Prophetic Shift at Milson Combined
Lockdown isn’t slowing down Milson Combined Church at all. “People are saying to me, ‘We’re more of a family than we’ve ever been before’,” says Rev. Andy Hickman. Despite anticipating anxiety, he’s found that the community has transitioned easily into the new normal.
When the news hit that all of New Zealand would be moving to Level 4, the vestry of Milson Combined met up to figure out a plan for the coming weeks. They made sure every parishioner would have someone checking in with them, and then prepared to move online. “Not much has changed, in a way. It’s just moving from one form to another.”
Like many churches around the country, Milson has moved to a house church model. However, they’ve fully embraced that this is what God is calling them to as a community. “What has amazed me is since the first Sunday that church was cancelled, when we announced that the next season will be house church style, not a single person has questioned it.” Andy has been humbled by the congregation’s response, quick to point out that God has already done the work in people’s hearts and they are ready for it. “They’re saying, ‘This is what we will be; we will be a house church movement’.” When Andy says house church, he really means it. “We’re not doing home group. We’re not doing church on a mini scale. This season is one of exile and forced Sabbath and we cannot go back to the Sunday machine.”
Andy’s eagerness to jump in the deep end of this season comes as no surprise, given that he’s been hearing God’s movement in this space for awhile now. “Two months ago I had a dream. [Bishop] Justin’s used metaphors and images since that confirmed it. My dream was that when the boat stops, we would begin to hear the groans and cries of women who have lost something. That’s exactly what’s happening.”
Since the start of lockdown, Andy has been contacted by several women to say they had experienced re- awakenings of long forgotten dreams, coupled with a new sense of hope ― and that this had made them weep. “God is reawakening hope in the hearts of people we haven’t given space to before. We have space to lament and we’re hearing the feminine voice of the spirit.”
New leaders are being identified and will then be discipled using 3DM. The role of the pastor moves to being one of sharing resources and supporting those stepping up into this space. “Our role is to speak hope and truth, and break the chains of doubt. It’s to say, ‘You are a pastor’ to these young mums, grandmas and other people entering into leadership.” He’s completely calm about the change in his role to a more apostolic posture. “It’s a paradigm shift. It’s what we’re called to, it’s what God wants us to do. Stripping everything away to rediscover what we’re really about.
“We cannot go back. We are not a machine making noise. We are a people.”
Article by Esme Oliver
