Author Andrew Heard discusses the hard truths needed for growth and change in churches. Topics include church effectiveness in Australia, balancing growth and truth in leadership, and preaching challenging realities to drive positive change.

Ministry in the regional centre of Lismore, NSW was transformed by two devastating floods in 2021. Stew Playsted (Senior Pastor) talks through: How natural disasters like floods can affect a city and ministry How God has been at work in Southern Cross Presbyterian Church in Lismore over the past 10 years How the Gospel Community model of ministry was applied in a setting like Lismore CREDITS: The Reach Australia Podcast is brought to you by Reach Australia. For ideas or questions please email resources@reachaustralia.com.au To support the Reach Australia Online Library head here.

Chis Ekins is part of a team that planted Coast Evangelical Church (Coast EC). The challenges of ministry in regional, tourist town Success and hardships in planting in nearby regional centres Engaging young adults who want to move the city Working with other churches to plant more churches Strategies for planning for the future SHOW NOTES: Coast EC website Gap Year Programme If you are interested in planting in Kemsey, email us (resources@reachaustralia.com.au) and start with our Assessment Tool Kids and Youth Pastor CREDITS: The Reach Australia Podcast is brought to you by Reach Australia. For ideas or questions please email resources@reachaustralia.com.au To support the Reach Australia Online Library head here.

Ben Ho has made the unusual decision to step down from SLE church to plant and Steve Tran is stepping from co-pastor to lead pastor. What is St Lucia like as a suburb? What is the history of the church? Why did Ben decide he was the one to plant the church? Why are they planting in Centenary? What is the future of SLE and Centenary churches? SHOW NOTES: NB: when the recording was done Centenary weren't sure where they were meeting, they are meeting at the function rooms of the Jindalee Hotel. They will launch on the 8th of October SLE Church CREDITS: The Reach Australia Podcast is brought to you by Reach Australia. For ideas or questions please email resources@reachaustralia.com.au To support the Reach Australia Online Library head here.

How does a loving community worship God together? Charles Cleworth takes us through how community should shape what we do on a Sunday as a church. Especially thinking through how to do the following elements effect what we do from the front? People Posture Prayer Praise Pathway Participation Preaching Profile Place Liv Chapman addresses the idea of music and singing together. Why Do We Sing? What Should We be Singing? How Do We Sing Well? Andrew Hayes encourages us to use teams to develop Sunday services. Good Service Leading Ministries that don't fit teams Long term and Week to Week Planning SHOWNOTES: Slides from the Workshop Example Run Sheets from Grace City Vine Church EV Church Point Out Process from EV church

Phil Colgan from St George North Anglican Church reminds us of the noble call of the pastor from Acts 20:17-38. Especially the importance of “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28) Pastors need to keep in mind ministry is done: 1. In humility 2. With tears 3. Through trials 4. With the priority of the word 5. Guarding yourself 6. Guarding the Flock CREDITS: The Reach Australia Podcast is brought to you by ⁠Reach Australia⁠ Contact us via resources@reachaustralia.com.au You can give to the ⁠Online Resource Library

Des Smith, lead pastor from Trinity Lockleys Church in South Australia reminds of the importance of finishing to the end. CREDITS: The Reach Australia Podcast is brought to you by Reach Australia Contact us via resources@reachaustralia.com.au You can give to the Online Resource Library

Greg Lee from Hunter Bible Church speaks on the role of mission in community in the Book of Acts. Highlights include the spreading of Jesus' kingdom through prayer and preaching, the relationship between the church and the kingdom, and strategies for cultivating a mission-focused community.

Ministry involves navigating a range of relationships and responsibilities, many of these are pastorally complex and the intensity of these relationships can often leave pastors drained of energy and confused about what help they can offer – How do you get clear on what your responsibility is, and isn’t? What help is actually helpful? This workshop offers a family systems view on pastoral care and considers how anxiety in relationships can often overwhelm the intentionality we would like to have in pastoral care. In this workshop we will: Think about the idea of congregations as emotional relational systems Take a step back and observe how patterns of care on offer might be unsustainable or even unhelpful Explore ideas of overfunctioning and underfunctioning and the application of these in ministry where ministers / pastoral carers are primed to overfunction for others Consider how to shift the focus of responsibility and care for someone from an anxious quick fix to having long term emotional and spiritual growth in mind. Executive Director – The Family Systems Institute Lauren is the Executive Director of The Family Systems Institute, an organisation that offers family systems training for clinicians, supervisors, coaches and ministry leaders. She is a mental health social worker, couple and family therapist and supervisor, with experience in tertiary level mental health services and private practice in Australia and Scotland, currently counselling with Family Systems Practice. Lauren has published articles with the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy and co-edited a book entitled Bowen Family Systems Theory in Christian Ministry. She attends Newtown Erskineville Anglican Church where her husband, Andrew, is the Senior Minister.  SHOW NOTES: Growing Yourself Up by Jenny Brown Bowen Family Systems Theory in Christian Ministry: Grappling With Theory and Its Application Through a Biblical Lens (eds Jenny Brown and Lauren Errington)

Sally Sims (Care Ministry Coordinator) and Caroline Litchfield (Membership Director) discuss organizing church care. They explore the importance of community, intentional love, and communal responsibility. They also discuss Christian pastoral care, the impact it has on people's lives, and the need for care structures and processes within a church. The episode covers the demographics and programs of a church in St Ives, the challenges faced by pastors, and different strategies for providing care and support to church members.