Back to Back Hui Energize Growth in Parishes

Parish leaders walked away from the recent Leading your Church into Growth (LyCiG) hui with energy and focus to foster parish growth and community engagement.

In July 2024, two consecutive two-day conferences were held at El Rancho in Waikanae, drawing 100 participants from 23 parishes and mission units. This latest initiative continues the momentum from previous events, including the October 2023 LyCiG Conference at the Chinese Anglican Mission in Wellington, which saw an impressive attendance of 140 people.

Rev. Pete Hull from St John’s Featherson attended the Hui in July. He was thankful for how the material draws on existing knowledge and helps participants re-think it and apply it in a useful way.

“LyCiG builds on the knowledge we all have does so in a refreshing way,” he said.

“We’ll be looking at how to encourage intentional prayer lives. We also want to make sure we have presence and proclamation events in the church calendar.”

Rev. Wendy Scott from St Matthew’s Masterton said, “I was blessed to spend 4 days journeying with different members of our team at St Matthew's Masterton at the LYCIG conference.  What we loved was there were lots of ideas and a structure to hang our desire on wanting to see our church grow.”

Wendy also said seeing the Diocesan values alongside the teaching was great.

“Integrating the material into familiar language for our own context helped make sense of how it all fits together,” she said.

Throughout the year, the LyCiG programme has been steadily integrated across the Diocese. Over 200 people in Diocesan clusters have engaged with the LyCig modules that offer them practical tools and strategies for church growth.

With parishes across the Diocese now actively engaging with LyCiG, the impact of these conferences is evident. Participants left the recent gatherings feeling encouraged and motivated to apply their newfound knowledge in their own communities.

LyCiG, a programme originally developed in the Church of England, has been instrumental in equipping church leaders with the resources and confidence to foster growth within their congregations. The program is designed to inspire and encourage leaders to implement straightforward, effective strategies tailored to their unique parish contexts.

The inaugural LyCiG conference in Aotearoa took place in Christchurch in October 2022, setting the stage for its ongoing success in New Zealand. The program’s content is broad and inclusive, aiming to support churches of all sizes, denominations, and traditions.

For those interested in learning more, reach out within your parish to connect with someone who has experienced a LyCiG event firsthand.