Melbourne Diocese plans 30 new churches, 30 revitalisations by 2030

From The Melbourne Anglican:

“The Melbourne diocese has a vision to plant 30 new churches and revitalise 30 existing ones by 2030 as growth corridors expand without an Anglican presence to serve them.

The Anglican Diocese of Melbourne Church Planting vision and strategy was officially launched at a Melbourne Anglican Foundation fundraising event on Thursday, 23 October. …”

– Hannah Felsbourg reports.

Image: Archbishop-Elect Ric Thorpe at The Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication in the United Kingdom. Although this Melbourne plan predates the new Archbishop’s arrival, it aligns closely with what he has been working to do in London.

(Archbishop Thorpe will be installed at St Paul’s Cathedral on Advent Sunday 30 November 2025.)

Help! The wrong type of person is turning up at church!

“The wrong type of people are turning up at our churches. The wrong type of non-Christian people.

Not convinced? Let me explain.

The quiet revival – in which young men in particular are turning up at churches – is presenting something of a problem for evangelical churches of a certain stripe. And the recent death of Charlie Kirk has cast this problem into sharper relief.

What’s the problem? I hear you ask. Well it’s this:

Many of our more middle class, evangelical churches – especially in urban areas –  have been prepping themselves for a certain type of non-Christian to come through their doors. Yet in the wake of Kirk’s murder they are less prepped for another type of non-Christian altogether – the type that actually is coming through their doors!

It’s not as simple as ‘the wrong type’ of inquirer coming to our churches. There’s no such thing.

But our evangelical churches, especially in our big cities, are more unsure about what to do with a Jordan Peterson reading/Charlie Kirk socials-watching young bloke turning up, than they are about a gender-fluid university student with all the progressive boxes ticked, turning up. …

Why have we been caught out by this surprising turn of events? Because the culture has been caught out by this surprising turn of events. And we have followed the culture’s lead. …”

– Many churches are seeing this ‘quiet revival’. Stephen McAlpine writes with encouragement to engage.

Can we redeem Halloween?

We first posted this link two years ago, in September 2023. As Halloween approaches, this episode of The Pastor’s Heart is worth revisiting, with ideas for churches and church members.

“How should Christians respond to customs, traditions, and stories that have associations with false religions, demonic powers, and evil?

Could a church building be covered in cobwebs and used as an invitation to come inside?

Would you run a Halloween event for the kids of your church so they don’t feel like they are missing out? Or would you run something as an outreach to connect to the neighborhood?

Is it about the occult and to be avoided at all costs and denounced – or is it kids in funny outfits and junk food?

To talk Halloween, kids and churches our guests are:

Craig Roberts, CEO of Sydney’s Anglican Youthworks and former minister of Neutral Bay Anglican Church.

Kristen Young, Director of student and community care at Sydney Missionary and Bible College.”

– Watch or listen here.

Related:

The Australian Church Record has today published Handling Halloween by Andy Bryan.

“As Halloween grows in popularity, it’s worth helping our children think about how to be in the world but not of it (John 17:15). This isn’t about everyone reaching the same conclusion, but about thinking theologically and guiding our families wisely. …

Whatever your decision, keep Jesus at the centre. Our aim is to glorify him in all we do.”

And from 12 years ago – Glen Scrivener shares a thought-provoking video on Halloween:

Understanding the worldviews of our Roman Catholic friends

From Certainty4Eternity, Session 7 of the video course Talking With Catholics About Jesus:

“Enjoy our freebie as mentioned in EP08!

This section of Mark’s course Talking with Catholics about Jesus is helpful in dissecting worldview differences and learning how to communicate effectively with your Catholic friends.”

The full course is available from Matthias Media.

All very useful in helping us love our Roman Catholic friends with the news about Jesus.

Hope for the Illawarra

“In my time in ministry, I have encountered many people who, while acknowledging Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples” feel impossibly ill-equipped, and so are reluctant to do so.

In fact, many of these people further claim that they lack any ability whatsoever to evangelise, presuming the work of evangelism is for those whom God has so gifted. Yet what is apparent is that God typically calls people to himself through the patient, prayerful and consistent sharing of the gospel by regular Christians, despite how prepared they may or may not feel. Having said that, it should be our constant desire to better equip Christians for evangelism to grow their confidence in sharing the gospel with others.

Some of the key ways this can happen is through the encouragement of other believers, through training and equipping one another, but also by engaging with those who have a gift for communicating the gospel clearly and winsomely. Listening to someone who is gifted with communicating the gospel can be an encouragement for Christians, but it can also provide us with a great opportunity to invite someone to hear the gospel taught with clarity and faithfulness.

This was precisely what the churches in the Illawarra were offered when Christian broadcasting organisation Leading the Way invited them to participate in a mass-scale mission campaign, which would culminate in evangelistic outreach events at which Dr Michael Youssef would speak. It was an offer that was gladly accepted.  …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Ella Leach shares some wonderful encouragement from Hope for Illawarra.

Photo via SydneyAnglicans.net.

Gafcon thanksgiving point: Charlie Kirk Memorial Service

The latest Prayer update from Gafcon:

“We give thanks to God for the clear proclamation of salvation and forgiveness in Jesus Christ at the Charlie Kirk Memorial Service held this week in Arizona, USA and broadcast globally. The gospel was preached with boldness, and many were stirred to think deeply, ask questions, and respond to the good news. …”

– Gafcon website.

