Christchurch Anglicans gathered for a Living Faith conference this October where they joined in hearty worship and heard from speakers and panels focused on growing in commitment and practice of discipleship.

The Diocese of Christchurch's Archdeacon for Regeneration and Mission, Mark Chamberlain who coordinated the Living Faith conference, reports that 400 Anglicans turned out from 42 of the Diocese's 55 ministry units for the day-long intensive discipleship education programme at Christchurch Boys’ High auditorium on 26 October. 

"Women, men, children and young people from across the motu came and the energy was amazing! It was pouring with rain outside, but the feeling of fellowship and encouragement was tangible on the inside." said Mark. 

 “It was uplifting to hear from people whose faith is certainly alive. The heartfelt encouragement resonated with the audience, and we were able to consider the future through a more hopeful lens.” wrote one enthusiastic feedback respondent at the end of the day.

In her opening address to 'Living Faith' Bishop Eleanor Sanderson (former Assistant Bishop of Wellington who now serves as Bishop of Hull in the UK, and as a member of the Lambeth Discipleship ) urged Canterbury Anglicans to pivot away from nominalism in their parishes and move instead toward lives of "intention, purpose and wholehearted commitment to Jesus".

Attending from the Diocese of Dunedin, Archdeacon Jan Clark gave thanks for the insights her team had gained at the conference,

"There is so much to reflect on and steps to be taken to enflesh the invitation to live Jesus shaped lives sharing God's love with others." said Jan.

"Our small team of five appreciated the inspiration and challenge the conference offered."

Further speakers included Dallas Harema, a social worker and counsellor, cultural advisor and Te Tiriti educator, who spoke from his firsthand experience in the "art and practice" of helping people grow in faith and make new disciples.

The third key speaker was Grammy-nominated US contemporary Christian musician Grant Norsworthy, who shared his insights into the role of prayer and worship in the life of discipleship.

Archdeacon Mark Chamberlain reported that people enjoyed not only the stirring presentations, but the time for catching up and fellowship across the diocese. A supervised children's space enabled parents to join in, and a panel discussion added to the speakers' points with expert reflections from Archbishop Justin Duckworth and Rev Dr Karen Kemp. 

Anglicans taking part were encouraged to take a ‘next step of faith’ when they left the conference to help embed new practices and ideas. Some joined the 250-strong Christchurch Diocesan Prayer Community for more intentional prayer, and 70 people signed up for a bulk purchase of discipleship expert John Mark Comer’s book ‘Practicing the Way.’

Bishop Peter said the challenge and encouragement of the Living Faith conference was for each faithful Anglican to work for regeneration of the church.

"With this understanding of what it means for each of us to be a disciple, Jesus invites us to be involved with others encouraging fellow disciples to make disciples. Critical in this process is a focus on engaging with each other where we are at in the messiness of life."

"Programmes and courses have their place, but the first call to the church at this time is to “let love be genuine”, that is, to develop a culture of love in which we hear what God is saying to us, day by day, and act on God’s voice." 

All participants at 'Living Faith' were encouraged to meet in parish groups one month after the conference to discuss ways forward and keep the inspiration alive.

Bishop Eleanor Sanderson's opening keynote from the Living Faith conference is available to watch online here.