The Pastor's Heart with Dominic Steele

For many of us, Easter is the highest attention moment of the year. But how do we turn that attention into genuine Gospel impact? How do we help people attend in the first place, how do we move from visitor to believer, and how do we run follow up that actually happens? How to engage the neighbourhood, welcome deliberately, lead hearts to love Jesus in the gathering and preaching, and leading well...

Well, we give it a serious go in 30 minutes. What is the “righteousness of God”? Is it faith in Christ or the faithfulness of Christ? Who is the “I” in Romans 7? What exactly is Paul saying about Israel and the Law? How does Romans use the Old Testament? And is the gospel mainly about individual salvation or shaping a new community? Ridley College’s Brian Rosner has just released a major theologic...

We’re just three weeks away from what may prove to be one of the most significant gatherings of Anglican leaders in a generation — as bishops, clergy and lay representatives from across the world meet in Abuja to chart the future of global Anglicanism. We preview the conference being led by Global Anglican Futures Conference (GAFCON), and explore how its proposed “reordering” of the Anglican Commu...

For many pastors, the AGM is something to be survived — not led. A governance headache. A compliance exercise. And for some, the meeting where old tensions resurface and trust quietly erodes. But what if we’ve misunderstood the AGM? What if, instead of just doing compliance, we aimed to build confidence? What if the AGM could be a leadership moment — one that strengthens, not damages, your church?...

Wisdom for pastors seeking to preach and lead well in a post-Christian age. So much of our culture judges events in isolation — a single moment, a single failure, a single decision — detached from what led to it and what flows from it. But history doesn’t work like that. Events emerge from long trajectories, and they reshape the future in ways no one fully controls or intends. We’re joined by Arch...

A roller-coaster week for religious freedom in Australia. In just days, sweeping Australian national legislation moved from deeply alarming to not great, but not terrible — after intense pressure from faith leaders across the country. In this special bonus episode of The Pastor’s Heart, we speak with Michael Stead, Bishop of South Sydney and director of Freedom for Faith, who had a front-row seat...

How should Christians react to news one of our heroes has engaged in an eight year sinful affair with a married woman? How should churches respond when leaders fall?  Why do accountability structures fail?  How do we speak of grace without minimising harm?  What does faithfulness look like for pastors, churches and ordinary believers in moments like this? Philip Yancey’s confession of an eight-yea...

So much pastoral energy is lost when teams don’t function well.  Anxiety rises, trust erodes and the mission of the church suffers. But when teams are healthy, aligned and generous with one another, churches flourish. In this ‘Best of’ episode of The Pastor’s Heart , over the Australian Summer, we’re joined by Peter Blanch (Reach Australia), Michael Davies (Lighthouse Church, Gorokan) and Megan St...

Godly Complementarianism - with Paul Grimmond Living Godly Lives Together - as men and women, young and old, husbands and wives? All Christians are called to live like Christ. But in Titus 2, the apostle Paul speaks about godliness in strikingly specific ways — addressing older and younger, men and women. Why does he do that? Are age and sex merely cultural categories, or gifts from God that shape...

How to preach Christmas that engages and connects. -  We've pulled in three experts to help us prepare for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  We share talk structures, attention hooks, and illustrations that connect with guests who didn’t come for a sermon but need a Saviour. Sam Chan talks about tailoring length, tone, and imagery for each.  Andrew Barry frames Christmas with a pastoral lens:...

Archbishop Kanishka on the terror attack at Bondi - Kanishka Raffel, Martin Morgan and Ben Pakula Sydney’s Anglican Archbishop Kanishka Raffel calls on Sydney to embrace our Jewish neighbours in love, friendship and support and to reject antisemitism, violence and hatred. Archbishop Raffel says this is the way of Jesus. Minister of Bondi Anglican Martin Morgan says they sheltered people in the chu...

Tears, Questions and Hope - When a senior pastor takes their own life? Keith Condie & Trinette Stanley In the last few months two senior evangelical leaders have taken their own lives.  The Archbishop’s letter said ‘It is with deep sadness that I write to inform you of the death of a colleague and friend … who took his own life on Tuesday and our hearts are heavy at this time as we come before...

