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Pastors Prep For Big Future
01 July 2010
Addressing a group of leaders from some of Australia's most influential churches recently, Mal Fletcher said: 'Engaging the future is not about predicting trends.'
'It's about recognizing the likely emerging need in response to those trends.'
'It's about what human beings will need as the future unfolds, and getting ahead of that curve is where influence is born.'
This, he added, represents a major opportunity for the church, if it is willing to be proactive about helping shape the future of commnunities, cities and regions.
The seminar was hosted by Pastor Wayne Alcorn, national president of the Australia Christian Churches movement. It brought together leaders from key churches across the state of Queensland, all of whom were invited because of their proven record in church growth and community influence.
Speaking after the event, the first one in an intensive one-month speaking tour of Australia and the US, Mal said: 'It was great to speak to these leaders, some of whom I've known in one capacity or another, for a long time. Many I hadn't seen for years.'
'Queensland has some very vibrant churches and a proud history of church invovlement in community projects. But the speed of change today is challenging many leaders, who find it hard to keep up much less get ahead of the curve.'
'This event brought home again, I think, how open church leaders are to help when it comes to understanding where the future might be taking us - in the areas of technology, social change and the like - and what skills we'll need to develop to stay ahead of the game.'
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