Related:

The Two Narratives at Charlie Kirk’s Memorial Service – Murray Campbell, via The Gospel Coalition Australia.

“Two narratives were present in the memorial service, and it is the second one that I hope shines the brightest and the longest. Charlie Kirk’s pastor Rob McCoy gave a clear presentation of the good news of Jesus …

Erika Kirk then addressed the crowds and uttered the impossible word …”

Vance’s eulogy to Kirk: Better to die young than to sell your soul – Kathy Gyngell at The Conservative Woman.

“What touched me most about the memorial to Charlie Kirk held in Arizona on Sunday – understood to be largest in known history – was the way speakers spoke so openly, eloquently and unaffectedly about their deep Christian faith.

This is something British people of faith find difficult, preferring to keep their faith, and maybe their doubt, private. Or perhaps they are simply not sufficiently versed in it. …”

The Theology of Charlie Kirk’s Funeral — Albert Mohler

In his The Briefing broadcast for Monday September 22 2025, Dr Albert Mohler covers aspects of the Charlie Kirk Memorial Service which may have been missed by the Australian media.

Whatever one’s political convictions may be, this is an important time for Christians to be aware of the impact on many (especially young) people of the death of Charlie Kirk, the message he preached, and of opportunities we have to share the message of hope and salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

– Listen here.

Image: Albert Mohler.

Sydney Synod greenlights a five-year focus on raising church attendance – and disciples

“In yesterday’s afternoon session, Synod approved a motion encouraging parishes in the Diocese to focus on increasing church attendance by 5 per cent each year until 2030.

This grew from a report prepared in response to attendance decline in diocesan churches between 2013 and 2023, and a motion at last year’s Synod expressing repentance for where ‘we have fallen short in not giving sufficient priority, attention, reflection and resources to seeing the lost throughout the Diocese of Sydney saved by Jesus’. …”

– Judy Adamson has this report at SydneyAnglicans.net.

The missing 70%

From The Pastor’s Heart this week –

“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, there’s huge diversity:

Yet while this group represents the majority of Australians, they make up only a small minority in our churches. Why is that? And how can we do better?

We discuss why this group is missing from many of our congregations, the cultural and learning barriers they face, and how we can shape ministry, training, and preaching to better reach them with the good news of Jesus.”

– Watch or listen here. Challenging and important to consider.

Evangelism – A Priority in Your Parish? — Neil Prott

From our archives:

“There is nothing more wonderful we can do for anyone than introduce them to Jesus Christ.

However, this is not reflected in the programme of many parishes today.

No doubt there are numerous reasons for the current state of affairs. Our analysis should take in the Scriptural factors as well as the obvious ones. …”

– The late Neil Prott wrote this article for ACL News back in 1989.

(We gave thanks for Neil when he was called home in April 2022.)

Evangelism and the Local Church

From AP, the Australian Presbyterian journal, Mark Powell speaks with Dave Jensen –

“Dave Jensen talks about his amazing conversion to faith in Jesus as well as why he is passionate about seeing others come to faith in Jesus.

Dave’s ministry now is helping local churches be equipped to share the Gospel with others.”

– Watch here.

Reaching Out in Difficult Situations

“Timothy has been given a tough assignment — he has been designated to supervise the churches in the regions of Ephesus. He is to proclaim the gospel positively; he is to correct the damage done by the false teachers; and he is to lay down patterns of proper congregational life. …”

– From our archives – a 1988 talk given by Bishop Dudley Foord.

Double Vision

“What should we be asking God to do in Australia over the next ten-to-twenty years?

A few weeks back TGCA got together about forty people to give the better part of a day to thinking and praying about that question. We asked what, if anything, we might be able to achieve by working together that would not be possible apart. It was a stimulating day and the ideas that have begun to emerge are, I believe, exciting.

I want to share one of them with you here. …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Rory Shiner shares an ‘ambitious but modest’ idea which emerged from the meeting.

Should you share the gospel with your Catholic friends?

“It is a question that seems to arise time and again and year after year: How should Protestants relate to Roman Catholics? Are Catholics faithful brothers and sisters in the Lord? Are they misguided members of an alternative denomination? Are they followers of an entirely different faith that preaches an entirely different gospel? How should we relate to our Catholic friends and family members? And,, if given the opportunity to speak about what matters most, what should we tell them?

Leonardo De Chirico lives and ministers in a unique context …”

– Tim Challies reviews Leonardo De Chirico book Tell Your Catholic Friend.

“De Chirico’s book is meant to equip Protestants to speak truth to their Catholic friends, and I believe it does so effectively. It will give readers confidence in their knowledge of Catholic doctrine and practical instruction in how to speak truth in a way that faithfully represents Scripture.“

Related:

What’s the Deal with Catholic Experience and Sacraments? – the latest video from Certainty4Eternity –

Witness when the Vibe shifts

“Have you heard the vibe has shifted? Whether you call it a quiet revival, the surprising rebirth in belief in God, or something more modest, it appears there is a new sense of openness towards Christianity.

Christians may have felt increasingly sidelined in the recent past, but now, at least in some circles, we are being given a hearing where we weren’t before. Something of this phenomenon has been reflected in my own local experience. There has been a steady trickle of young people who are seeking answers to big questions and are willing to listen to what their Christian friends have to say. Perhaps you have seen the same in your own context.

That raises the question, how should we conduct ourselves when we feel we are finally given a hearing? …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Pat O’Keefe, a member of the team at St. Mark’s Northbridge, points us to the encouraging example of the Apostle Paul’s witness.

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