What are the dangers when pastors let AI assist… or sometimes author? How do we think well about plagiarism, spiritual formation and the loss of our pastoral voice? And are there positive, God-honouring ways to use these tools? Stephen Driscoll works in Campus Ministry in Canberra.  He's the author of ' Made in Our Image: God, artificial intelligence and you. ' Stephen argues that w...

Paul Donison responds to global reaction to Gafcon’s reset of the Anglican Communion and its declaration that Canterbury’s time is over. The Lord is removing his Spirit from the Canterbury–Lambeth lampstand, and the centre of global Anglicanism is shifting from London to Africa. The average Anglican today is not English, not Western, not male — she’s a young African woman in her twenties, probably...

How to turn around evangelistic stagnation in your church — or how to start pursuing a 5% goal? Across Australian Evangelicalism there is a bold goal — growing our churches by 5% per year through conversion growth. But some pastors are asking:  “We haven’t seen anyone become a Christian here in years… where do we even start?” We talk: • Should we even have an evangelism target? • What are the theo...

Something is happening. In England the data shows a quiet revival. In France a new evangelical church is opening every ten days. But what about here in Australia? Among young adults we’re hearing stories of renewed interest in Jesus, fresh conversions and surprising openness. Is this a cultural phenomenon or is it something deeper?  And how do we ride the wave? We talk about ground level experienc...

What does healthy, joyful, word-shaped congregational singing look like in a culture obsessed with self-expression? We are shaped more than we realise by the culture around us. And today one of the most powerful cultural forces pressing on our churches is expressive individualism — the idea that the authentic self must be expressed and affirmed. But what happens when this cultural air we breathe s...

Marcus Loane said no.  The King said yes.  For the first time in more than 800 years, an English monarch has prayed publicly with the Pope. King Charles III — the Supreme Governor of the Church of England — joined Pope Leo XIV in the Sistine Chapel in a highly choreographed moment of unity. But for many Protestants, this was not a moment to celebrate, but to grieve, The Reformation was born out of...

“We are now the Global Anglican Communion,” says Archbishop Laurent Mbanda — the Chair of Gafcon, Primate of Rwanda, and leader of Global Anglicans. Bible-believing Anglicans around the world are praising God today. The Anglican Communion is being reordered — reset — with the Bible once again at its foundation. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the revisionists, and the so-called Canterbury Communion...

How can we help those trapped in addiction? What about when we ourselves are the ones struggling? Addiction is often an elephant in the room for pastors — whether it’s alcohol, substances, pornography, or sex addiction. And Antony’s research is asking: “How does the gospel of Jesus Christ bring real hope into the deep brokenness of addiction?” Antony Dandato is Principal of Harare Theological Coll...

The Church of England has confirmed that the Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, will take on the role of Archbishop of Canterbury — but instead of celebration, the global response has been marked by shock, disappointment, and unprecedented criticism . Once, the Archbishop of Canterbury was recognised as the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion — the “first among equals” for Ang...

Sinclair Ferguson on the Charlie Kirk controversy, John Macarthur, RC Sproul and preaching to the Queen.  Sinclair Ferguson joins us to share wisdom that he wishes he’d been given when he started in pastoral ministry in Glasgow 54 years ago. Sinclair has served for decades as a pastor, preacher, theologian and author in Scotland and the United States. He’s the author of 50 books.  Anglican Aid To...

How do you understand God’s sovereignty when your dad is murdered, your family is in poverty, you are living in the most awful slum and your extended family won’t help.  Richmond Wandera's father murdered when he was just eight years old, leaving his family destitute in Uganda's Naguru slum. Initially he wanted revenge. But then he came to know Jesus Christ.  We talk theological reflecti...

This week marks the 100th birthday of Dick Lucas, one of the most influential evangelical leaders of the 20th century. For nearly four decades as Rector of St Helen’s Bishopsgate in London, Dick shaped a generation of preachers and transformed a quiet city parish into a global centre of expository Bible ministry. The influence of his clear, fearless, and creative preaching continues to ripple out...

Reaching the 70% of the population who are significantly underrepresented in our churches. We’re talking about everyday Australians — people who’ve gone straight into the workforce rather than university. That includes hairdressers, plumbers, builders, business owners, factory workers, truck drivers, IT staff, and media creatives — as well as many in marginalised communities. Within this group, th...