Multisite Churches: What works and what doesn’t?
From The Pastor’s Heart — an extra edition from the Reach Australia Conference:
“Multisite was a buzz seven years ago. Today, with thousands of campuses launched in the United States—and many hard lessons learned—the mood is more measured. What’s changed? What’s endured? And what can church leaders here learn today from the American experience?
Live from the sidelines at the Reach Australia Conference on the Central Coast of New South Wales, we sit down with Wade Burnett from McLean Bible Church in Washington DC and Derek Hanna, Reach Australia’s church planting and multisite specialist, for a fresh look at the multisite church model. …”
What are Matthias Bible Guides and how can they help you?
The Australian Church Record speaks with Geoff Robson about The Matthias Bible Guides:
“Matthias Media recently launched a new series of books: the Matthias Bible Guides. As one of the editors of the series since its inception, can you tell us how the idea came about? Who in particular do you want to serve with these books?
I often remind myself of this quote attributed to Spurgeon: ‘Visit many good books, but live in the Bible’. As someone whose job is to help bring (hopefully) ‘good books’ into existence, I have to remember that it’s not an end in itself; it’s a means to the end of helping people live in the Bible so they might know the Lord and live for him. That’s the overall aim of the Matthias Bible Guides. …”
– Read here.
Exposition
“Along with the many students who studied at Moore College under the Principalship of Dr. Broughton Knox, I have deep gratitude for his twice-weekly lectures to first year students, Doctrine 1.
What struck me most was Dr. Knox’s determination to test all things against Scripture. We studied using T.C. Hammond’s, In understanding be men, and Dr. Knox would even correct that fine book, in minor areas, when he believed it to be inconsistent with the Bible.
In 2 Timothy, Paul’s last letter in the New Testament, Paul reminds his young mentee, Timothy, of the nature of Scripture. …”
– David Cook reminds us of the essential place of faithful and engaging expository preaching. At The Expository Preaching Trust.
Image: Dr. Broughton Knox.
Ascension — Church Society podcast
“Ed Moll talks to Ros Clarke about the ‘Cinderella doctrine’ of the ascension and why we should pay more attention to it.”
– The latest Church Society podcast.
Related:
Daniel 7 and the Ascension of the Son of Man – Wyatt Graham at The Gospel Coalition Canada.
Paul and Sue Harrington: Lessons on the way
From The Pastor’s Heart – this week at the Reach Australia conference on the NSW Central Coast:
“Paul Harrington has led the Trinity Network of Churches in Adelaide for 33 years, guiding it from a single congregation of 800 to a thriving network of 13 churches with over 2,600 members.
Sue Harrington is a Reach Australia board member, has been deeply involved in supporting pastors’ wives, families, and women in ministry and runs a consultancy business.
Together, we discuss the lessons learned along the way, the emotional and practical challenges of planting daughter churches, and the role of humility and servant-hearted leadership. We explore the cost and recovery after sending, the evolving nature of church leadership, and the often overlooked but critical support needed for ministry households.”
The Christian’s daily battle
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:11-13)
“Paul’s letter to Titus takes as one of its central themes ‘knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness’ (Titus 1:1).
The apostle is eager to show the relationship between the ‘grace of God that has appeared’ in Jesus, and the ‘self-controlled, upright and godly lives’ that are the fruit of God’s grace in the lives of those who ‘wait for the blessed hope’. …”
– Archbishop Kanishka Raffel writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.
(Also in the print edition of Southern Cross magazine, May-June 2025.)
Celebrating Nicaea
From Moore College:
“Today Moore College celebrates the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, a landmark event in the history of the Christian church that reaffirmed the perfect equality in being, honour, and power, of God the Father and God the Son.
Though the Father and the Son are distinct persons in asymmetrical and non-reciprocal relationship (the Father is always the Father and the Son is always the Son, so they are not interchangeable), they are entirely and absolutely one in being.
This great truth has always been taught and held unequivocally at Moore College. There is only one true and living God, and the Son is as much God as the Father is (something that is true of the Holy Spirit as well). The creed formulated by the Council of Nicaea used one little Greek word to express this truth, homoousion, which in English becomes the phrase ‘of one being with’ or ‘of the same being as’. It also insisted repeatedly that the Son was ‘begotten not made’. …”
Work and Rest — What does God’s rest mean for his people?
From Phillip Jensen:
“The creation account of Genesis finishes in a most unexpected place – rest. The idea of God resting on the seventh day is so familiar to us that we sometimes miss how extraordinary it is. That God should rest and bless the seventh day, inviting us to share it with him is one of the wonders of the Bible.
