Green shoots of growth?

Quite a lot of talk these days, following a UK Bible Society report, The Quiet Revival, of green shoots of church growth in the Western world. Also quite a lot of summarising of the report which could be put like this, from an Anglican perspective.

There is a quiet revival emerging. Noticeably, men are becoming Christians.

Good news: they are drawn to Pentecostalism and Roman Catholicism (perhaps especially its most conservative, ritual forms).

Bad news: Anglicans miss out.

!!!

OK, so that is the UK, what about NZ?

Anecdotally, e.g. as church leaders discuss this report and then ask ourselves, any signs hereabouts?, we do see signs of growth in the Pentecostal churches and in the Roman Catholic churches (at this point, talking about Kiwis converting, while acknowledging other growth through migrants to NZ joining congregational life).

Even in the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch, I see some signs of men being drawn to our most Catholic expression of being Anglican, as well as to our most Pentecostal expressions of being Anglican.

Still, early days and all that!

On Friday and Saturday an ecumenical (albeit Protestant) conference was held in Christchurch, called "Little Revolutions", a conference focused on church planting as a way of growing the church, which featured a variety of speakers for plenary and workshop sessions, and which included reflections on both the state of the play re church statistics/belief statistics and [wonderful!] stories and testimonies of God bringing new people into churches and/or new churches starting up.

I wasn't able to get to all the conference but what I was able to get to was encouraging - there are green shoots hereabouts - and, perhaps this is most important, there are some amazing, enthusiastic and talented younger generation church leaders who are intent on contributing to the growth of people who love Jesus and gather together to praise God (= the church!).

There are definitely green shoots of hope in God here and now!