The One Thing

Planting a multisite church is like swimming in medium water.  It’s a stretch—without the fear of drowning. Jade Hajj unpacks how planting Rockdale as a campus of  Grace City  has given him space to grow in ministry while being deeply supported by a strong team and solid structures. Highlights: A multisite plant offers training wheels without being a tricycle The two main things for a multisite ch...

Preparing the next generation for ministry is an important role for any gospel worker, but it can be hard to get started or not be distracted. The Ministry Training Strategy (MTS), as an entity, has honed their expertise to training the trainer. A part of that is expanding out the vision of what a MTS trainee can be. Clare, in particular, assisting trainers with considering hiring female apprentic...

Second chair leadership is someone who leads with influence without being the senior leader. Most church staff are second chair leaders, but it’s often misunderstood as waiting in the wings for primary leadership. Teams can flourish when this role is understood. Here are some questions we’ll be answering: What are the long term benefits of second chair roles? What attributes are vital in second ch...

What can we do when the candidate pool is so shallow? While the pressure is on when you’re short staffed, you don’t want to compromise or take shortcuts. It involves prayer, planning and cultivating a positive church culture. It’s important to set realistic expectations about the process of developing team members. How long can recruitment take? What can the recruitment process look like? How can...

Long weekends and public holidays can be a disruption to the rhythm of ministry through the year. How can we use them for the benefit of ministry? We ask: What is being celebrated and how does it affect what we do? How does my community celebrate and what does that mean for our ministry? Is this a time to lean forward into mission or lean back into rest? TOOL BOX: TOT 163 Easter 2021 TOT 175 Anzac...

Church management systems are increasingly becoming an essential part modern church ministry. Gavin Courtney discusses common mistakes in implementing systems like Church Suite, their limitations, and the future of church management technology. TOOL BOX: TOT 343 The Great Name Tag Debate TOT 344 Does Australia Need Another Church Management Church Suite Australia CREDITS: This episode was brought...

Working out what sort of team you are is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team. Three types of teams: Shark tank - competitive teams Petting zoo - too nice Mediocracy - nothing happens Working out what sort of team you have New people Conflict Reflecting on change and conflict as a team What sort of team do you have?  TOOLBOX: Harvard Business Review  allows a...

Derek and Pete talk with Paul Harrington at the new church planting campus of the Reach Australia National Conference 2025.  Multisite is an important concept in church planting and they dig into the concept and application for the Trinity Network in Adelaide.   TOOL BOX: Church Planter Questionnaire Why Plant Churches CREDITS: This episode was brought to you by  Kidswise Masterclass The One Thing...

Matt Gorton and Scruff chat about common mistakes in kids' ministry: Assuming biblical knowledge Using Christian jargon without explanation Lack of visual engagement Trying to teach too much at once Neglecting dramatic conflict Matt Gorton is the Creative Director of Quiz Worx, an organisation focused on sharing Jesus with kids, primarily through live puppet shows in schools. Their approach de...

Kids' ministry burns out leaders faster than most church roles, and the trend is spiking. Sandy Galea shares her real-life struggle as a children's ministry director, as well as her observations as someone who oversees many people who work in this area. Why does it happen? The mismatch of expectations and the actual job description of a kids' minister The mismatch of the resources ne...

Perceptions shape a ministry’s effectiveness. For kids ministry, we’re exploring Bible-based views to reinforce it and tackling harmful misconceptions. What are some of the ministry pressures that kids ministry faces? How pressures effect the perception and effectiveness of kids ministry How it should be seen through a biblical lens Decisions that leaders can make that will help or sabotage the pe...

Raising issues with your leader or your team can be tough—too many ideas may overwhelm, confuse or burden them unnecessarily, or it might intimidate you. Russ Smidt from MTS created a tool to help you present problems to your leader or team effectively. What's  the issue? How do you get this down to a sentence What's the  options ? why are options important? What's your  recommendation...

