Capable of flying at speeds up to 200km and catching prey larger than itself, the New Zealand falcon is one of our most spectacular birds. You may recognise it from our $20 note, know about the Marlborough falcon trust, or have been lucky enough to observe them in your time exploring our beautiful region.
The New Zealand falcon is a magpie-sized raptor that feeds predominantly on live prey – either watching from a vantage point and making a fast direct flying attack, or striking and grasping their prey with their feet, which are equipped with sharp talons. Adapted to hunt within the dense New Zealand forests they are also found in more open habitats such as tussock lands and hill country. More recently they have been discovered breeding in exotic pine plantations. The kārearea lay their eggs in simple scrapes, meaning they can nest in a variety of locations, from within large trees, to on the ground under small rocky outcrops. A very versatile and adaptable species, our kārearea once enjoyed a thriving wild population across New Zealand. Now, unfortunately, they are a threatened species. There are an estimated 5,000 - 8,000 left in New Zealand.
We seek to be a growing whānau of disciples on the adventure to share Jesus throughout our region and the world. Let’s take a look.
The kārearea can hunt in dense forest, open tussock land and hill country - it is adaptive to a variety of contexts. As people of God, we want to connect people to Jesus across a variety of contexts. We need to be adaptive in our ways of reaching the lost. Our world has changed. The way people connect has changed rapidly. Churches used to be places where people came to us, now the invitation is for us to go to the people. We need to be seeking adaptive ways of gathering the lost: this could include workplaces, cafes, sport or social clubs. People in New Zealand are needing and wanting to hear the gospel, but perhaps not in the way we have done it for the last 30 years. We need to adapt to “hunt in new territory”.
When I was growing up in Kenya, we had mango trees all over the place. During the season for harvesting a lot of the young boys would go and get the mangos - you could see the ripe ones hanging off the trees, all lovely and bright yellow. But my friends and I discovered that many people didn’t realise the sweetest mangos are what you see last, hidden right within the bushes. These are the ripest and juiciest and most amazing! We discovered how to find them from within the very thick bushes, so when everyone thought the harvest was over and nothing left to find – that was our time to strike! We would go with a big basket and come back with wonderful, ripe fruit that had been hidden in the bushes. It’s the same with the gospel: there is ripe fruit, but we need to adapt to find it. The kārearea is at risk, and what was once a sustainable population across New Zealand has been declining. When we look at decline in the church we might think we are not making a difference, that people are not caring about the gospel, but it’s like the hidden mangos in the tree. When we are adaptive, we can find them. Let us ask God for help to see the fruit around us. In John 4:35, Jesus challenges us to “open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest”.
Take a moment to consider: What are the opportunities God is laying before you to reach those who are not being reached?
The kārerea is nimble in its breeding habits: it will lay its eggs in a variety of locations - in between clefts in large trees, and on the ground on rocky outcrops. It doesn’t need a standard nest and can lay eggs and grow its hatchlings everywhere.
We are invited to be a church that is a disciple making movement: intergenerational, with a variety of ways to grow God’s people. We are invited to be a church who makes disciples in a variety of contexts, not locked down to programmes or a church building. Perhaps this means we “do” church in homes, social clubs, sports centres. All of us can grow and be nimble in our faith. The key is to ask: What is God saying to me? What am I going to do about it? When we find out what we are learning from God and put into action what we are doing about it, we will grow. It is possible to be committed to church services, go along and get input every Sunday, but not grow. We need to hear and respond to what God is saying to us. Across our diocese a number of “huddles” are beginning to emerge. These are not bible studies, rather they focus on connecting Up: our relationship to God, In: our relationship to other disciples, and Out: our relationship to pre-Christians. This process of hearing and responding to what God is asking of us is best done in community, where we can be accountable to each other and report back to each other. As a diocese, we desire to see young and old in some sort of context where we are being asked and are asking those questions, and growing in our relationship with God. We want to be family. We want everyone to know they belong. We can ask these questions in our alone time with God, or in a small group context - a huddle or home group - but we also have the opportunity to do it in our larger parish context and as a diocesan whānau. Gather to connect and grow. We already have some great opportunities to gather as a diocese: Convergence Camp, Leadership Conference, and regional Equips. There were a lot of comments about the joy and encouragement of Convergence Camp as a place to connect with God and one another. Camp is one of the places where you get a real sense of what it means to be whānau together: young and old following Jesus, listening to God, being together, and enjoying His creation and environment. Let’s continue to cultivate that whānau. As Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:15, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ”.
