The One Thing

At the start of the year, many of us may realise we spent the previous year caught in a cycle of constant activity—just doing, without much reflection or planning, and barely surviving. How can we break free from this endless seven-day grind? What's the cycle of survival from Sunday to Sunday and why is it so dangerous? Why is it rooted in selfishness and being unloving? Who is responsible whe...

Your calendar is not just the place where you put tasks to do and meetings to be had. It's about aligning your time with your values and integrity. Scott Sanders and Peter Blanch explore how to do this effectively: The importance of reflection and how to do it Your calendar will reflect your convictions, but you may not be aware you are living them out Where to put the harder things you do in...

Gary Millar dives into holding tension in the Christian life, embracing differences, and leaning into Christlike living. It’s about being missionally effective and reflecting Jesus in our character. It's challenging, yes, but necessary—because calling each other to godliness is the truest form of leadership. Gary's new book  Both And And  is out now — a book that’s part wake-up call, part guide fo...

There are some key phrases that leaders can use that create great gospel culture in your team. While they aren't always easy to say, they are an essential part of leadership. Why are they important: Leaders don't know everything Leaders aren't better at everything, it's important to be able to learn from others Leaders don't have all the answers, collaboration in a team is important Leaders someti...

Think Charles Dickens, but real life. For Steve McAlpine’s mother, Christmas wasn’t always merry: abandoned in foster care, kidnapped by her birth mother, left by her husband—then reconciled. Over 80 years, her extraordinary journey, shaped by the gospel, turned Christmas into something truly transformative. Steve has a background in journalism and three decades experience pastoring and planting c...

We continue our dive into the crucial role of emotional intelligence (EQ) in church leadership, specifically focusing on team dynamics with Pete Stedman from Norwest Anglican Church in Sydney. What happens if you neglect EQ in a team A framework for understanding EQ How to foster a positive team culture that values EQ How to equip church leaders to build strong, emotionally healthy teams TOOL BOX:...

While IQ is important, emotional intelligence (EQ) is crucial as pastors navigate the complexities, compromises, and conflicts inherent in church life.  Pete Stedman from Norwest Anglican Church, Sydney shares how EQ shapes his leadership style, transforms team dynamics, and helps him navigate the challenges of ministry. EQ for navigating team dynamics, managing conflict and fostering compromise V...

January can feel like a weird limbo—Australia practically shuts down, and people are in and out all month. Bur don’t just coast; use this time wisely: Capitalising on the post-Christmas momentum Welcoming new faces Preaching with purpose Using the downtime strategically Supporting the lonely Developing long-term plans Investing in leaders Reseting ministry teams Reading and reflecting January’s no...

Data is just a tool, but it's an important tool. Its real purpose? Loving and serving your people better. A snapshot of data can give you an idea of your church health. Scott and Derek dive into: Average Attendance: Are people showing up consistently? Growth Rate: Are you growing each year? What's a healthy growth rate? Conversion Growth: How many new believers are you seeing? What's a good target...

Should we plant new churches or invest in revitalizing struggling ones? If you had to choose, where would you lean? Know Yourself : Are you wired to pioneer something new, or are you better suited to steady, transformative work? Listen In : What are others saying about your strengths? Seek out feedback. Maximise Impact : Which option has the greatest gospel potential? Foundation or Fresh Start? :...

You might not ever plant a church, but you should be looking for people who can. Where are you going to send them if you think they might be suitable?  Hopefully you'll send them straight to the Church Planter Questionnaire on the Reach Australia website. Here's what you need to know about it before you send them the link. Gospel Workers Questionnaire : For anyone considering serving in ministry....

Chris Mann (Cornerstone Box Hill, Sydney) and Rob Abboud (MBM Church Blacktown, Sydney) launched churches in 2024! What happens when you aren't prepared Seeing and getting your teams working The difference between week one and week two The process of seeing new people start to get integrated What makes a good lead-up process, including the assessment process Keeping alignment on track with both th...

