Darrell Bock on Engaging Aussie (or any) Culture

A special from The Pastor’s Heart –

“In this special ‘pop up’ episode of The Pastor’s Heart we talk with New Testament Professor Darrell Bock about how best might Christians might engage culturally to reach Australians for Jesus.

Plus his love of Sydney,  Sydney Swans Australian football team and why he would move here if he didn’t have grandchildren. Bock is known for getting up at 2am in Dallas to watch the Swans play live on TV.  He will see three Swans games during his current visit to Australia.

Darrell Bock is executive director of Cultural Engagement at The Hendricks Center and Senior Research Professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.”

– Very helpful. Watch here.

Preaching God’s Way Of Salvation

From The Expository Preaching Trust:

“In his previous article, Bob Thomas encouraged us to preach with single-mindedness, focused on the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this article, Bob walks us through an example of how this might be done when preaching from Ephesians 2:8-10 and 3:14-20, bringing a gospel shape to a sermon. …”

– Read it here.

Southern Cross for August – September 2026

The latest issue of Southern Cross, the magazine of the Diocese of Sydney, is now up on their website. Printed copies should arrive in parishes soon, if not already!

Online version available here.

The Preacher’s Singlemindedness

“When Sir Marcus Loane was installed as Archbishop of Sydney in 1966 during a service broadcast nationally on ABC TV, he preached a powerful sermon on 1 Corinthians 9.16b: ‘necessity is laid upon me, and woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel.’

Even those of us who were beyond his jurisdiction could see that it was a sermon in which he preached what he practised and which carried the undertone: ‘go and do thou likewise’. And we were happy to fall in behind a man of such biblical firmness and faithful conviction.…”

– Bob Thomas writes to encourage preachers – at The Expository Preaching Trust.

The Lord will Provide — Encouragement from Alistair Begg

Here’s a short and encouraging clip from Alistair Begg.

How Katoomba shaped a generation of Sydney Evangelicals with Phillip Jensen, David Cook and Al Stewart

From The Pastor’s Heart –

“For a generation of Sydney evangelicals, the Katoomba Christian Conventions weren’t just events in the calendar – they shaped church programs across the city.

In the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, thousands gathered under the circus tent and then later in packed auditoriums to hear the Bible taught, sing with conviction and be raised up for ministry.

But how did Katoomba become such an influence in Sydney evangelicalism? What decisions shaped its extraordinary impact? And what lessons are there for today.

We start a new occasional oral history series on the Pastor’s Heart, with former Katoomba Chairs Philip Jensen, David Cook and Al Stewart, reflecting on Katoomba’s phenomenal influence, the priority of expository preaching, the importance of guarding the platform and why ‘we teach the Bible’ became a defining conviction.”

– Watch here.

Much cause for thanksgiving, as well as some sobering memories, and a reminder to pray for the continued work of the Katoomba Christian Conventions.

Nine Questions every Pastor should ask about their Church’s music

9Marks has republished this 2014 article by Keith and Kristyn Getty, excerpted from their book Sing!: How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church –

“The one thing we have learned above all others as we have traveled with our music these last ten years is this: Good congregational singing begins with the pastoral leadership.

Whatever the denomination, musical style, or cultural background, the singing is directly proportional to the senior pastor’s or leadership team’s care for the subject. It is not primarily the music, or the musical leadership, or the budget. Just like parents can’t blame their child’s ballet teacher if she behaves badly through the week, so the leader of the church, and not the music leader or team, is ultimately responsible for how well the congregation is singing.

With that in mind, here are 10 questions we encourage every pastor to ask. …”

– Read it here.

Last week we linked to Liv Chapman Leggett’s review of the book at The Australian Church Record.

Five Foundations for Ministry to Children — Colin Buchanan

“I want to share something of my story to encourage you to consider that God is in the midst of your story, working it out and equipping you. I want to encourage you that your ministry techniques can rise out of your story, but more importantly, can rise out of the scriptures and your understanding of the Bible.

Here are a few things I’ve learnt from my time in ministry to children. They are principles that have arisen out of my personal experiences and the scriptures. These are just a few foundations, five ministry “stones” I have learnt over the years. …”

– Colin Buchanan shares this encouragement – from a talk he gave at the SMBC 2026 Children’s Ministry Conference.

Letters that touched my heart

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel shares –

“In October of last year Cailey and I had the great privilege of visiting the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Although it is called a ‘library’, it is what we would usually call a museum – although that is too tame a description for the 14 galleries recording the remarkable ways in which the Lord used William Franklin Graham Jnr (known to the world as Billy Graham) to preach the gospel to more people in more places across the globe than anyone else before or since.

