How can we best support gospel growth beyond our church? — with Mikey Lynch
Posted on March 14, 2023
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From The Pastor’s Heart:
“How might our church best relate to other organisations (churches, denominations and parachurches) who are also engaged in the grand cause of reaching the world for Christ?
What is the difference between a church and parachurch and how might they best interact? …
Mikey Lynch is a Director of Reach Australia and is the new editorial director for the Gospel Coalition Australia. Mikey leads the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students staff team doing ministry in Hobart at the University of Tasmania.
Matthias Media have just released his new book ‘The Vine Movement – supporting gospel growth beyond your church.’…”
And also note how you can support the coming “Heart of GAFCON” broadcasts from Kigali.
How to Organise an Epic Bible Reading
Posted on March 13, 2023
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Last week we linked to an article by Simon Camilleri on Epic Bible Reading at your Church.
In a follow-up post, he shares some practical tips on getting your church involved:
“In a nutshell, I recommend that before you break up a book of the Bible for a sermon series or a Bible Study you should gather together and read through the entire book—out loud from start to finish in one session.
In this article I am going to give some tips from my own experience, for the eager and the apprehensive, on how you can run an Epic Bible Reading at your church. …”
– Read it here.
If lost people matter to God…
Posted on March 12, 2023
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“…if lost people matter to God, then they should matter to us as well. After all, we were lost in our sin, till we put our trust in Christ. So as someone once said, evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.
But are we as keen to share the good news of Christ Jesus, as we are to share our best back remedy?”
– In the latest Cathedral Newsletter, Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant shares some encouragement after reflecting on a recent Church Record post.
Hold your horses
Posted on March 12, 2023
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“A few days ago I was at Wycliffe Hall, speaking to some Anglican ordinands about why everyone should do rural ministry. Unsurprisingly the conversation soon turned to LLF, and that General Synod vote. Since I am a member of Synod, I was quizzed about what had happened. After a bit, one student asked me, “Given what’s happened, how can you be so upbeat”? …
I don’t think I have seen such a strong, broad and deep evangelical unity in the Church of England as I see now. It often takes an emergency to bring a group together, and that is precisely what has happened.”
– At Church Society’s blog, Church Society Regional Director the Rev Dr Chris Moore argues that ‘this is the time to stand up, not to walk away’.
Photo: Diocese of Hereford.
Related:
Thirty years ago, the Rev John Richardson travelled from the UK to study short-term at Moore College. (This was before the rejuvenation of Oak Hill College in London.)
While in Sydney, he wrote an article which was published in the ACL’s newsletter. (UK Evangelicalism: Optimistic? – PDF version)
At the time, he was not optimistic about the future of Evangelicalism in the Church of England, and argued that strong evangelical leadership was needed –
“You cannot head off a stampede by calling the cows to come back. If the present debacle in English Evangelicalism is to be arrested it will require people of courage and vision who are prepared to go out ahead of the herd, to kick, to shout and to make a noise, so that those who are genuinely Christian, but who are so much like sheep without a shepherd, may be brought back to the good pastures.”
Do continue to pray for evangelical clergy in the Church of England, that they would be given great wisdom by the Lord.
And do pray that the new evangelical unity of which Dr Moore speaks will be effective for the gospel.
Things would never be the same again
Posted on March 11, 2023
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“In his Pensées Blaise Pascal, the 17th century French mathematician and philosopher wrote, ‘Everyone seeks happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. They will never take the least step but to this object…’
John the Gospel writer tells us of a woman at a well in Samaria two thousand years ago who would have agreed. …”
– At The Anglican Connection, John Mason turns to John chapter 4 and the longing for happiness.
Has the listening process of LLF now broken down?
Posted on March 11, 2023
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In a letter to Church Times, The Rev James Paice (pictured) asks, “One wonders: has the listening process of LLF now broken down?”
He writes in response to a Church Times report (‘London conservatives look for support from breakaway Anglicans’), published on 1st March 2023, regarding the Bishop of London’s response to a large gathering with clergy –
“The Church Times understands that the London bishops held a two-hour meeting on Thursday evening of last week in St James Garlickhythe, which was attended by between 150 and 200 members of the clergy, many of whom were concerned about the Bishops’ proposals on same-sex blessings. …”
The report references a statement from the Diocese of London, effectively claiming that nothing has really changed.
Anglican Mainstream has published the letter by James Paice – read it here.
Earlier:
GAFCON press release 9th March 2023
Posted on March 10, 2023
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Press release, 09 March 2023
“Many Anglicans across the world are deeply distressed by the Church of England’s recent decision to separate from the historic faith through the creation and implementation of prayers of blessing for same-sex marriages.
Several churches and Provinces within the Anglican Communion are considering their future with respect to the Church of England. The Primates of The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (who represent the majority of the world’s worshipping Anglicans) have already declared that they are in impaired communion with the Church of England and said that they do not recognise the present Archbishop of Canterbury as the “first among equals” leader of the global Anglican Communion.
The Gafcon Movement is a global family of authentic Anglicans standing together to proclaim the unchanging truth of the Bible in a changing world, and to support those who wish to remain Anglican but feel they are no longer able to sit under the authority of their Bishop or Diocese.
On 20 February 2023 the Gafcon Primates endorsed the statement released by the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans pointing to Paragraph 13 of the Jerusalem Declaration (2008) which says: ‘We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed’.
In a number of countries around the world (including Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, the United States, and Wales), Gafcon has supported the establishment of alternative episcopal oversight for those Anglicans who in good conscience cannot remain part of their provincial Anglican Church.
