Lausanne – with Mark Thompson and Chris Edwards

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“5,000 believers gathered from more than 200 nations last month in South Korea.

It is 50 years since Billy Graham and John Stott first launched the Lausanne movement in Switzerland.

Anglican Bishop of North Sydney Chris Edwards has described the congress as like an all you can eat buffet – ‘where some parts tasted amazing / fantastic and I kept wanting more and yet other parts even a mouthful made me feel nauseous’.

Principal of Sydney’s Moore Theological College Mark Thompson says there were some great highlights including a presentation by Vaughan Roberts on sexuality but also areas of concern.”

– Watch or listen here.

Related:

The photo of Billy Graham and Jack Dain mentioned in the conversation can be seen here on the Lausanne website.

Read the original Lausanne Covenant here.

Update:

The challenges of mid-life – a spiritual buffet for a 50-year-old – Bishop Chris Edwards at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Phillip Jensen on The national soul – 1 Timothy 2:1-7

Phillip Jensen spoke at Moore College chapel last Friday.

He turns to one of the most controversial passages in the New Testament, 1 Timothy 2:1-7.

Do take the time to watch – and share the link with others in your church.

– Watch here.

Highlights from the Seoul Statement at Lausanne 2024

“Just before the opening ceremony of the Fourth Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization—a gathering of more than 5,000 church leaders from around the world—the Seoul Statement was released. Each time the Lausanne Congress has met, a document has been published: the Lausanne Covenant in 1974, the Manila Manifesto in 1989, and the Cape Town Commitment in 2010.

The Seoul Statement builds on the good work of those previous documents while addressing several challenges facing the church today. The preface reiterates the need for urgency in evangelism and calls for the church to ‘nurture the faith and discipleship’ of believers by responding biblically to ‘trending social values and to distortions of the gospel, which have threatened to erode the sincere faith of Christians and to destroy the unity and fellowship of the church of the Lord Jesus.’

The 13,000+ word document seeks to give voice to the call of this Congress: Let the church declare and display Christ together! The Statement is worth reading as a whole, but here are some highlights. …”

– At The Gospel Coalition, Trevin Wax shares some highlights from the Seoul Statement at Lausanne 2024.

Evangelism encouragement from Bishop Dudley Foord

Bishop Dudley Foord spoke to the ACL’s 1988 Annual General Meeting.

The topic he chose was “Reaching Out In Difficult Situations”.

While many things have changed since 1988, the need for men and women to hear the gospel and be saved has not. Be encouraged and challenged. In our Resources section.

A “Must Hear” address — Dave Jensen at the ACL Synod Dinner 2024

“Taking the evangelistic temperature of the Diocese of Sydney” is the topic of Dave Jensen’s address at the Anglican Church League’s Synod Dinner held on 16th September 2024. Dave is the Assistant Director of Evangelism and New Churches in the Diocese of Sydney. (Larger image.)

Listen Here:  Read more

“Will you help the crowds see Jesus?”

“Two years ago we met in the southwest growth corridor at Oran Park and I asked you, ‘Do you see the crowds?’ The crowds of people moving into Sydney – growth areas and established areas, people from many nations, people without knowledge of the Lord and his cross. Today I want to ask, will you help the crowds see Jesus?”

With that challenge, Archbishop Kanishka Raffel opened the Synod in the Greenfields in northwestern Sydney. …

– Report from Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Below: Watch Archbishop Kanishka Raffel’s Synod Address.

The purpose of the Lord will stand — Australian Church Record Journal for Synod 2024

The Australian Church Record has published a special edition of their Journal to coincide with the meeting of Sydney Synod starting this weekend.

Whether or not you are a member of Synod, this is well worth downloading, reading and sharing.

Highlights include interviews with Robert Tong and Laurie Scandrett, but much else to see too.

 

“They said I had what they were missing and asked to visit my church”

“I spoke recently at the GAFCON Australasia gathering in Brisbane. GAFCON is the “mission arm” of the movement of orthodox global Anglicans. Hundreds had eagerly put aside time and paid to travel there from every Australian state and territory, as well as New Zealand, PNG and Myanmar.

