Why read John’s Gospel?

“I hope to remind us of old truths, perhaps prompt some new thoughts, but above all stimulate us to read and preach this wonderful part of God’s word.

Here are five reasons to read John’s Gospel for your consideration.…”

– St. Andrew’s Cathedral is hosting a reading of the entire Gospel of John, and AFES is using that Gospel in its Meet Jesus campaign.

Helpfully, Bill Salier shares the first in a series of reflections on the Gospel of John, at The Gospel Coalition Australia.

The 2024 Synod Briefing Podcast now online

See also The Synod Survival Guide by Dr Robert Tong.

This very helpful introduction to Sydney Synod is presented by the Anglican Church League as a service to the Synod of the Diocese of Sydney.

– Download your copy here. (PDF file.)

2024 Annual Moore College Lectures now online

Video recordings of the 2024 Annual Moore College Lectures by Dr Tom Schreiner have now been published online.

Dr Schreiner, Associate Dean for the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky, spoke on “The Battle for the Truth of the Gospel” from the Letter to the Galatians.

Watch them here.

Confronting the big attendance drop — with Toby Neal, Dave Jensen and Geoff Bates

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“What should the church pastor / staff team / church council or bishop do about the big drop in attendance?

A new report shows Adult Attendance in churches in Sydney is down 7% or 14% against population (over a decade).

Adult attendance declined at approximately two-thirds of Sydney Anglican comparable church centers, and only one-third of church centers recorded an increase in attendance.

The big problem is newcomers.  We just are not reaching them.  Newcomers are down to 5.4%.

And with fewer new people joining churches, the churches that are growing are primarily growing at the expense of churches that are declining.

A noticeable decline in attendance was recorded in 2018-2019, especially in the most rapidly secularising areas of our region.

The issues are not just external. We have internal issues. There are denominational and congregational factors at play. There are key church health characteristics that show internal health factors are lower in those regions – factors relating to congregational character and leadership. …”

– Watch or listen here as Toby Neal, Dave Jensen and Geoff Bates discuss with Dominic Steele.

UK Government ban on Islamophobia would prevent gospel proclamation

“With the strong likelihood that the Labour government will outlaw Islamophobia, could Christians who deny that Islam is a saving faith fall foul of the law? Labour’s Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, also Communities Secretary, confirmed in the House of Commons on Monday September 2 that the government is actively considering a definition of Islamophobia. …”

– Julian Mann reports from the UK at Christian Today.

CLASS and the Evangelical Church in England

From Church Society:

“Evangelicals in Britain are overwhelmingly white and middle class. Of course, it is always good when any group of people come to know the living God and worship him in church; and it is good that the intense efforts to evangelise the university-educated over the past century have borne fruit.

However, there are problems. When any group is dominant in any setting, it easily assumes that its own way of doing things is normal. The way things are done becomes not just the right way, but the only way. It is very easy in such contexts to be oblivious to the way in which the majority way actually excludes people who come from a different group.

Many evangelicals are aware of this, and in some cases actively fight against it. Yet despite understanding all this, and despite their determination for class not to be an issue, evangelicals seem to have been singularly ineffective in eliminating the boundaries.

Class and the Evangelical Church in England by Kirsten Birkett surveys recent research on this topic and discusses some of its implications. We want to reach the whole country with the gospel: what can we do to prevent class from being a barrier?”

– Ordering details for Kirsten Birkett’s new book here.

She spoke about her research in this Church Society podcast in June 2024.

New Principal appointed for Nungalinya College in Darwin

“It is with much excitement that we can announce Dr Yane Damanik as the next Nungalinya College Principal! Picture here with her husband Roni, please see a paragraph from Yane introducing herself to the Nungalinya family:

‘I am deeply grateful and excited for God’s calling into this role at Nungalinya College. I am a Moluccan woman from the Maluku islands located in East Indonesia in the Western Pacific Ocean. I came to Australia as an overseas student trained in mission and Christian counselling at Kingsley Theological School in Melbourne. After completing my studies, I enjoyed a variety of roles in teaching, counselling, pastoral work and community development

Our family moved to the Territory in 2011 to serve with the Australian Indigenous Ministries (AIM). During this time, we were also involved in pastoral ministry at Living Water Uniting Church in Humpty Doo. Since leaving the NT in 2017, we have continued our work with AIM, where I held various roles, most recently as the Mission Coordinator, while also lecturing in Sydney. With our children now young adults Uni students, my husband and I believe that God is calling us back to Darwin to a ministry that I am passionate about: theological training in Indigenous contexts, a focus that was also the subject of my doctoral study. I am humbled to think that God has woven together my previous ministries, background and studies to prepare me for this new role.

It is a privilege to build on the excellent work accomplished at Nungalinya by God’s people over many years. I look forward to working alongside the college community to advance the vision of empowering Indigenous Christians for leadership across churches and communities in Australia.’ ”

– from the Nungalinya Facebook page.

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