On Thursday 16 April, Revs Andrew and Emily Spence were welcomed into Motueka Parish in an arrangement that is new to our diocese: co-vicars!
I had the privilege of meeting them at St Thomas in Motueka on Monday, where we sat down for a chat.
The Spences are passionate about helping the church to flourish in its mission and bring years of experience in parish leadership, as well as youth and children’s ministry. Emily and Andrew both grew up in Christchurch but are familiar with Motueka as a favourite holiday spot. They have three young boys.
Andy worked as a youth pastor in the Christchurch Diocese before becoming a youth coordinator in Wellington – first for the Hutt Valley, then for the whole Wellington Diocese, where he served with AYM (Anglican Youth Movement). He also loves hockey, having taken care of international hockey matches as a technical official.
Emily likes to “learn about absolutely everything” with a range of interests and education, including a degree in music and a master’s in audiology on top of her biblical studies. She works part time as an audiologist with a special interest in auditory processing disorder. She’s passionate about sharing the goodness of God with children.
The Spences value hospitality and have housed young leaders and foster children in their home throughout the years.
“We have always had a sense of joy and excitement in drawing people together, finding out their passions, and equipping them to serve their communities,” Emily said. They were reluctant to get ordained at first. Andy said it was Bishop Justin who eventually convinced them to go on a discernment retreat, where God convinced them to enter the priesthood. Ordained together in 2020, Andy and Emily have served as deacons-in-charge and co-vicars in multiple parishes.
They had been dreaming about landing in Motueka for a while, having spent plenty of time in the region on family holidays. They love the area, its scenery and friendly people.
Andy and Emily were welcomed warmly by the parish, tangata whenua, and surrounding churches on Thursday. Having arrived in Motueka seven weeks prior, they had visited almost all of the local churches and were delighted to see many of their ministers present at the induction. “There was a real sense of joy and excitement in the room from all of us, which was really special,” Emily said.
I was curious to learn more about what it’s like to serve as co-vicars.
The pair work to their individual talents. Andy offers strengths in preaching and visioning, and tends to take the lead in areas like youth ministry, administration and finance. Emily is creative and pastoral, taking the lead in areas like worship and children’s ministry.
Doing life and ministry together is natural for the Spences, so it’s clear to see how being co-vicars makes sense. Alongside supporting each other in their strengths, Andy and Emily also involve their children where they can.
When I asked what the challenges of the co-vicar arrangement were, they said constant communication is vital to keep on top of. “We have this rule that if you tell one of us then you've told both of us,” Andy said. “Which implies that we are telling each other what is going on,” Emily added, saying that it requires discipline to keep that communication open.
Their first sermon series is called “Life Together”. Andy explained it: “We're starting by reflecting on questions like what is the church, how do the church and the community engage, that sort of thing.”
Andy and Emily are looking forward to getting to know the people of Motueka Parish more and learning about what gets them excited. They want to work out what people’s “kingdom dreams” are – where someone’s interests can meet a need in the community. From gardening to crochet, they want to help people find opportunities to share the good news through their unique enthusiasm and curiosity. “We don’t know what people are passionate about yet,” Emily said, “but we're excited to find out.”
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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.
On Thursday 16 April, Revs Andrew and Emily Spence were welcomed into Motueka Parish in an arrangement that is new to our diocese: co-vicars!
I had the privilege of meeting them at St Thomas in Motueka on Monday, where we sat down for a chat.
The Spences are passionate about helping the church to flourish in its mission and bring years of experience in parish leadership, as well as youth and children’s ministry. Emily and Andrew both grew up in Christchurch but are familiar with Motueka as a favourite holiday spot. They have three young boys.
Andy worked as a youth pastor in the Christchurch Diocese before becoming a youth coordinator in Wellington – first for the Hutt Valley, then for the whole Wellington Diocese, where he served with AYM (Anglican Youth Movement). He also loves hockey, having taken care of international hockey matches as a technical official.
Emily likes to “learn about absolutely everything” with a range of interests and education, including a degree in music and a master’s in audiology on top of her biblical studies. She works part time as an audiologist with a special interest in auditory processing disorder. She’s passionate about sharing the goodness of God with children.
The Spences value hospitality and have housed young leaders and foster children in their home throughout the years.
“We have always had a sense of joy and excitement in drawing people together, finding out their passions, and equipping them to serve their communities,” Emily said. They were reluctant to get ordained at first. Andy said it was Bishop Justin who eventually convinced them to go on a discernment retreat, where God convinced them to enter the priesthood. Ordained together in 2020, Andy and Emily have served as deacons-in-charge and co-vicars in multiple parishes.
They had been dreaming about landing in Motueka for a while, having spent plenty of time in the region on family holidays. They love the area, its scenery and friendly people.
Andy and Emily were welcomed warmly by the parish, tangata whenua, and surrounding churches on Thursday. Having arrived in Motueka seven weeks prior, they had visited almost all of the local churches and were delighted to see many of their ministers present at the induction. “There was a real sense of joy and excitement in the room from all of us, which was really special,” Emily said.
I was curious to learn more about what it’s like to serve as co-vicars.
The pair work to their individual talents. Andy offers strengths in preaching and visioning, and tends to take the lead in areas like youth ministry, administration and finance. Emily is creative and pastoral, taking the lead in areas like worship and children’s ministry.
Doing life and ministry together is natural for the Spences, so it’s clear to see how being co-vicars makes sense. Alongside supporting each other in their strengths, Andy and Emily also involve their children where they can.
When I asked what the challenges of the co-vicar arrangement were, they said constant communication is vital to keep on top of. “We have this rule that if you tell one of us then you've told both of us,” Andy said. “Which implies that we are telling each other what is going on,” Emily added, saying that it requires discipline to keep that communication open.
Their first sermon series is called “Life Together”. Andy explained it: “We're starting by reflecting on questions like what is the church, how do the church and the community engage, that sort of thing.”
Andy and Emily are looking forward to getting to know the people of Motueka Parish more and learning about what gets them excited. They want to work out what people’s “kingdom dreams” are – where someone’s interests can meet a need in the community. From gardening to crochet, they want to help people find opportunities to share the good news through their unique enthusiasm and curiosity. “We don’t know what people are passionate about yet,” Emily said, “but we're excited to find out.”
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