Attached to the Billy Graham Library is a research archive, which houses an enormous collection of papers, recordings, journals, campaign and other materials from Billy Graham’s more than 60 years of public ministry. …”

– Read it at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Also published in the current edition of Southern Cross magazine.

Let the Word Dwell Richly — by Tony Payne

“I doubt I’ll read a better book this year. Tony Payne has taken decades to study, reflect, practice and write this book.  …

Let the Word Dwell Richly is a gift to pastors and churches that I pray is widely read. May the Reformational recovery of the ministry of God’s word in our lives and churches continue, and may this book be used to help it.”

– Mark Dever, Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church.

This forthcoming book from Matthias Media – Let the Word Dwell Richly by Tony Payne, sounds well worth pre-ordering. Expected to be available in July.

Other commendations come from Peter Jensen and Lionel Windsor.

As an aside, Mark Dever does read a few books – see this Banner of Truth interview from 2024.

The importance of a special relationship in a crisis

From The Australian Church Record, an encouraging and enlightening contribution by Robin Sydserff of The Proclamation Trust –

“At the celebration of Dick Lucas’ 100th birthday on 14 September 2025, the overseas contribution was a series of recorded video messages from past and present Christian leaders in Australia, testifying to a special relationship. The relationship, first between conservative evangelicals in the Church of England and Sydney Anglicans, has enlarged over the last fifty years and more to embrace a much wider constituency.

In a special relationship there are times when strong things need to be said. ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend’ (Prov 27:6). …”

– What is the crisis? Who are the friends? How have they been a blessing to each other? Do take the time to read it all.

First published in the ACR’s Easter 2026 Journal.

Image from an interview with Robin Sydserff and David Cook on The Pastor’s Heart, August 2025.

From corrective to culture setting with Richard Coekin

From The Pastor’s Heart –

“The Reach Australia movement has matured into something broader: from a corrective voice into one of the most significant culture-shaping forces in Australian evangelicalism.

Reach Australia has often been heard as a corrective: a push for clearer pathways, better systems, output thinking and more intentional leadership in local churches.

Richard Coekin says that, as an outsider, last week’s conference felt less like the corrective it may have seemed in the past and more like a mature, holistic vision for church leadership: with preaching, spiritual transformation, gospel culture, prayerful dependence and pastoral warmth much more clearly front and centre, while still committed to principled pragmatism and organising churches to reach the lost.

Richard Coekin, former senior pastor of Dundonald Church in London and now leader of Reach UK, reflects on his fortnight at both the Reach UK conference in London and the Reach Australia conference, attended by 1450 leaders on the NSW Central Coast.

We discuss the maturing of Reach Australia and what UK evangelical churches might learn from Australia at this moment.”

– Watch or listen here.

Moore College 100 Ministry Stories — Rob Llewellyn

In the latest of their 100 Ministry Stories, Moore College has this short profile of Rob Llewellyn, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral Darwin.

It’s also a great reminder to pray for gospel ministry in the Top End, including that of Nungalinya College.

A senior pastor’s tears — and a gospel culture to reach a nation

A ‘Friday special’ from The Pastor’s Heart –

“Richard Leadbeater is the senior pastor of the influential Dundonald Church in London. He came to Australia for the Reach Australia Conference — 1450 pastors and leaders from across Australia, the UK, the US, South Africa and New Zealand — and left deeply moved.

Richard says he found himself in tears four times during the week.

In a The Pastor’s Heart Friday special, Dominic Steele presses into Richard’s pastor’s heart, exploring each of those moments.

We also talk about the joy and privileges of ministry — and why Richard is concerned that we can talk so much about how hard ministry is that we forget to commend the deep joy of being spent in the service of Christ.”

– Watch here.

Christ’s victory amidst discouragement, criticism, suffering and sin

From The Pastor’s Heart this week –

“Christ’s victory amidst discouragement, criticism, exhaustion, disappointment and sin.

We preach Christ’s victory as pastors. But we battle discouragement, criticism, exhaustion, disappointment and sin.

What does the victory of Christ actually mean for pastors whose ministries feel painfully ordinary? What does it mean for leaders carrying the slow weight of imperfect churches, spiritual warfare, unanswered prayers and years of costly ministry?

We speak with Phil Colgan and Adam Ch’ng how suffering shapes faithful ministry, and why Christ’s victory does not remove weakness — but gives hope, endurance and courage.

We explore sanctification, spiritual battle, pastoral perseverance and the future glory.

Phil Colgan is senior minister of St George North Anglican on the Central Coast;
Adam Ch’ng is senior minister of Cross and Crown Melbourne.

They are speaking to around 1300 pastors and leaders at the Reach Australia National Conference on the Central Coast of New South Wales.”

– Watch here.

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