Presently, the Gafcon Primates are meeting regularly with the Primates of The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches and other Orthodox Primates across the world to discern the path forward. The outcome of these meetings will affect the majority of the 85 million Anglicans worldwide.
Gafcon will not be commenting on the content of these meetings while they are ongoing but will be releasing a statement at the end of the upcoming GAFCON IV Conference to be held from 17-21 April in Kigali, Rwanda.”
How euthanasia has revived the death penalty
Posted on March 10, 2023
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“Belgium is not the only nation to euthanise prisoners. In Canada, where assisted suicide is also offered as a medical treatment, three prisoners have been euthanised to date. The story of one of them, known only as ‘patient one’, illustrates the key problem with this practice. …”
– Spiked Online. (Link via Anglican Mainstream)
Image from a St. Helen’s Bishopsgate video.
When is a wedding not a wedding
Posted on March 9, 2023
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“A woman in a white wedding dress laughs as she looks up into a cloud of rainbow confetti. She stands at the entrance to a church, holding hands with her partner, surrounded by friends, family and photographers. The photo is shared on Twitter with the notice that they are now Revd and Mrs X.
But this is not a wedding. It cannot legally be a wedding…”
– At Church Society’s blog, Ros Clarke highlights the mess caused by the internal contradictions in Justin Welby’s ‘radical inclusion’.
“No wonder that what is being proposed does not satisfy anyone.”
Epic Bible Reading at Your Church
Posted on March 9, 2023
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“I am very glad that many evangelical churches in Australia preach through the Bible, book by book, chapter by chapter and verse by verse. Over weeks or even months, a theologically-educated preacher helps their congregation to dig deep into Scripture—grappling with each section of the book in depth before moving on to the next section.
But imagine if we watched movies this way. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Simon Camilleri has some encouragement for you.
A related question: Why do some evangelical Anglican churches only have one Bible reading in a Sunday gathering?
Complementarian Ministry in small group leadership – with Kara Hartley and Tony Payne
Posted on March 8, 2023
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This week on The Pastor’s Heart:
“How do we work together in complementarian ministry as we lead small group bible studies/growth groups/community groups
Small groups are the heart beats of our churches, where we wrestle together on how God might have us live.
Most groups have a male and female leadership paired together in leadership. But how do those two people work together?…”
– Kara Hartley and Tony Payne discuss with Dominic Steele.
See also last week’s discussion, where Dominic speaks with Bishop Robert Forsyth and Assoc Professor Neil Foster:
– Supreme Court clears pastor of defamation.
Would John Stott have continued on as an Anglican?
Posted on March 8, 2023
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“One of the largest evangelical Anglican churches in the UK, St Helen’s Bishopsgate, recently announced that it will no longer accept episcopal oversight from the Church of England’s House of Bishops.
This comes as a result of the General Synod’s decision to bless couples who are in a same-sex marriage or civil partnership. …
The current context raises the question of whether the late John Stott, the famous Anglican evangelical stalwart, would have himself continued to remained.
In 1966 Stott and Martyn Lloyd-Jones had a confrontation which many regarded as a dispute over whether it was time for evangelicals to withdraw from the Anglican communion. For Lloyd-Jones the time was now, but for the Stott the response was not yet. …”
– Presbyterian Mark Powell asks the question. We suspect the answer to the hypothetical question in the title would be, “Yes. And aligned with GAFCON.”
Rev. Calvin Robinson: a crisis of faith for the Anglican Church?
Posted on March 7, 2023
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“What follows is one of the most articulate and powerful speeches you are likely to view this year. It is by Rev. Calvin Robinson, who recently argued at the Oxford Union as to why Christianity should not allow gay marriage, or even the blessing of same-sex unions.
Robinson’s twelve-minute talk is a model of graciousness, fidelity to historic Christian doctrine, and personal courage. …”
– You may already have seen the speech by Calvin Robinson. If not, take a look – and also see Mark Powell’s summary in Spectator Australia.
Image: Oxford Union.
Revival at Asbury: A Cold Take
Posted on March 6, 2023
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“The revival at Asbury College has already come to an end. What began as a brief and simple chapel service turned into a weeks-long worship event that drew tens of thousands of participants and elicited tens of millions of opinions. …
It seems to me that news of an outbreak of revival is best met with a guarded optimism. We don’t need to be naive but also don’t need to be incredulous. …
Speaking personally, I would like my first instinct to be ‘Praise God’ rather than ‘Fat chance!’…”
– You may have heard, the last couple of weeks, about the reported revival in a small private university in Kentucky. Tim Challies shares some thoughts on what has happened and how Christians might respond.
(Image: Tim Challies during a visit to Sydney in 2018.)
The Life of Faith – Peter Jensen Book Launch
Posted on March 5, 2023
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From Moore College:
“Moore College invites you to attend the launch of Peter Jensen’s latest book, ‘The Life of Faith’.
Date: 14th March 2023
Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm – supper will be provided afterwards
Location: Moore Theological College, Marcus Loane Hall
This event will be a wonderful opportunity to hear from Peter Jensen himself as he discusses the themes and ideas behind his book, as well as answer any questions you may have.
About the book:
An introductory-level systematic theology from one of the evangelical world’s most influential theologians, perfect for the keen layperson but with enough depth and stimulation to be relevant and interesting for full-time gospel workers. The Life of Faith sits within the tradition of books like In Understanding Be Men by TC Hammond and Concise Theology by JI Packer, written for today’s audience.”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…