Between August 30 and 13 September 2023, Christian Savings held a national governance conference “Building the Church for Today and Tomorrow – What is Fruitful Stewardship?”. Our conference was designed to help trustees, elders and officers better understand their governance duties. We took a closer look at some of the key stewardship issues our churches and charities are facing in this climate.
This is a recording from the day session we held in Christchurch.
This panel session showcased some examples of churches thinking creatively about their assets. This involved leaders of churches and service providers sharing their experiences. For those wanting to sharpen their thinking around vision-setting and solving the ‘asset rich, cash poor’ problem, this is a very helpful session.
About Oxford Terrace BaptistChurch (OTBC)
The historical Oxford Terrace Baptist Church building was sadly destroyed by two major earthquakes. However, this afforded OTBC’s congregation the opportunity for redevelopment. OTBC now has an architecturally designed church building, complemented by other spaces optimised to offer other facilities to serve the community. The facilities include the church auditorium, café, community space, community housing, and commercially leased space. This has enabled OTBC to engender a stronger sense of community.
About Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is globally renowned for its work creating affordable housing, and currently operates out of multiple locations across New Zealand. It aims to ensure families can access the safety and security of a decent home through various programmes including Progressive Home Ownership, Home Repairs, Social Rentals, and the Curtain Bank. Their example may provoke thought into outside-the-box options for churches or charities looking to maximise their existing assets.
About Chris Clarke
CEO of Wilberforce
Chris has over 25 years of leadership experience locally and globally in public policy, health care, humanitarian development and the philanthropic sectors. He is also the Executive Chair of the Arrow Leadership programme. He was CEO of World Vision New Zealand and CEO of Hawke’s Bay District Health Board, and he has also worked for the World Health Organisation (Europe), NHS (Wales) and in a number of health sector roles.
Image credit: Supplied.
Any opinions expressed in this session does not necessarily reflect those of Christian Savings Limited.
