Forge Aotearoa

21/03/2026

Early bird registrations are now open for our next Forge Aotearoa Hui, taking place May 15–17, 2026, at Ōhope Marae!

Join us for a weekend of prayer, listening, worship, neighbourhood story, and shared table. We will gather in tikanga and worship, explore Wayfinding and the practice of Anamchara (soul friendship), and spend time in Whakatāne with Te Aka Puahou and in Ōpōtiki with Jared and Jess for neighbourhood listening, prayer walking, and a shared evening feast.

Whether you’re already connected with Forge or sensing a deeper step into the Community of Wayfinders, you are warmly invited to come.

Early Bird Registration:
$150 until April 3
After April 3: $170

Spaces are limited, so we encourage you to register early.
The link to register is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeZOMWsuh3XnJjy_ZTdUGoVIZlmpHvpnf7v8FK_lrw0tJ02oQ/viewform

Come breathe.
Come listen.
Come return.

Ps: We have a limited amount of travel subsidies available.
The link to apply is here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScj3Xn9sIT3GhKRdLgu66poJqcIsVqST6kAOVnAy3eE6VG9-Q/viewform

19/03/2026

For our next Practice of Wayfinding online gathering 7.30pm Wednesday 1st April, we are combining with a Knox Centre for Ministry and Leadership workshop on Faith and Sport.

Watch this short promo here,
https://youtu.be/M_HOwQcvT18

More info and registration here: https://knoxcentre.ac.nz/module/sport-and-faith/

Sport and faith can have an uncomfortable relationship.  This workshop will explore these questions and others and help provide a framework to reflect on scripture and faith to help us make sense of our love of sport.   Maybe you don’t like sport – but you love art, dance, music, movies...

11/03/2026

We hope you enjoy this reflection from Col Salisbury on Lent. Take a moment, perhaps with a cup of tea or coffee in hand and let God speak....

Some say the Hebrew word for “wilderness” can also be heard as
the organ which speaks.

Not because the desert has lips,
but because its name — midbar —
echoes dabar: Word.

The midbar is the place of dabar.

And Lent is a journey into the midbar.

Forty days of stepping away from applause.
Forty days of loosening our grip on certainty.
Forty days of fasting from the voices
that usually narrate our lives.

Lent is not spiritual performance.
It is intentional wilderness.

In the midbar, Israel learned dependence.
In the midbar, manna fell like quiet mercy.
In the midbar, Elijah heard the thin whisper of God.
In the midbar, Jesus faced hunger, temptation, and the naming of His belovedness.

The wilderness does not shout.

It strips.

It thins the ego.
It exposes our cravings.
It reveals what we reach for when comfort disappears.

And then —

there is Word.

Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Not forced.

But steady as manna.
Clear as breath in cold air.
Gentle as the voice that names us beloved.

Lent leads us into the midbar
not to punish us,
not to deprive us,
but to quiet us.

Because when the noise falls away,
the Voice remains.

The wilderness becomes the organ which speaks
because it becomes the place
where God’s Word is finally heard.

This Lent, we do not go into the desert alone.

We follow the One who has already walked there.

And in the stillness of the midbar,
we discover again:

God is not absent in the wilderness.

God speaks there.

23/12/2025

28/11/2025

SAVE THE DATE!

08/11/2025

For more insight and inspiration on Wayfinding Leadership check out this TEDx talk by Chellie Spiller.

https://youtu.be/d1-gmU04jhs?si=NdSUv7bKduH388Gv

05/11/2025

This month we continue our series of story-telling – taking time to go deeper into what people are noticing about Gods activity around Aotearoa, and their responses.

Join us on Zoom, 7.30pm Tuesday November 18th, as we talk with Col Salisbury about his training as a Spiritual Director, his recent experience facilitating a pilgrimage across the North Island, and he and Darryl discuss the inaugural Forge Aotearoa Outdoor Retreat at St Arnaud.

These conversations will not simply be about the activity of groups around the country, but explore deeper into why they do what they do, the ecosystem they sense God inviting them to foster, and their reflecting on what has happened. Plus, and maybe more importantly, we will explore how God is forming these Wayfinders.

Our hope is that you can take these principles to help you in your own context.

Would you like to join with us? Simply join in the zoom room here:
https://zoom.us/j/9088467607?pwd=cEh0dG1iUjNBQWw4dHN4d0FlWkhaUT09
Meeting ID: 908 846 7607
Password: 123

30/10/2025

Kia ora, its Jess here, one of the people behind this page.... This month I thought I’d share a few thoughts about Wayfinding Leadership…because if you hang around Forge Aotearoa long enough you’ll hear a lot of wayfinding analogies!