In a society dominated by and priding itself in ‘busyness’ and confused and conflicted over ‘work/life balance’, God’s teaching on the Sabbath day is a welcome relief for Christians. Yet it is not simply an individual issue, for the Sabbath is to be celebrated by all of creation.”
– Listen at Two Ways News – including listeners’ feedback!
Hope in the Psalms of Lament
“I am frequently drawn to the Psalms of Lament. These psalms are highly personal. They reflect deep pain but also hope and trust in our loving God.
The psalms of lament resonate with the brokenness I see and experience. Their first lines are poignant, moving …”
– Dr. Veronica Hoyt, Director of the Priscilla & Aquila Centre at Moore College, reflects on the Psalms of Lament.
Jesus in a post-truth world: Audio
Lionel Windsor shares:
“This is the audio of a talk I gave at Leura Anglican Church on 18 May 2025. It’s the first in a three part series, designed to be accessible to churchgoers and non-church-goers alike.”
– Listen here.
King’s Birthday Conference 2025
Two Ways Ministries’ 2025 King’s Birthday Conference is coming up at Moore College on Monday 9th June.
“From Feminism to motherhood, from animal rights to toxic masculinity, from racism to euthanasia, Australia is in an ethical turmoil on many issues. Christians often feel in the crossfire of these culture wars. Do Christian ethics apply to non-Christians?
This year at the King’s Birthday Conference, Phillip Jensen is going to look at how becoming a Christian takes us back to the universal morality of Creation.” …
“As we expect to fill the Marcus Loane Hall to capacity, we are planning to have an overflow venue. We have introduced an early bird rate which will end on May 31 so those who register early can get a seat in the Marcus Loane Hall – confirmation of seating in the Marcus Loane Hall is only possible until the hall is full.
Early bird $25, Early bird concession $10
From 1st June: Regular price $30, Regular concession $15.”
– See the details, and register.
The clever move of Leo XIV. Five factors of attraction
“In chess terms, the election of Leo XIV was a knight’s move: surprising, indirect, coming from the rear, and disrupting the board in ways that force everyone to rethink their position. The game has changed. …”
– In taking a first look at the election of the new Pope, Leonardo De Chirico reminds us that we must not be lacking in ‘evangelical discernment ’. At Vatican Files.
Anglican Heroes: Thomas Cranmer — Church Society podcast
From Church Society:
“In the first of a new miniseries on the podcast, Lee Gatiss talks to Ros Clarke about Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, his life, work and legacy for the Church of England today.”
Learn about Cranmer’s aim to reform the Church, and how his ideas and methods are very relevant to us today.
– Listen here.
Portrait of Thomas Cranmer by Gerlach Flicke.
Related: Dr. Ashley Null on Thomas Cranmer – from an interview with ACL News in 2001.
‘Not so fast my friend’ – 1700 years since Nicaea – with Rachel Ciano and Leonardo De Chirico
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“It is 1700 years since the Council of Nicaea and the publication of the Nicene Creed – but what are we to make of it?
It was the twentieth of May in the year 325 that the Council of Nicaea first met. Pope Francis said ‘The Nicene Creed is a powerful sign of unity among Christians.’
The 17 hundredth anniversary of the Council of Nicaea is being used by the Roman Catholic Church to push the idea that ‘All Christians are Nicene Christians.’
However the difficulty is that while we say the same words, Roman Catholics and Protestants mean vastly different things, and any unity is a fake unity at best.
Leonardo De Chirico is pastor of the Church Brecha di Roma and director of the Reformanda Initiative.
Rachel Ciano lectures in Christianity and History at Sydney Missionary and Bible College. She is a faculty member at the Rome Scholars and Leaders Network, hosted by The Reformanda Initiative.”
Related:
The Nicene Creed – The nature of Christian unity and the meaning of gospel words – Edited by Mark Gilbert and Leonardo De Chirico. Matthias Media.
“The Diversity of Religions is the Will of God”. A Window into Pope Francis’s Theology of Religions – Leonardo De Chirico at Vatican Files.
The Genesis of Science
From Phillip Jensen:
“You knew that we couldn’t undertake a series on Genesis 1-11 without dealing with science – and so here it is.
Mind you, it may be different to what you are expecting as we explore the background to the warfare between science and religion (aka Christianity). We do not want to hold the Bible to ransom from the captivity of science, but science from the captivity of history. Where has science come from and how has it been derailed or helped by an understanding of the sinfulness of humanity?
Neither Peter or I claim any expertise in the practice of science, but both of us have serious questions about the history of science, the understanding of Genesis in the light of science and the understanding of science in the light of Genesis. I hope you find it informative.”
– Listen at Two Ways News.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…