The One Thing

The media just called my church! In the words of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, "Don't panic!"

According to the 2016 Australian Census, Australia is one of the least religious nations in the developed world. 7 million Australians identify as having ‘No Religion’. So how do you start ‘talking religion’ to someone whose core belief system is built on the idea that religion doesn’t matter? Join Derek and Scott as they quiz special guest Matt Varcoe on designing missions that target this vital...

What you call them depends a lot on your spiritual background - they could be Bible studies, community groups, cell groups or fellowship groups … what they should always be though, is the one place where the Christian growth really gets going. If we want small groups to flourish, we need to think through how we build the right small group culture. SHOW NOTES Growth Groups, by Col Marshall Leading...

Do you want to grow the members of your team as disciples of Jesus? Do you want to empower them to be on mission with you? Then begin loving them enough to provide them clear role descriptions - not only of the roles they’re going to play, but how they contribute to the wider mission of your church or ministry.

Hate them or love them, meetings are still a crucial part of leadership. Teams have to be organised, informed, allowed to contribute and sent out - unless you want to do all the work yourself. So, if you’re going to lead well, you have to learn to run meetings well. What are the types of meetings you need to run? How often do you need to run them? And how do you make sure they achieve their purpos...

Ministry Dashboards – what are they, how do they work, and why should you want one? When you’re trying to work out how a ministry is going, there’s actually a place for data, statistical trends, and bright and shiny graphs. Scott Sanders and Derek Hanna speak to two Adelaide ministers who’ve managed to put Ministry Dashboards to great use. SHOW NOTES Vital Signs by Tony Morgan The Ministry Dashboa...

You’re a minister of the Gospel - you’d love to tell someone about Jesus, of course! But Christianity is increasingly on the nose in Australia and around the world. What do you need to do in order to side-step the cultural landmines that lie between you and a soul-saving conversation? Live from Multiply18, Scott Sanders and Derek Hanna speak to prominent Christian blogger and agent provocateur Ste...

How does a Christian balance enjoying God’s goodness and sacrificing your life? The reality of life ‘under the sun’ is that the everyday circumstances of life - the highs, the lows - are full of mundane stuff, and multiple options, choices and sacrifices... This episode we talk to Mikey Lynch, author of The Good Life In The Last Days and see how a Christian ministry worker should go about making d...

The most difficult question in any ministry has to be, “What should I be doing… now?” What’s next on my agenda? Al Stewart tells us setting priorities in ministry is a must. It’s too easy to follow a particular passion down a rabbit hole, and wake up to realise you’ve forgotten something truly important. SHOW NOTES Google Inbox, by Gmail Google Calendar How to add reminders in Google Calendar

Ministry apprentices can play an integral role in building a culture of training in your church. But what are the top three issues that apprentices have, as they take on a ministry? And maybe just as important, what are the top three issues you want to address in years you’ve got them? SHOW NOTES The Trellis and the Vine, by Col Marshall and Tony Payne The Ministry Training Strategy ‘G8 Conference...

If we take a step back and remind ourselves that we’re trying to reach Australia with the Gospel, it doesn’t take long to realise that it’s a job too big for even the most capable person to do on their own. So, if we’re going to make a dent in that challenging task, we need to become church leaders who aren’t just thinking about doing ministry...but thinking about multiplying themselves. SHOW NOTE...

Al Stewart is an expert in Australian ministry - a youth group leader, a congregation leader, the CEO of a denominational department, a bishop, a church planter – and the one thing he thinks it’s absolutely essential for ministry workers to get down is the art of preaching, because your preaching produces your audience. SHOW NOTES The best place to get Tim Keller sermons A good sample of Al Stewar...

Last episode Scott took us through The Four Ls That Lead To Launch, one of which was Location. Today we’re going to dig deeper into that topic of where to set up, and why it matters with American church planting expert Wade Burnett. SHOW NOTES How to prepare for and lead multiple congregations Mother-daughter planting masterclass Multi-Site Churches: Guidance for the Movement's Next Generation by...