Why the Church doesn’t need any more coffee bars

“When I walk into church I am not paying attention to the décor. I don’t want to smell freshly brewed coffee in the lobby. I don’t want to see a trendy pastor on the platform. I don’t care about the graphics or the props on the platform. I am hurting in a way that is almost indescribable.

Since my husband died, my days are spent working full time. My nights are spent homeschooling and taking care of two young children. I don’t have shared duties with a spouse anymore so everything is on my plate. When I go to church I desperately want to hear the Word of God. …”

– This article, by Kimberli Lira, published by Premier Christianity last year, is a sharp reminder of what’s most important, but so easily forgotten. (link via Gary Ware.)

Evangelism and the Sydney Diocese: Our DNA


“At the 2017 session of synod a report was given in relation to diocesan mission and church growth. While there were some positives, the general tenor of the discussion was fairly bleak.

Church leaders might be tempted to despair at the apparent fruitlessness of their efforts and perhaps withdrawal into a ‘holy huddle’. Spending all our effort on current members may seem like a more rewarding enterprise.

To take this course, however, would not only be a dereliction of the gospel mandate entrusted to all Christians, it would be a radical departure from one of the most enduring and significant aspects of our diocesan identity: evangelism. …

Evangelism in Sydney Diocese has never been easy. It was not easy for Richard Johnson. It was not easy for D.J. Knox. It was not easy for John Chapman. Yet, evangelism is an essential aspect of Sydney Anglican identity. Our society has changed radically over the last 230 years, but our mission remains the same.”

– Ed Loane calls us back to our great task – at The Australian Church Record.

Related:

In 1988, Dudley gave this address to the ACL’s Annual General Meeting – Reaching Out In Difficult Situations.

My Conversion to Christ: Peter Adam

“My family were not Christians. We often attended our local Anglican church at Christmas and Easter. My father’s parents had been Baptist Christians but died before I was born. My mother’s parents were Anglican and Roman Catholic. My Roman Catholic grandmother was still alive, but not practising.

I went to a church school where we sang a hymn each day. I began to be drawn to God when I was 9. …”

– Peter Adam, former Principal of Ridley College Melbourne, shares how he was brought to Christ.

A great encouragement. At The Gospel Coalition Australia. Photo via St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.

How to run an effective evangelistic course

“So you want to reach the lost with the gospel?

Fantastic! Evangelistic courses are an effective method of doing so – particularly in a post-Christian culture.

The following are small but crucial steps you can make to ensure you maximise the effectiveness of your evangelistic course. …”

– Here are some very useful, practical tips from Dave Jensen, at GoThereFor.com.

Hear the 2018 ACL Synod Dinner Address

Canon Phil Colgan gave the address at the ACL’s 2018 Synod Dinner on Monday.

If you missed it (or if you were there and want to hear it again – or if you would like to share the address with others), you can listen below:

A 10 MB mp3 file.

A capacity crowd heard the address.

The great need of the hour

“I’m confident that the gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone is being regularly preached in Sydney Anglican pulpits.

But that is not quite the same as giving adequate, let alone urgent priority to the task of evangelism. How much of the ministry team’s time is spent in relationship with people who are not yet followers of Jesus?

I need to quite deliberately make time to spend with my friends of other faiths and none –  and the same can be true for church members who can just as easily find themselves with few non-believing contacts.”

– There are many helpful takeaways from this article by the Dean of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel. Read the full article at The Australian Church Record.

The pastor in your background

“But even if we can’t bring to mind exactly what was said six weeks ago, I promise you that cumulatively your regular preachers are wearing down paths through your brain. They are having an impact on you, unseen or not. What they teach you from one Bible passage provides you with context for other passages you read, influencing the way you understand the Bible as a whole. …”

– At GoThereFor.com, editor Rachel Macdonald writes to encourage you to pray for your pastors.

UK: The Transgender trend and the pressure on frontline clergy

“With affirmative counselling increasingly becoming a requirement for doctors, psychologists and social workers over the current transgender trend, frontline clergy are bound to come under pressure to affirm individuals’ life-style choices in pastoral conservations. …”

– Julian Mann, Vicar of Oughtibridge in South Yorkshire, is thankful the Ordinal reminds gospel ministers where their focus must lie. (He is pictured here with Archbishop Ben Kwashi.)

Send your pastor away

“When was the last time you told your pastor to go away? Or better still … sent him away?

… that is, sent him away to a pastor’s conference?

Sure, your pastor can do this himself, but sometimes – toiling away week after week, month after month – he needs a prompt from the elders. Time away at ministry conferences and conventions play an important role in the life and work of the Christian pastor. Pastors can have their faith restored, mind sharpened and skills honed. …”

– Some encouragement from John P Wilson, Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

The goodness of Christian hope

“Do your friends know the goodness of the Christian hope? Do you?

Recently I was talking to one of my most biblically informed non-Christian friends about life, the world, human nature and God, when she told me ‘I don’t want eternal life’. …”

– Kirsten McKinlay writes at The Australian Church Record.

Love for Jesus, and the cost of bringing his Word

You may remember this video (posted in 2011, and showing events from 16 March 2010) of the Kimyal Tribe in West Papua as they celebrate the arrival of copies of the New Testament in their heart language.

A new video, about the Dale and Masters families, gives an insight into the commitment, obedience, and the cost, of bringing the gospel to every tribe and tongue.

Memorising Colossians together

At GoThereFor.com, Richard Chin is asked how and why he memorised Paul’s Letter to the Colossians.

Church Society Podcast: Reporting from ReNew

At Church Society’s blog, Ros Clarke presents interviews and reports from this year’s ReNew conference.

Listen here.

Zeal without Burnout – free ebook in September

During September 2018, The Good Book Company is giving away a free ebook of Christopher Ash’s highly regarded Zeal without Burnout (via their UK website).

Even if you don’t feel you need to read the book right now, grab a copy anyway before the end of the month!

Related: Slip, slop, slap for sustainable sacrifice – Lionel Windsor.

‘Men Praying for Moore’ Breakfast – Saturday 22 September 2018

Here’s an opportunity for men to come together, and to share in breakfast and in prayer. As well, Dr Peter O’Brien, will lead a devotional.

Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God..”

Details from Moore College.

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