Vision/What We're About
At NZCMS we know that young people are deeply passionate about issues of social justice in our world and we believe that issues of social justice are central to the gospel. One of the biggest obstacles to the people of the world believing that God exists and that he loves them is the pain and suffering that we see all around us.
We also know that it’s sometimes hard to find ways to bring about real change in a way that is effective, ethical, and practical. Better World is designed to take young people on a journey to explore things they are passionate about in the world and then learn together how we can bring about lasting change.
Better World has the vision of equipping a whole generation of young people to reach into the suffering in the world around us and bring the light of the gospel of Christ.
We also know that it’s sometimes hard to find ways to bring about real change in a way that is effective, ethical, and practical. Better World is designed to take young people on a journey to explore things they are passionate about in the world and then learn together how we can bring about lasting change.
Better World has the vision of equipping a whole generation of young people to reach into the suffering in the world around us and bring the light of the gospel of Christ.
What Are We Getting Up To?
Better World 2021 starts at the beginning of February and runs through until November. The year is broken up into four Blocks of active learning throughout New Zealand, with the potential of travel to Fiji at the end of the fourth Block if borders open up. Throughout the year participants will be able to engage with a wide range of communities and explore social issues in a variety of ways including study, training modules, and volunteer ministry/mission placements.
Who We Are
Better World Gap Year is run by the New Zealand Church Missionary Society (NZCMS) in partnership with the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.
Leadership Team
Guy and Summer Benton : Better World Gap Year Program Directors
Sam Tovey and Luca Duckworth : Better World Gap Year Leaders.
Leadership Team
Guy and Summer Benton : Better World Gap Year Program Directors
Sam Tovey and Luca Duckworth : Better World Gap Year Leaders.
What We Believe
Most young people in New Zealand are interested in and passionate about issues of social justice around them but many do not know or understand that these issues are central to the Christian faith and that Jesus himself spoke into many of the same issues during his ministry on earth. Better World will be centred around issues of social justice in our world today and putting those issues into a context of biblical truth, the Great Commission, and God’s heart for these issues in the world. Better World aims to take a young person’s desire to ‘make the world a better place’ and turn that into a mature understanding of the role the Church can play in bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth; joining in on the ‘better world’ that God has planned and is at work redeeming.
Our Values
We're big into:
- Living into the fullness of the life that Jesus invites us into through his life, death and resurrection
- Committing together to be a part of the radical, sacrificial community of God that is the Church
- Embodying our faith journey in a commitment to prayer, hospitality, and sharing together
- Lifting up those on the margins of society, caring for the lonely, broken and forgotten ones
- Growing people to be disciples, committed to the way of Jesus, committed to the mission of the church and sustained for the long journey ahead
"It really felt like we were joining a growing movement of people who are waking up to the catastrophic impact we’re having on the planet, and are anxious to do something about it” - Better World 2019 Participant