Is 5% Enough?
Posted on August 7, 2025
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“There seems to be a change in the cultural atmosphere in much of the West. It may be that people are more open to the Gospel. The question is, how should we take advantage of that? How do we use this cultural moment to bring the gospel to those who are lost? We always need to humbly remember that ‘many are the plans in the heart of a man, but it is the Lord’s purpose that stands’ (Proverbs 19:21).
This year’s General Assembly of the NSW Presbyterians accepted a motion I put forward to reflect on how we do evangelism. The Assembly ask the Mission Committee to evaluate the status of evangelism within the Presbyterian church of NSW and to report back to the 2026 GA with recommendations which will help the whole church work together to bring the Gospel to all the people of NSW.
The Assembly also heard a call for the Presbyterian church to double in 20 years. Providentially the Gospel Coalition recently held a summit where the same doubling in 20 years was agreed. They declared that this could be done by seeing 5% conversion growth in each church over a period of 20 years.
The Pastor’s Heart, a fascinating and helpful podcast presented by Dominic Steele, has recently had three podcasts focusing on this numerical target …”
– At AP, the online Presbyterian journal, David Robertson reckons we should ‘go for glory’.
Unblocking the pipeline: Identifying and addressing obstacles to ministry recruitment
Posted on August 6, 2025
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From The Pastor’s Heart:
“In the past month, two of the most respected evangelical training institutions in the world have closed or announced closure of their campuses.
In July, Spurgeon’s College in London—a pillar of Baptist theological education for nearly 170 years—closed, citing financial strain and a dramatic decline in student numbers.
A few weeks earlier, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) in Chicago —long regarded as a flagship seminary of North American evangelicalism— said they would shut down its Illinois campus and relocate to Canada, merging with Trinity Western University in British Columbia.
TEDS student numbers have dropped from 750 to 400 fulltime equivalents.
These are not isolated incidents. Across the UK, Australia, and globally, churches are asking:
Where will the next generation of gospel workers come from?
Orlando Saer—lead pastor of Christ Church Southampton, Chair of the Reach UK South church planting network, and Chair of 9:38, a UK ministry seeking to raise up gospel workers, has helped lead the Yarnton Consultation, the most comprehensive look yet at the state of ministry recruitment in the UK.”
Trajectory 2025
Posted on August 6, 2025
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From Two Ways Ministries –
“Relationships
God is personal, so life is relational.
Relationships bring about our greatest joys and our deepest sorrows. The Bible teaches that the heart of the law is to love God and love our neighbours.
The usual trajectory of our lives is that we are born in families, grow in friendships, then die alone. So how does God’s wisdom change our relationships; or what is the trajectory of our relationships?
This might be your very first time at a Trajectory weekend, or you may have been for the last 8 years – either way this weekend will be of great benefit to you as you listen to challenging Bible teaching pushing you to keep re-calibrating your Trajectory to God’s.
A weekend for 18-30 year-olds, unpacking the Bible, building our skills and building our networks – all for the Glory of God.”
It’s Tempting to Sin
Posted on August 5, 2025
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From Phillip Jensen:
“One of the doctrines of the Bible that is easy to demonstrate and widely rejected is the universality of sin.
Sin is not an optional extra choice of some degenerate people. Sin is the inbuilt character of humanity.
But what is sin? How did sin come into the world? What temptation did Satan use? How do moralists sin, and why are they amongst the most sinful of people?
In this episode of Two Ways News, Peter and I discuss the temptation that came to Eve and its implications for our temptation to sin.”
– Listen to the latest from Phillip and Peter here.
Happy birthday to John Newton
Posted on August 5, 2025
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The Rev. John Newton was born 300 years ago, on 4th August 1725.
At The John Newton Project, Marylynn Rouse shares some contemporary tributes to the man who (among other things) wrote Amazing Grace.
The Church in Wales departs from biblical teaching and orthodox fellowship — Diocese of Sydney statement
Posted on August 4, 2025
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Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has released this statement on behalf of the Diocese of Sydney —
The election of the Rt Rev Cherry Vann, a person in a same sex civil partnership, as Archbishop of Wales is a grievous departure from the teaching of the Bible, inconsistent with the understanding of marriage as expressed in the formularies of the Anglican Church, and a tragic rejection of the words of Jesus.
At a time when the See of Canterbury remains vacant, and the Church of England proceeds to develop liturgical recognition of same sex unions, this appointment adds to the increasingly irreconcilable divisions between the majority of the Anglican Communion who hold to the authority and primacy of Scripture in matters of life and faith and those churches that have departed from the teaching of Christ.
In the face of the failure of those who should be witnesses and keepers of Scripture, we give thanks for faithful Anglicans in Wales who hold to ‘the faith once delivered to the saints’ and contend for the gospel within the Church of Wales.
There is, however, a growing number whose consciences prevent them from remaining in a denomination in which the leadership has so clearly departed from the scriptures. For them, we commend the fellowship of the Anglican Network in Europe, under the pastoral care of Bishop Andy Lines.
Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
4 August 2025
— Media release via SydneyAnglicans.net.
Related:
“Church of England’s treatment of Bernard Randall is evil”
Posted on August 4, 2025
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“The Church of England’s treatment of former school chaplain, Rev Dr Bernard Randall, deserves to be described as evil.
The Christian Legal Centre is rightly calling for Dr Randall to be restored to ministry after statutory authorities found that he did not pose a safeguarding risk. …”
– Julian Mann writes at Christian Today.
Photo: Christian Concern.