As Christians, we want everyone to understand our message about God, but language barriers can hinder fellowship. Sunflower, an AI tool, helps churches bridge this gap by enabling non-native English speakers to follow services and conferences with ease. Chuhoa Liu is one of the co-founders of Sunflower. What does it do? How fast is it? What do you need to set it up? Dealing with theological and sp...

Lighthouse Church, located on the mid-central coast of NSW, has significantly increased its mission effectiveness. A key measure of this success is the ratio of individuals professing faith as a percentage of average weekly attendance. In just three years, Lighthouse has doubled this figure, rising from 4% to 8%. What are they measuring? What are they focussed on? How do they manage distractions?...

Building an effective church mission calendar is like conducting an orchestra—it requires careful coordination, intentional rhythm, and a deep understanding of both the individual instruments and the overall symphony of church life. The calendar is not just a logistical tool, but a strategic roadmap that keeps the main thing of mission the main thing. There are important points and principles you...

'A failure to plan is a plan to fail' – an adage that rings especially true when planning for mission. In this episode, Dave Jensen explores common pitfalls churches encounter when planning for mission. Why having a plan helps you with reactivity and commitment The importance of the right goals guiding the plan Knowing you really need two mission plans A plan to create and keep 'missio...

Lots of gospel workers intentionally don't use social media (often for wise reasons!). But lots of churches in our network are seeing more people through their doors and engaging with the gospel through their social media presence. Liz Fong is in charge of marketing at Reach Australia and runs the social media pages. She regularly has gospel workers asking what they should post on their church...

Healthy churches need teams with capable and skilled leaders. Like any ministry skill, leading a team takes growth and development. Dave Moore is the Executive Pastor from Hunter Bible Church, Newcastle and is responsible for overseeing over 550 volunteers. Do your teams not "work" because you don't have have trained leaders? Are volunteer team leaders the way Australian Christianity...

Term 2 isn’t just Term 1 on repeat - it brings new opportunities and challenges. It’s easy to lose focus and drift, both personally and in ministry, without being intentional. Taking time to reflect and adjust now can help set up the rest of the year well. In this episode, we’ll explore ways to stay engaged and focused, including: Keeping the main thing the main thing: making disciples Taking a mo...

The Reach Australia network needs to evaluate our own performance. Every year we survey the churches in our network to get a picture of our collective health. How are we progressing in reaching our goals? What's going well? What areas require improvement? What do we need to do differently? Churches in our network weren't great in mission, but now they're doing much better. Why did thin...

In the middle of Sydney’s Muslim Ramadan street party—where food trucks line the streets and thousands celebrate—there’s a surprising presence: The Peace Tent. A Christian outreach, this space invites seekers to discover the peace of Jesus in the heart of the festival. If you want to grow in confidence sharing Jesus across cultures, this episode is for you. TOOLBOX: Connecting Muslims: A Guide to...

What does good welcoming look like in church? Instead of just talking about it, we follow Nathan Brewer as he leads the welcoming team at Kellyville Anglican Church — seeing firsthand how Kellyville Anglican works to foster a genuinely warm and inviting church environment. TOOL BOX YouTube Version of the Episode Screenshots of Kellyville Connect Card and where it appears in the service Secret shop...

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First impressions matter, and churches often underestimate how much. Peter Blanch and Scott Sanders discuss how small changes can make a big impact in helping people feel seen, valued, and truly at home. The theological foundation for welcoming Mistakes from not even thinking about it to overvaluing the newcomer Mistakes of not thinking about what a new person needs to connect to church Mistakes o...

Are you suffering from death by meetings? Meetings can be soul-crushing or life-changing. Have you stopped to think about how to make yours truly effective so we can be using our resources effectively for the gospel? Scott Sanders and Derek Hanna talk about: Simple tools for making sure meetings work The importance of drama in meetings The importance of meaning and context in meetings Why you need...