local churches, schools and aged care facilities and their communities is what really matters.
We have an excellent team in the Victorian Conference – each one is a delight to work with. We’ve invited our departmental team and our Conference Secretary to report on what has been achieved since 2017 and what they’re planning to achieve by 2021. You’ll find those reports in this edition of Intravic and the next. Feedback is welcome. Enjoy!
Graeme Christian