The ANZAC spirit is alive and well with Christians on both sides of the Tasman joining forces to see more people trained for Bible-centred ministry.
Several Sydney Anglicans are returning well-armed from the second annual Youth Leaders Convention of New Zealand (YLCNZ) " an initiative started by members of St John's, Latimer Square in Christchurch.
David Clancey, a former member of St John's and a native New Zealander currently studying at Moore College, says the conference is helping to encourage a biblical model of ministry that has become uncommon in his homeland.
"The big, exciting thing was that, through the talks on 1 Samuel and 2 Timothy people were introduced to a form of ministry that was Bible-focused and Christ-centred," he says.
YLCNZ is modeled on the annual Katoomba Youth Leaders' Convention. Both conferences feature daily Bible talks, together with a three-year small group program progressing through different aspects of Christian ministry.
Five couples from Sydney's Moore College devoted a week of January to attending the conference as Strand Leaders, continuing a trans-Tasman relationship that has been going strong for several years.
The idea for the Convention was sparked when St John's, after sending delegates to the Katoomba conference for several years, saw an opportunity for their own conference specifically tailored to New Zealand.
Around 60 delegates attended this year's conference, more than double last year's numbers, with people traveling from cities and churches right across New Zealand's south island.
"A lot of people have come from churches where Bible teaching is not central and where they have never been taught or modeled evangelical tools for ministry," Mr Clancey says.
Joining the Australian contingent at the conference were keynote speakers the Rev Paul Dale and the Rev Ed Vaughan, both currently ministering at churches in Sydney Diocese.
"The organisers and delegates were so incredibly grateful to College students who, at no small cost to themselves, came over and served for a week by leading and teaching," Mr Clancey says.
"We're hoping and praying that other students will see YLCNZ as a way of getting a taste for ministry in New Zealand and helping to grow the gospel there."
As the name suggests, YLCNZ is aimed at equipping youth leaders for their role, but Mr Clancey says the conference is also much broader in scope.
"There were many people who lead home groups, are involved in university ministry, or just wanted to learn to read the Bible better for themselves. People are also being challenged as to how their individual churches are doing things."
Part of the long-term aim of YLCNZ is to foster and encourage evangelical ministry right across New Zealand, a country where Bible-centred Christian ministry has waned in recent years, by giving Christians tools to handle Scripture well and teach others.