Term  One :  It  seems an eternity away.  After all,  we haven’t even got to Christmas yet! But the key to  starting  strong  in Term One  is  getting on track in Term Four. Think ahead about the five important things for Term One Ensure you’re ready to welcome new people coming into church Aligning new leaders and staff  is crucial . How will you do it? Be prepared for mission opportunities: plan...

"We become bolder in our local mission when we see what God is doing globally." Being a healthy church means being concerned what God is doing throughout the whole world. Wei Han Kuan thinks that Charles Perry (the evangelical founding bishop of Melbourne) got it right when he said in 1851 that “the best means of ensuring the health of the local church is a vital commitment to world missions.” How...

How does global mission partnership work? "In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now," (Philippians 1:4-5). The Philippian church was not just concerned about how the gospel was going in their city, but where Paul was ministering as well. Partnerships at a church and an individual level Missionaries on home assig...

Carey Neiuwhof has looked at some of the changes in North America, but what about the changes in Australia? We are closing more churches than starting. Is closing a church a bad thing? Fill in the blanks: we only have one church for every XXXX people in Australia How long do Australian churches take to become viable? Why too much funding is a problem for church plants Why authenticity matters Doin...

25% of people in churches will have switched in the last 5 years. Changing churches is hard, but it's meant to be. When is a good time for people to move churches (geography, kids and families)? What are some of realities of people switching? How do pastors pastor people doing a switch (both leaving and gaining)? What about people moving to a church plant?  TOOL BOX: How to Walk into Church...

Retirement is more than golf, gardening and travel. Once someone finishes work, they enter a new phase of life. Philip Hayes (EV Church, Erina), a retired eye surgeon, thought about what would happen if we used this as a great opportunity for the gospel. He's developed a great ministry to help others transition to this new stage of life. Phillip talks about: The life of a retiree is not what y...

The timeline for some people is that they meet their spouse, get married, and prepare to have kids. (It's not everyone and we love people who are single or kids is not an option for them!). But some people find themselves about to have kids, but are at a congregation that does not have a kids program.  Geoff and Wendy Lin from Holy Trinity in Adelaide talk about how they prepare couples for ki...

Youth and young adults have unique challenges. Karl Bonner from Northlight Anglican Church shares: Changes from school to post-school: from programmed to self-initiated Church provides constancy when there is a lot of change Effects of COVID on people leaving school Differences between adults and young adults Young adults are less likely to conceal their sins, but are less likely to continue in go...

How do we help kids adjust to all the changes of moving to high school? Kids are going through a lot, but some churches sometimes miss the opportunities to help kids move from kids ministry (often on a Sunday morning) to a youth ministry (often on a Friday Night). Chris Jones and Annemarie Rivers from Youthworks help us think about this. What are kids going through as they finish Year 6 Kids finis...

The gospel reminds us that we are sinners, but also broken and fragile people. As people come to church they come with their various mental health issues. Keith and Sarah Condie discuss what is the role of the church in helping people. It is not our job to fix people. Church can be really good for people as they deal with the issues. The importance of watching and listening to people who might...

One in five people in Australia are dealing with a mental health issue at any given moment, and gospel workers aren’t immune. Keith and Sarah Condie from the Mental Health Institute unpack how to maintain mental wellbeing. The difference between mental health problems and maintaining good mental health The gospel’s impact on our mental wellbeing How to look after our minds, body, relationships and...

"The sin of empathy" is a phrase attributed to family systems psychologist Dr Edwin Friedman.  Matt Waldock of Manchester City Church explores why empathy is unhelpful in ministry and compassion is a better way of thinking. Compassion is suffering  with  someone Empathy is feeling the pain that they feel But you cannot help someone if you are in pain yourself The person with the most a...

What should we think about the 4th term? 1. Mission: Dust your mission calendar off. For summer it can be a big mission season, for others it is the slow season. For those who are prepping for that big mission, now is the time to get things going. Really important to have a next step for what will happen for people coming to Christmas NB Your mission calendar is where you mission funnel drives you...