The Kiln

Pass the Salt: The Kiln launch evening moves onto the main course.

27 May 2009

Firing up our young leaders

It doesn’t take a Ph.D in ecclesiology to realise that our parishes are not getting any younger. To be fair, the news isn’t all bad. Some of our churches have youth groups that are ticking along very nicely. We may even have a children’s programme and a good bunch of young families. But it’s those darn 20-somethings to 40-whatevers who are most elusive.

Lately the church has sounded a bit like a broken record, talking about the importance of getting young people re-engaged in parish life. But it’s not just the church that is struggling with change. Business, media and politics are all having to change the way they do things to engage this younger generation.

One of the challenges posed by Bishop Victoria – a challenge so important, in fact, that it was one of three priorities in the strategic plan adopted by Synod in March – is creating young leaders.

Throughout Scripture youth have played a vital part in fulfilling God’s plan: Samuel, David, Jeremiah, Joseph, Timothy, Mary and Martha, even Jesus himself. And there’s no doubting that young leaders will play a huge role in turning our church into a place that forms strong disciples of Christ and continues to pass on the faith.

But it’s all very well to talk about the importance of encouraging and creating young leaders. How do we actually do something about it?

The good news is that things have already started moving. Last month an exciting new initiative in the diocese was launched with the core goal of forming young Anglicans into creative and dynamic leaders. It’s called ‘The Kiln’, and it’s about getting our young leaders fired up.

Fire and Clay
When Diocesan Youth Advisor Phil Trotter returned this year from a year at St John’s College in Auckland, he came with a new passion for the importance of young leaders in the church. Naturally, he felt encouraged by the way this lined up with our new strategic plan. And so The Kiln was born, with the goal of forming and supporting young leaders in their current parishes, and hopefully the wider church.

“Clay speaks of formation and creativity, while fire speaks of Spirit guided mission and grassroots action reflection.”

But what’s with the name? The Kiln is a metaphor that brings together the biblical themes of clay and fire with the two main tasks of creating young leaders in the church. Clay speaks of formation and creativity, while fire speaks of Spirit-guided mission and grassroots action reflection. It’s a place where leadership qualities are formed while being put under the heat of ministry in action.

One goal of The Kiln is to create a network of young leaders who can begin to help each other. An Anglican strength has always been the way in which people from different parishes and areas of ministry come together to support each other and share ideas.

This hasn’t happened much for our young leaders, so part of the challenge is to get a bunch of talented young people together and let them swap ideas and cellphone numbers.

Good relationships are essential in youth culture, and a leadership formation process that works effectively for young people will need plenty of space for people to connect socially.

But what does The Kiln actually look like? Its approach can be broken up into four main areas:

Commissioning
The first step towards encouraging and empowering our young leaders will be to commission them. It tells our young leaders that the church and our Bishop believe that what they’re doing is important, and that we’re committed to supporting them. And it gives them a mandate to minister to the young people around them, knowing they have the church’s blessing.

Mentoring
This is vital to fostering young leaders because it allows them to process what’s happening in their ministries and teams, and to reflect on how they can develop as leaders. The Kiln will make sure someone meets regularly with our young leaders in their teams, or individually if they’re working by themselves.

Workshops
The Kiln is partnering with Theology House to offer a monthly workshop, where Kilners can eat together, build friendships, and hear from a range of New Zealand’s best communicators on key leadership and mission topics. These workshops will offer space for challenging mind-fodder and lively discussions, with the ultimate goal of forming creative young leaders.

Resourcing
Lastly The Kiln will harness new technologies like blogging and Facebook to regularly resource young leaders with the good oil to keep them on their toes. A new Kiln blog with interesting articles and updates is in development, along with a special resource section in Theology House for relevant books and DVDs.

The Launch
We gathered over 30 young adults on a mid-April evening with the promise of a free dinner and the unveiling of a plan. By the end of the night almost every person had booked mentoring time or signed their interest in being
part of The Kiln. In fact, the positive response was overwhelming.

"I think The Kiln will build a sense of ownership and pride among Anglican youth
leaders! I also believe it will enhance the quality of leadership, which will have ripple effects on
generations to come. I’m stoked to be a part of it!" Kirstin Roome – St Christopher’s, Avonhead

Jessie Stapleton: “I’m looking forward to sharing ideas and being inspired.”

"The Kiln means networking, opportunities, growth and communication, which are what this
part of the body needs most. Young leadership is a trend in the wider church, so it’s important to keep innovating and being part of the dialogue. Dialogue It’s sweet to see our diocese leading the way!" Lyndon Rogers – St Tim’s, Burnside

"The Kiln is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a supportive community of young Anglican leaders from all over the diocese. I’m looking forward to sharing ideas and being inspired and encouraged by the workshops. Jessie Stapleton – St Barnabas, Fendalton

Grant Bennett : “The Kiln is great because we’re going to learn how to better young leaders.”

"The Kiln is great because we’re going to learn how to better young leaders. It gives us a standard, helps us grow as young leaders, and makes room for new youth groups and leaders." Grant Bennett – ChristChurch Cathedral

But the movement doesn’t stop there. Phil Trotter knows for sure that there are plenty more young adults involved in leadership that he hasn’t connected with. “Clearly God’s spirit is at work – and forming young leaders is high on our Lord’s agenda for this diocese,” he says.

If you’re a young leader and want to be find our more about The Kiln, email phil@chch.ang.org.nz or spanky@chch.ang.org.nz. They’d love to hear from you.

WORDS: SPANKY MOORE – Young Adults Ministry Leader
PHOTOS: DAVE WETHEY