The Saviour of the world – John 4:1-42
Posted on August 4, 2025
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Moore Theological College Principal Mark Thompson spoke from John 4:1-42 in College chapel on Friday.
“This is, indeed, the Saviour of the world. So that’s what we need to hear – before anything else. Hear those words and know this is the Saviour of the world – and don’t settle for anything less.”
Two points – The Saviour of the world, and The Saved in the world.
Good to hear, and good for your soul.
Starting Strong: Thriving in the First Years of Preaching — new podcast
Posted on August 3, 2025
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Here’s a new podcast from two Presbyterian ministers (Matt and Oli) in Victoria.
It’s “the podcast we would have liked five years ago when we started out.”
Listen to their 8 minute introductory episode and you’ll probably recognise voices from their ‘teaser’. (Or just listen the episodes already available!)
Six chats with seasoned preachers are online so far.
GSFA Statement on the Election of the Rt Rev Cherry Vann as the Archbishop of Wales
Posted on August 2, 2025
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From the GSFA:
Before The Episcopal Church of the United States went ahead with the consecration of Gene Robinson, who was openly in a same sex relationship, as Bishop of New Hampshire, the 2003 Primates meeting in Canterbury warned that this action would “tear the fabric of the Anglican Communion at its deepest level” if it went ahead.
Despite this warning, the divisive rejection of the historic biblical and Anglican teaching on marriage and human sexuality has been allowed to continue without any effective restraint. The election of the Rt Rev Cherry Vann as the Archbishop of Wales is the latest example and we now have a Primate of the Anglican Communion who is, to quote from her address at a Pride Cymru Eucharist in August 2021, “an openly lesbian and civilly partnered bishop”.
Faithful Anglicans of the Global South will grieve that the tear in the fabric of our beloved Communion is now established at the highest level, but this will also strengthen our resolve to restore the Scriptures to their central place in our life together and build covenanted relationships through which we are able to gladly recognise one another as partners in mission and members of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
The Most Rev Dr Justin Badi Arama
Archbishop and Primate of the
Episcopal Church of South Sudan, and
GSFA Chair.
– Source.
“Archbishop of Wales Election Shatters the Communion”
Posted on August 2, 2025
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“Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Gafcon family,
Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the earth.
It is with a heavy heart that I write to you of grievous events in our beloved Anglican Communion.
The decision by the Church in Wales to elect the Rt Revd Cherry Vann as Archbishop and Primate is another painful nail in the coffin of Anglican orthodoxy. …”
– Chairman of the Gafcon Primates Council, Archbishop Dr. Laurent Mbanda, shares a pastoral letter.
Earlier:
New Archbishop of Wales elected.
Bible Society sells its main property, Hillsong the likely buyer
Posted on August 2, 2025
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“An office and former warehouse tenanted by Hillsong and smaller renters in Macquarie Park in Northern Sydney has been sold by the Bible Society. It was the former Headquarters for the NSW Bible Society. …”
– John Sandeman reports on a recent sale.
Image: OpenStreetMap.
Southern Cross August-September 2025
Posted on August 1, 2025
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The latest edition of Southern Cross magazine from the Diocese of Sydney is now available.
“In this edition:
• Ministry to seafarers
• Holiday kids’ clubs
• Reaching Gen Z
• Testimonies of women working in specialised areas
PLUS: news, views, reviews and more.”
– including
• Eleven churches and one big Bible college working bee
• Emu music celebrates 25 years
• A ransom to reckon with
• Answer with gentleness and respect.
In churches now, or downloadable from sydneyanglicans.net/about/southerncross.
GSFA Primates Encourage Faithful Anglicans in England
Posted on July 31, 2025
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“On Friday 18th July, the GSFA Chairman, Archbishop Justin Badi, together with Deputy Chairman Archbishop Samy Shehata and Hon Secretary Archbishop Titus Chung, had a series of meetings with Church of England leaders, culminating in a special evening reception for over three hundred clergy and leading laity at which they were the guests of honour.
They were invited by the Alliance, a broadly based movement of orthodox Anglicans which seeks to combat the move to overturn two millennia of Christian teaching on marriage and human sexuality being driven by the Church of England’s bishops in General Synod. …”
– from The Global Fellowship of Anglican Churches.
New Archbishop of Wales elected
Posted on July 31, 2025
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“A new Archbishop of Wales has been elected today, 30 July 2025.
Cherry Vann who has served as the Bishop of Monmouth for the past five years, has been chosen as the 15th Archbishop of Wales.
She succeeds Bishop Andrew John who retired in July after three and a half years as the leader of the Church in Wales.
Archbishop Cherry was elected having secured a two-thirds majority vote from members of the Electoral College…”
– News and photo from The Church in Wales.
Reaction and background:
Press Release from Christian Concern (read it all at the link):
New Archbishop of Church of Wales living in blatant defiance of Christian teaching
“The Church in Wales has appointed an Archbishop who is openly living in defiance of Christian teaching.
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of Christian Concern, comments: ‘Cherry Vann lives with her civil partner, Wendy, in a same-sex relationship. This directly contradicts the Church’s historic and biblical doctrine that marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman, and that sexual relationships are reserved for marriage.
‘As an ordained minister, and now Archbishop, Cherry Vann has sworn to uphold the teaching of the Church. Instead, she is publicly living in deliberate rejection of those very doctrines.
‘That she was elected with a two-thirds majority of the Electoral College demonstrates that the Church in Wales has now institutionally turned away from biblical teaching on sexual morality.…”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…