Ask yourself: Who is one person you can journey with and be asking those questions and reporting back to on a regular basis?
The image of the fearless flier is about sending and boldness. We are invited on an adventure with God. The kārerea can reach up to speeds of 200km, and catch prey mid-flight! They are our fastest bird and able to catch prey bigger than themselves. This is bold! Boldness and fearlessness is part of the adventure God is inviting us into. We are not blind-fearless or reckless, rather bold in our conviction of God at work. In John 5:1 Jesus says, “I can only do what I see my father doing”. God invites us to dream. He goes before us so we can follow him fearlessly. He invites us to have Kingdom influence wherever we are. God invites us to raise up leaders who are courageous and know they have something to offer.
The idea of being a fearless flier is not so much about position – it is about influence for the kingdom. Our dream is that across all generations we will be raising up leaders with courage, conviction and boldness to use the gifts God has given them to bring kingdom influence wherever God has placed them. 2 Corinthians 3:12 says “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold”. I was very encouraged to see one of our teenagers preaching in one of our congregations recently. Let us be willing to release leaders, to develop a culture where everyone can have a go at developing their gifts. A people where leading is not just for clergy, but all have a place – young and old. I was part of a church in Kenya that was planted through children’s ministry. It was called the Children’s Church and the whole focus was that the children are the leaders of today. We had kids leading and it was driven by the children with a bit of adult help. Children are the best evangelists - they have such a way of connecting!
I invite people across the diocese not to miss out on identifying, raising and releasing our people to serve in places where God’s called them. Is there anywhere God is inviting you to grow in your boldness?
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
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.
Capable of flying at speeds up to 200km and catching prey larger than itself, the New Zealand falcon is one of our most spectacular birds. You may recognise it from our $20 note, know about the Marlborough falcon trust, or have been lucky enough to observe them in your time exploring our beautiful region.
The New Zealand falcon is a magpie-sized raptor that feeds predominantly on live prey – either watching from a vantage point and making a fast direct flying attack, or striking and grasping their prey with their feet, which are equipped with sharp talons. Adapted to hunt within the dense New Zealand forests they are also found in more open habitats such as tussock lands and hill country. More recently they have been discovered breeding in exotic pine plantations. The kārearea lay their eggs in simple scrapes, meaning they can nest in a variety of locations, from within large trees, to on the ground under small rocky outcrops. A very versatile and adaptable species, our kārearea once enjoyed a thriving wild population across New Zealand. Now, unfortunately, they are a threatened species. There are an estimated 5,000 - 8,000 left in New Zealand.
We seek to be a growing whānau of disciples on the adventure to share Jesus throughout our region and the world. Let’s take a look.
The kārearea can hunt in dense forest, open tussock land and hill country - it is adaptive to a variety of contexts. As people of God, we want to connect people to Jesus across a variety of contexts. We need to be adaptive in our ways of reaching the lost. Our world has changed. The way people connect has changed rapidly. Churches used to be places where people came to us, now the invitation is for us to go to the people. We need to be seeking adaptive ways of gathering the lost: this could include workplaces, cafes, sport or social clubs. People in New Zealand are needing and wanting to hear the gospel, but perhaps not in the way we have done it for the last 30 years. We need to adapt to “hunt in new territory”.
