News

Future Plans for the Auckland Campus
2022-10-14

Hi church,

For a while we have been talking about the Auckland campus and what the future looks like for this congregation. It has not been a smooth journey for this campus and has had many challenges and delays.

After a lot of discussion, we have considered three things, all of which are important.

1. Where Arise Church is at right now.
2. Where the Auckland Campus is at.
3. What God has placed on Pastor Ben and Anna’s heart.

Firstly, Arise Church is at a season of rebuilding, a season of healing, a season of consolidation and strengthening. We have recognised that we need to strengthen our foundations during this time.

This is tailored specifically to each location & it is prudent for us to consider where the Auckland congregation is at in the wider picture for Arise.

So secondly, the viability of the Auckland Campus. Currently, the church is consolidating in many areas, to be prudent and make wise decisions. Auckland is an expensive city, and the costs are high in comparison to other places. The costs in Auckland will remain high and we need to solidify across the board to keep moving forward. We also need to consider where it is best for us to focus our energy as a team in the next season.

Thirdly, we know that God brought Ben and Anna and their family to Auckland for a kingdom purpose. They stepped out in faith. And we also know that God has not brought them and this congregation this far through lockdowns, venue changes and delays to only leave them at this point. They have dreams in their heart for this city and what God can do. They have also been part of this team for 20 years and have been seeking God fervently about what He is asking of them in the next season of their ministry.

With all these things considered, Ben and Anna have resigned from their roles and will look to begin building again.

The Arise Board and Leadership Team have made the decision to release the Auckland congregation from Arise with the encouragement they continue to journey with Ben and Anna as they plant a new church in 2023.

This is a big step of faith for them after 17 and 13 years on the staff of our church and it is not the easiest step. But it is one we feel at peace with.

We love them, we want to honour what God has placed in them and on them & while it is sad that we will no longer be part of the same team, we are also happy in that we get to help establish a new church plant in New Zealand’s biggest city. We believe that this will be a win for the Kingdom!

We have great faith that God is going to move in Ben & Anna’s next step and in Arise Church.

Arise Board