The Common Good: A New Way of Doing Church

Written By Guest User

The Beginning of an Idea

“The Common Good is really just a new way of doing church”, says initiator and leader Rev Jill McDonald. “We meet monthly in The Common Room Bar in Hastings where I interview someone about social justice or what it is they are doing to contribute to making the community a better place.  It is like a podcast that is done in public, in front of an audience.”

 

Inspiration from a Pecha Kucha Talk

The idea came about after Jill presented a Pecha Kucha talk in Napier in the Hawkes Bay in 2019. Pecha Kucha is a Japanese initiative that is now a worldwide event where speakers are invited to share their story, using 20 slides and speaking for no more than six seconds per slide. Jill’s topic was energy poverty when she and her congregation, St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Hastings, were exploring developing a solar farm. 

“I was introduced as Reverend Jill McDonald, and I started with my first slide saying: ‘Well, I guess you're probably thinking, oh no, she's probably going to talk to us about Jesus, but I'm actually going to talk to you about physics and economics.’  I finished my talk by saying: ‘I guess you're wondering why a church is looking at doing this?’ Well, because it is all about Jesus! 

“It was a “sermon”, and people loved it! It seems that if you format things differently, people are really open to hearing what boils down to a “sermon”. They loved hearing about our church’s response to energy poverty.”

 

From Idea to Event

After her presentation, Jill found she kept bumping into people in Hawke's Bay who were interested in social justice but didn’t seem to think the church was a place where they could learn more or practise this. 

Then one day, Jill heard Chester Borrows being interviewed on Jesse Mulligan's show “Bookmarks”, talking about his three favourite books, including the Bible. “I was struck by Chester’s candid sharing as he explained that Jesus was a social revolutionary who had been a really important influence in his life.”  

“I thought: ‘Oh my gosh, here is a key leader in our nation talking about his faith and how it inspires him in his work of prison reform, and an idea started forming…One of my favourite places to meet friends after work for a drink or meal is The Common Room Garden Bar and Music Lounge in Hastings. It's a really cool venue, and I thought, what if I started an event where I interview people in a pub and invite them to share their stories and ideas on social justice topics?  So, I rock up to the bar, and talked to G, the bar owner, about my idea and he said, ‘look, I'm an atheist, but this sounds f……. fantastic!’ So, we did it. We organised four over two months, one every two weeks. This was in 2020.”

The first interview was with Glen Colquhoun, interviewed by Rev Diane Gilliam-Weeks. “I felt too nervous to interview him,” says Jill, “but encouraged by the audience’s response, I took the plunge and interviewed Chester Borrows at our next event.  He was brilliant and we were on a roll!” 

Other interviewees included Dr Rocio Figueroa, a former Catholic nun in Auckland, and Dr Andrew Shepherd, a University of Otago senior lecturer in Theology and Public Issues.

“People loved it!” said Jill.  So, she decided to continue organising the monthly events.

 

Stories, Scripture, and Song

“The Common Good,” named for its focus on good stories and because it’s held in the Common Room Bar, went from strength to strength.  “The Holy Spirit was working its magic, and I realised that the ‘common good’ is a really great way of exploring and describing God's kingdom in a secular context, while including many elements of traditional worship like prayer, singing, and scripture. 

“When I was planning my interview with Chester Borrows, it happened to be Te Wiki O Te Reo Māori, and I so I said to G, the atheist bar owner: ‘Hey, you know, given that it is Māori language week, is it okay if I begin with a karakia?’ And he said, ‘Hell yeah’, and so we always begin with karakia and we now also incorporate waiata. 

I once interviewed Lala Simpson, a choir leader from Wellington who leads singing as a way of building community, and we spent half of the session singing the songs she taught us – it was so enlivening! 

“Another time I interviewed Alison Phipps, an amazing woman from Scotland, about her life and her work.  She is a member of the Iona Community and is a Professor at Glasgow University.  She works with indigenous people and refugees around the world, including Tangata Whenua.  She shared how impacted she was when she broke bread with an Iraqi refugee in the Middle East, which led so beautifully into breaking bread together at The Common Room.

“I also always find a way to incorporate scripture in a creative way. Like when I interviewed this amazing Māori guy, Charles Ropitini, about Suzanne Aubert, an incredible French missionary who came to Aotearoa in the 1860’s.  Charles is everywhere in Hastings, and engaged in so many differing contexts, so I introduced him, saying: ‘Where can I go, where can I flee from your presence?’ (a reference to Psalm 139)

“I see The Common Good as 'church', done in a format and a context that inspires creativity and curiosity.”

Inevitably, Jill faces the often-asked question from church members when a new ministry is flourishing, namely: “When are they going to come to church?”

“I remind them that The Common Good is church for those who come. It’s a community of people gathering to explore and celebrate good things happening in our community and country.”

Even though some of our congregation come to The Common Good and experience the richness of it for themselves, I am not sure that they understand it as church.

“The Common Good took a break in 2024 while the pub underwent renovations and a change of ownership.  When we restarted it in 2025, there were even more people coming, saying they had really missed it. The monthly gathering generally attracts between 40- 70 participants of all ages and cultures”. 

“When I interviewed Charles about Suzane Aubert, we had three 95-year-olds there – not the typical clientele of the Common Room Bar,” says Jill.

“People grab a drink and some an early dinner, and then we launch into our conversation. In the church world, it’s called public theology, but I call it conversations that matter, because anybody outside the church context (and even within it) doesn’t understand the theological term.” 

Jill says it's easy to find good people to interview, because so many people are doing good and are willing to share their stories.

Interviewees receive a gift for their time and are offered accommodation if they are from out of town.  Presbytery Central (the regional body of the Presbyterian Church) gave a grant to get it going at the start and now a koha is taken at each event, which contributes to the event’s sustainability, along with support from St Andrews church.

 

Building Relationships and Community

Interviews have resulted in some positive relationships and outcomes.  “We interviewed Hastings’ pastor, Warren Heke, about his work with homeless people, and this led to him leasing and eventually purchasing our church hall for his ministry.  My husband Chris and I have also become good friends with interviewee Charles Waldegrave, leader of the Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit, and have now done some work together. So, it’s a really good forum for building relationships with amazingly good people!”

After the second lockdown, the pub was struggling and Jill wanted to help boost business, so she asked if she could interview the pub owner G.  “This turned out to be a real drawcard,” says Jill.  “G shared stories of growing up in West Auckland, including a humorous tale of when he turned up to his school’s first fifteen rugby practice with a fully made-up face as he had just rushed from the dress rehearsal of a play he was starring in. He was phenomenal and shared snippets from his eclectic life, where everyone was his friend, from surfers to rugby players to greenies.  His dream was to create a place and space where everybody is welcome and can connect with each other over great conversations.  The Common Room bar - a place where strangers could become friends – was the culmination of his dream. On hearing this, I commented, “G, you know who you remind me of? Jesus.” Of course, he roared with laughter, as did everybody else, but there was truth in it, because he has created a place of belonging and welcome.”

 

Belonging, Welcome, and Flourishing

When asked why she is so motivated to offer The Common Good, Jill responds: “I strongly believe that God longs for the flourishing of all people.  The Common Good is an event and place where all are inspired by stories of people living full and good lives.  I think that's what Jesus was on about, and I’m sure that if Jesus was here today, he would be at the pub, hanging out with all types of people, sharing the good news in a practical, inclusive, and loving way.”

 

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