Climate change, inequality and the legacy of colonisation are harming God’s earth and its people. In Aotearoa, there are few vehicles for Christians to participate in social movements as an expression of their faith, and few discipleship pathways to equip individuals for the ministry of advocacy to transform unjust structures. Therefore the Church is not meeting its potential to alleviate injustice, make holistic disciples, and serve as a witness to the world.

There is a rich whakapapa of non-violent activism in Aotearoa, from Māori spiritual leaders' resistance to colonisation, to the suffragette movement, and the anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid movements. Christians have been active in many of these struggles. We believe that we can draw on this whakapapa to further mobilise the Church today, by supporting those who God is calling to step up in the 'fourth mark of mission' - challenging unjust structures.

Our organisation was set up in early 2023 to train, organise and mentor groups of people who are eager to learn why and how to organise social movements from a Christian perspective. As they 'learn by doing' in prayerful teams with supportive mentors, they will develop the skills to organise and train their own communities in future, building the capacity of the wider Church to participate in social movements for the common good.

We are learning from the Australian organisation Common Grace

We are independent from, but in association with Common Grace, an Australian NGO with 10 years of experience in pursuing a similar mission. We are blessed to be in a tuakana-teina relationship where we can learn from their experience and the mission they have built.

We are a Tangata Tiriti organisation

The first co-directors of Common Grace Aotearoa are Pākeha. We are seeking to be a Tangata Tiriti organisation, grounded in living relationship to Tangata Whenua that serves and empowers Christians of all backgrounds across Aotearoa to use their voice for the common good. 

Common Grace Aotearoa supports the long-term vision for constitutional transformation in Aotearoa set out by Matike Mai Aotearoa - The Independent Working Group on Consitutional Transformation, to reflect the intentions of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Our work therefore seeks to reform the ‘te kāwanatanga sphere’, those areas of the current government systems and structures that serve the whole population in these lands, while supporting the growth of the ‘rangatiratanga sphere’, the spaces where Māori have full political authority over their own affairs, and the joint/relational sphere where we make decisions together.