The One Thing

The podcast dives into the vital assessment of church health across Australia, unveiling positive trends in attendance and mission effectiveness. It highlights the transformative impact of new church plants in attracting diverse individuals. There's a call for innovative strategies to boost small group participation, as current engagement remains lower than hoped. Emphasizing data-driven decisions, the discussion encourages using measurable metrics over anecdotal evidence to enhance ministry effectiveness and achieve long-term goals.

In the middle of Sydney’s Muslim Ramadan street party—where food trucks line the streets and thousands celebrate—there’s a surprising presence: The Peace Tent. A Christian outreach, this space invites seekers to discover the peace of Jesus in the heart of the festival. If you want to grow in confidence sharing Jesus across cultures, this episode is for you.TOOLBOX:Connecting Muslims: A Guide to Communicating Effectively by Fouad MasriTelling the Gospel Through Story by Christine DillonWhere to Start with Islam by Samuel GreenReaching Australian Muslims with Samuel Green (Reach Australia Podcast)Faraj has more coming in a future episode in the Reach Australia PodcastCREDITS:This episode was brought to you by YouthworksThe One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠.For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

What does good welcoming look like in church? Instead of just talking about it, we follow Nathan Brewer as he leads the welcoming team at Kellyville Anglican Church — seeing firsthand how Kellyville Anglican works to foster a genuinely warm and inviting church environment.TOOL BOXYouTube Version of the EpisodeScreenshots of Kellyville Connect Card and where it appears in the serviceSecret shopper checklistGospel Growth and Christian Community ebookReach Australia Digital (Helping you with branding and website)Community and Integration Workshop Part 1Community and Integration Workshop Part 2CREDITS:The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

Subscribe to know more about the One Thing on the platform you are listening to us on.

First impressions matter, and churches often underestimate how much. Peter Blanch and Scott Sanders discuss how small changes can make a big impact in helping people feel seen, valued, and truly at home. The theological foundation for welcoming Mistakes from not even thinking about it to overvaluing the newcomer Mistakes of not thinking about what a new person needs to connect to church Mistakes of not thinking about the whole experience of welcoming Welcoming has an important 2 way relationship with the rest of the church ecosystem, especially with the mission team Thinking through the building and how it works Thinking through the team and what you need TOOL BOX Secret shopper checklist Gospel Growth and Christian Community ebook Reach Australia Digital (Helping you with branding and website) Community and Integration Workshop Part 1 Community and Integration Workshop Part 2 CREDITS: This episode was brought to you by Kidswise The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠ To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠. For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠ To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Are you suffering from death by meetings? Meetings can be soul-crushing or life-changing. Have you stopped to think about how to make yours truly effective so we can be using our resources effectively for the gospel? Scott Sanders and Derek Hanna talk about: Simple tools for making sure meetings work The importance of drama in meetings The importance of meaning and context in meetings Why you need to identify different types of meetings Which meetings need more discipline? Which meetings are more important? Which meetings do you need to be in (and not be in)?  TOOLBOX: Death by Meeting by Patrick M. Lencioni Getting Your Meeting Rhythms Down | Ep 15 Refresh Your Staff Meetings (Part 1) | Ep 166 Refresh Your Staff Meetings (Part 2) | Ep 167  CREDITS: This episode was brought to you by the Reach Australia Leadership Development Program The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠ To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠ For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠ To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. 

At the start of the year, many of us may realise we spent the previous year caught in a cycle of constant activity—just doing, without much reflection or planning, and barely surviving. How can we break free from this endless seven-day grind? What's the cycle of survival from Sunday to Sunday and why is it so dangerous? Why is it rooted in selfishness and being unloving? Who is responsible when a team is stuck in a seven day cycle? How does long term thinking and delegation help not just break but force us out of the cycle? Some of the obstacles we need to address in developing leaders to get us out of the seven day cycle TOOL BOX: Reach Australia National Conference Leadership Pipeline ebook Team Development Program Covey's Quadrant CREDITS: This episode was brought to you by Virtual Church Assist The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠ To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠. For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠ To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Your calendar is not just the place where you put tasks to do and meetings to be had. It's about aligning your time with your values and integrity. Scott Sanders and Peter Blanch explore how to do this effectively: The importance of reflection and how to do it Your calendar will reflect your convictions, but you may not be aware you are living them out Where to put the harder things you do in your calendar and where to put the things you enjoy Where the Reach Australia framework fits in here: Especially the ideas of clarify the big thing and then break it down This is not merely an individual thing but a team thing. How is your team working on the calendar? TOOLBOX: The Reach Australia Framework ebook Getting Things Done by David Allen Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Slow Productivity by Cal Newport What's Best Next by Mat Perman CREDITS: This episode was brought to you by the Ministry Training Strategy The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠ To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠. For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠ To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Gary Millar dives into holding tension in the Christian life, embracing differences, and leaning into Christlike living. It’s about being missionally effective and reflecting Jesus in our character. It's challenging, yes, but necessary—because calling each other to godliness is the truest form of leadership. Gary's new book Both And And is out now — a book that’s part wake-up call, part guide for Christian leaders to walk the talk. Your personality? Important. But it doesn't exempt you from living under God’s rules. Leadership? It's about godliness first, not charisma or loopholes. TOOLBOX: Both And Ministry By Gary Millar CREDITS: This episode was brought to you by MTS The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠ To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠. For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠ To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

There are some key phrases that leaders can use that create great gospel culture in your team. While they aren't always easy to say, they are an essential part of leadership. Why are they important: Leaders don't know everything Leaders aren't better at everything, it's important to be able to learn from others Leaders don't have all the answers, collaboration in a team is important Leaders sometimes get it wrong 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:31 The Importance of Team Building 01:05 Personal Team Experiences 02:19 Four Powerful Phrases Overview 05:08 Phrase 1: I Don't Know 09:45 Phrase 2: You're Better at This Than I Am 12:56 Phrase 3: Do You Think? 15:55 Phrase 4: I'm Sorry 18:01 Applying the Four Phrases 21:07 Conclusion and Homework 21:57 Toolbox and Resources TOOL BOX: Wisdom in Leadership by Craig Hamilton (Chapter 37) 357 Inheriting and Building Teams (Ray Galea) 316 How do I Create a Culture of Trust in my Team CREDITS: This episode was brought to you by the Leadership Development Program The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠ To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠. For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠ To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.