Wayfinding is a navigational technique used by Polynesian navigators who traversed the ocean by waka using traditional navigational techniques such as reading star paths, swell frequencies and cloud formations. They noticed “what they noticed” and it helped them get to where they wanted to be. There is much to be learnt from this concept when it comes to the leadership of people, pioneering new or unknown ground and planting/reinvigorating churches. In their book Wayfinding Leadership: Groundbreaking Wisdom for Developing Leaders, Chellie Spiller, Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr and John Panoho say: “Wayfinders go beyond the known, and journey on voyages of discovery to new horizons. Central to the wayfinding approach is seeing what is really going on – discerning the detail and seeing the whole.” (Pg. 3)

Here in Ōpōtiki where I live, work and worship, Jared and I have been grateful for this concept as we have navigated the journey to date with the people of Ōpōtiki and tried our best to discern together what God is wanting to do among us. In prayer, conversation and through experience God has shown us what is really going on in our community, both the small details and the whole picture. He has shown us what is happening beneath the surface and we are learning how to pray into this together.

“Successful wayfinding is the art of being able to figure enough things out – to have the intelligence to put all the information together to know where you are supposed to be.”
(Pg. 33)

On the journey we’ve figured some things out and have been able to join the dots and put this together to know where God wants us to be. There is still much much more to learn as we continue the journey to a new horizon and where we are meant to be as a people of God. We are thankful that God invites us to be part of His mission and find our way - His way - to a new horizon.

24/10/2025

Live near Wellington? Join us next Saturday morning!

As part of our Forge Aotearoa Hui in Wellington, we have a stand-alone Saturday morning session with Alan Hirsch 1 November, 9am – 12.30, called The Forgotten Ways – 20 Years on. Alan’s book The Forgotten Ways has had a significant impact on many. His work on missional DNA is very helpful for existing churches, as well as new ones. If you know anyone close by that is in church leadership of any kind, please pass this invitation along to them.

Register here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdw5uBI5mfqIkS3BniROAkdNPI_4_coXM4kue-VSrHz3AXu3w/viewform

24/10/2025

Incase you missed it… Last month we enjoyed time with Mark Pierson who describes himself as a Worship Curator. It was inspiring and I’m sure those who were there left with many newly sparked ideas!

Josh and Anne interview Mark P about tea, curating worship, and his journey.

20/10/2025

Last chance to register now for Wellington hui!

Join us as we discover the story of God and explore what it means to be a missional Wayfinder in Aotearoa New Zealand. We will be based at Our Lady’s Home of Compassion Retreat Centre in Island Bay with a visit to Island Bay Presbyterian on Saturday. Alan Hirsch from Forge Global will be our guest.

This weekend will include:

 Meeting with other Wayfinders and hearing what God is doing
around the nation, a bit like a family reunion!

 A Spotlight on local initiatives

 Continuing to explore the concepts of Wayfinder leadership
in the church and mission space

 An opportunity to be in worship and prayer together with like-minded people.

It is almost 20 years since Alan Hirsch’s book “The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church” was first published. On Saturday morning Alan will reflect on what in the book has lasted and has been fruitful; what has changed in the world since then that we need to consider as church leaders; and what they would do differently now. You can register for this session only if that suits you.

Check out our website for more information and to register....: https://forgeaotearoa.nz/1085-2/

26/09/2025

A Reflection from Catalysing Christian Communities Conference with Rev Sam Wells

Kaimai Presbytery Mission Coach Vanya Wallis shares a few thoughts from her time at the Catalysing Christian Communities Conference held recently in Dunedin with keynote speaker Rev Sam Wells. Sam is a well-known author, speaker, theologian and missiologist. His framework of Community, Commerce, Culture and Congregational Initiatives is part of his work on an incarnational theology of church culture, innovation and presence in a secular society.

Can you describe the conference in 6-10 words?
“Rev Sam Well's spoke on how we fail to see God’s abundance and focus on overcoming scarcity, rather we need to focus on reconciliation with God and one another.”

What was most interesting topic for you?
“The mindset of scarcity blinds us to God’s abundance and provision. Sam said, “God is giving us everything we need but if we experience our lives as scarcity, we become adept at turning away God’s gifts in the way He sends them.” ”

What was your main takeaway from the event?
“Humility and repentance; let Jesus be our Saviour and trust in God. The freedom of this truth is wonderful for “When you stop being the parent you can play a bit more.” (Sam Wells)”

What questions (if any) did you leave with?
“Who or what has God already provided that I may not have noticed? How do we identify and utilise under-recognised gifts/assets? What would it look like to explore sustainable income models and impact investment?”

How will the conversations had at conference impact what God is calling you to do in your community?
“I am challenged to consider the resources God has already provided through the framework of the Four C’s: Commerce, Culture, Compassion, Congregation. I am challenged to ensure we can describe the purpose of our organisation and question whether others would be able to articulate the same. I am challenged to lean into having more imagination and trust.”