We looked at Romans 1, full of Paul’s personality and emotion. This is a little surprising because Paul didn’t plant the church and hadn’t visited it yet. Yet it drips with authentic affection and concern. …”

– Archbishop Kanishka Raffel writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.

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.

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.

A wonderful gospel resource you might not have seen

We first posted this in 2022, but it’s worth revisiting since so few people seem to know about this valuable (free) resource:

“Have you ever been in a situation where you would love to leave a gospel message with someone but had nothing with you to give? Or the person didn’t read English and that’s the only language you have available?

Global Recordings Network has a unique solution to this dilemma: 5fish! …

The International Orality Network tells us that 4 out of 5 people in the world communicate primarily or exclusively through oral, not textual means. This means that only 1 out of 5 people are happy when you give them something to read – regardless of whether it is a book, magazine, or tract. Everyone else wants to listen or watch!

The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducted a survey in 2006 that informs us that approximately 7 million (46%) Australians aged 15 to 74 years did not reach the minimum standard required for individuals to meet the complex demands of everyday life and work in the emerging knowledge-based economy. Almost half of the Australian population would struggle to read and understand the Bible if you handed them one.”

– At AP (The Australian Presbyterian), Global Recordings Network’s Christine Platt makes a case for 5fish.

Watch the 75 second video below to see how 5fish works.

Consider sharing the video, and links to 5fish, with members of your church.

(We understand the app will soon be updated to add even more functionality.)

Meet Jesus: A Mid-Year Progress Update

 

“After a pastor prayed for his friends, one of them rang him up the next day and said: ‘I’m not really sure why I am ringing you, but I thought I would touch base’. The pastor replied: ‘I know why you are ringing me. It is because I prayed for you’. And he shared the gospel with his friend over the phone!

A student in Sydney used sausages at her frisbee team’s BBQ to draw the pictures from Two Ways to Live … and explain Jesus to her friends. …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Richard Chin shares some encouragement from the AFES-initiated “Meet Jesus” mission.

Photo: Richard Chin speaking at Moore College earlier this year.

A culture of winning souls for Christ

“In 1 Corinthians 9:19-22 the apostle Paul famously gives insight into one way Jesus’ love drove him to create deeply meaningful, personal connections to bring people the gospel:

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

Key to Paul’s strategy is using culture – understanding and adapting himself to others’ life patterns – to win souls for Christ. Moreover, this is not for Paul alone. He also calls on the Corinthians to “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). All Christians are to become all things to all people, so that by all possible means we might save some.

Understanding culture is vital for Christians. However, it can also seem daunting – reserved for quirky, safari-suited academics studying strange tribal rituals in a remote place! I want to give a simple, accessible description of culture I’ve found very helpful in putting 1 Cor 9:22 into concrete, real-life practice. …”

– Here’s some encouragement from The Rev. Dr. Dan Wu at Moore College. (via SydneyAnglicans.net.)

Root Not Fruit

“The news that the prominent Atheist Richard Dawkins is now claiming to be a cultural Christian, should not surprise.

Many of us know parents who send children to Christian schools because they like the product of such schools, yet insist they don’t want their children to be religious.

In my first parish I would meet C.E. Christians. I was told I could only expect to see them at Christmas (C) and Easter (E). So called ‘cultural Christians’ see no need to believe the supernatural elements of the Faith, they are Christians without the C and the E. …”

– At The Expository Preaching Trust, David Cook reminds us why we must keep on preaching the Word.

Photo: David Cook preaching at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in 2022.

Why share Jesus? You have the best news possible.

Mark Calder, Bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst, reminds us Why we share Jesus. He turns to 2 Corinthians 5:11.

Part 2 in a 4-part series reflecting on the Diocesan strategic plan, “Sharing Jesus for Life”.

Week 1 – Compassion, Week 2 – Reverence, Week 3 – Love, Week 4 – Courage.

Encouraging – but also sobering.

Watch here. A very good way to start a new month.

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