When I was growing up in Kenya, we had mango trees all over the place. During the season for harvesting a lot of the young boys would go and get the mangos - you could see the ripe ones hanging off the trees, all lovely and bright yellow. But my friends and I discovered that many people didn’t realise the sweetest mangos are what you see last, hidden right within the bushes. These are the ripest and juiciest and most amazing! We discovered how to find them from within the very thick bushes, so when everyone thought the harvest was over and nothing left to find – that was our time to strike! We would go with a big basket and come back with wonderful, ripe fruit that had been hidden in the bushes. It’s the same with the gospel: there is ripe fruit, but we need to adapt to find it. The kārearea is at risk, and what was once a sustainable population across New Zealand has been declining. When we look at decline in the church we might think we are not making a difference, that people are not caring about the gospel, but it’s like the hidden mangos in the tree. When we are adaptive, we can find them. Let us ask God for help to see the fruit around us. In John 4:35, Jesus challenges us to “open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest”.
Take a moment to consider: What are the opportunities God is laying before you to reach those who are not being reached?
The kārerea is nimble in its breeding habits: it will lay its eggs in a variety of locations - in between clefts in large trees, and on the ground on rocky outcrops. It doesn’t need a standard nest and can lay eggs and grow its hatchlings everywhere.
We are invited to be a church that is a disciple making movement: intergenerational, with a variety of ways to grow God’s people. We are invited to be a church who makes disciples in a variety of contexts, not locked down to programmes or a church building. Perhaps this means we “do” church in homes, social clubs, sports centres. All of us can grow and be nimble in our faith. The key is to ask: What is God saying to me? What am I going to do about it? When we find out what we are learning from God and put into action what we are doing about it, we will grow. It is possible to be committed to church services, go along and get input every Sunday, but not grow. We need to hear and respond to what God is saying to us. Across our diocese a number of “huddles” are beginning to emerge. These are not bible studies, rather they focus on connecting Up: our relationship to God, In: our relationship to other disciples, and Out: our relationship to pre-Christians. This process of hearing and responding to what God is asking of us is best done in community, where we can be accountable to each other and report back to each other. As a diocese, we desire to see young and old in some sort of context where we are being asked and are asking those questions, and growing in our relationship with God. We want to be family. We want everyone to know they belong. We can ask these questions in our alone time with God, or in a small group context - a huddle or home group - but we also have the opportunity to do it in our larger parish context and as a diocesan whānau. Gather to connect and grow. We already have some great opportunities to gather as a diocese: Convergence Camp, Leadership Conference, and regional Equips. There were a lot of comments about the joy and encouragement of Convergence Camp as a place to connect with God and one another. Camp is one of the places where you get a real sense of what it means to be whānau together: young and old following Jesus, listening to God, being together, and enjoying His creation and environment. Let’s continue to cultivate that whānau. As Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:15, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ”.
Ask yourself: Who is one person you can journey with and be asking those questions and reporting back to on a regular basis?
The image of the fearless flier is about sending and boldness. We are invited on an adventure with God. The kārerea can reach up to speeds of 200km, and catch prey mid-flight! They are our fastest bird and able to catch prey bigger than themselves. This is bold! Boldness and fearlessness is part of the adventure God is inviting us into. We are not blind-fearless or reckless, rather bold in our conviction of God at work. In John 5:1 Jesus says, “I can only do what I see my father doing”. God invites us to dream. He goes before us so we can follow him fearlessly. He invites us to have Kingdom influence wherever we are. God invites us to raise up leaders who are courageous and know they have something to offer.
The idea of being a fearless flier is not so much about position – it is about influence for the kingdom. Our dream is that across all generations we will be raising up leaders with courage, conviction and boldness to use the gifts God has given them to bring kingdom influence wherever God has placed them. 2 Corinthians 3:12 says “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold”. I was very encouraged to see one of our teenagers preaching in one of our congregations recently. Let us be willing to release leaders, to develop a culture where everyone can have a go at developing their gifts. A people where leading is not just for clergy, but all have a place – young and old. I was part of a church in Kenya that was planted through children’s ministry. It was called the Children’s Church and the whole focus was that the children are the leaders of today. We had kids leading and it was driven by the children with a bit of adult help. Children are the best evangelists - they have such a way of connecting!
I invite people across the diocese not to miss out on identifying, raising and releasing our people to serve in places where God’s called them. Is there anywhere God is inviting you to grow in your boldness?
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
