Our regular episode is running 24 hours late as Dominic Steele is in COVID isolation.  In place Dominic has a series of hints on how we as pastors can best conduct ourselves on social media. 1. You are not a private Christian you are a leader.  Set an example for the believers in speech, conduct, in love, in faith and in purity 1 Timothy 4:122. Shine like stars in a crooked and depraved medium Philippans 2:153. Be aware that unbelievers and believers are lurking/watching your posts and comments. Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders. Colossians 4:54. Face to face is best. 1 Thessalonians 3:65. Have generally outsider focused material on your website and facebook page.  Internal communication and internal Christian debates in Facebook groups.  6. Beware of the expectations and dangers of the medium you are operating in. 7. Recognise that while you may be a public Christian other people are not. http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/would-jesus-like-meThe Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

‘Do not be anxious about anything’ says the Apostle Paul.  But Paul Grimmond says saying that to an anxious person is a bit like telling an ice-cream not to melt in summer. Unproductive and pointless. So, how do we think and speak biblically about anxiety to others while taking on board other factors in a person's life? How might we see anxiety as a gift? What does the interplay between mind and body look like? How does sin contribute to anxiety? Is there a place for counseling? How does self talk impact one's anxiety? Paul Grimmond’s new book ‘When the noise won’t stop: A Christian guide to dealing with anxiety’.To purchase a copy: https://bit.ly/3y2FULLThe Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

‘You be you.’ It’s the catch cry of a generation. But Brian Rosner says it’s also the new definition of sin.Many people today believe that there’s only one place to look to find yourself and that’s inward.Personal identity has become a ‘Do it yourself Project’. This strategy of identity formation is sometimes called Expressive Individualism. The view that you are who you feel yourself to be on the inside, and that acting in accordance with this identity is living authentically. The Principal of Melbourne’s Ridley Theological College Brian Rosner has super helpful critique in his new book, ‘How to find yourself: Why looking inwards is not the answer.’Dr Rosner joins us this week on The Pastor’s Heart.To purchase: https://bit.ly/3xHOAXuThe Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

Archie Poulos has spent the last few years working on a PHD analysing the 10 key roles of a minister, and how we are going at each of them. He’s spoken to 312 clery across sydney and analysed their responses. One key weakness Archie identifies in Christian leaders have is a failure to partner together. He says if we don’t learn to network and work together, our organisations won’t stand the test of time. We discuss key ministry opportunities and how partnering together can help ensure more long term success, including youth and helping people transfer between Churches when they move. Archie challenges us to consider how we can work together for the good of the gospel rather than reverting to ‘subtribes’.Archie Poulos is the co-director of the Center for Ministry Development at Sydney’s Moore Theological College and he brings light to these questions in this interview.The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

Principal of Sydney’s Moore Theological College Mark Thompson has a new book ‘The doctrine of Scripture: An introduction’. Thompson talks about how we can start with Jesus in forming a view of scripture today. He addresses questions such as what is Jesus’ view of scripture, how clarity and simplicity relate, how we move from the speech of God to the written word of God, how the doctrine of the sufficiency of scripture plays out in the different stages of biblical revelation and how speech-act theory impact the issues of the inseparability of Word and Spirit, and the efficacy of Scripture. Finally, we ask him if he can give us a sixty second answer on canon formation.To purchase Mark Thompsons book and read more of his thoughts on this topic, see this link: https://bit.ly/3zllAXWThe Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

How do you find the right key person to join your ministry team? To figure this out, you may ask questions such as:What is the person’s heart for God and the gospel? What is the person’s relationship with authority? How do we recruit to a vision and strategy?What are the pitfalls of interviews? What are the first questions to ask referees? Who else to involve in the process?St Matthew’s Manly’s Senior Minister Bruce Clarke says there’s Character, Conviction and Competency, but also Chemistry, Culture and Calling. Norwest Anglican’s Pete Stedman says different churches require different capacities, and different roles within a church require different capacities. The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

Ambitions are a good thing! But how can we be ambitious about the right thing and have ones that magnify Jesus, not ourselves? How can we have ambitions driven by humility? Paul Harrington leads Trinity network of churches in Adelaide, South Australia. Having planted three new churches this year, they have grown to a network of 14 churches! Paul gave the main evening talks at last week’s Reach Australia Conference, tackling head on the failures of Christian leaders.  Paul asks what we can learn from the mistakes of Mark Driscoll, Brian Houston, Ravi Zacharius, Carl Lentz and Steve Timmis? The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

‘A perilous moment.’  - That’s how the Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel described the situation that the Anglican Church of Australia is in - after an important vote failed to win support of the nation’s bishops at the denomination’s National Synod. After being delayed twice due to COVID, the leaders of the Australian Anglican Church gathered for the first time since the marriage plebiscite.There were two statements and three motions to be debated that would have given the church clarity going forward. But whereas it was clear that there was 60% support for orthodox teaching in the Synod, the critical motion was blocked by the House of Bishops. The synod voted by houses - laity, clergy and bishops. In the laity the numbers were 63 to 47 in favourIn the clergy the numbers were 70 to 39 in favour In the house of bishops it was lost by 10 in support to 12 votes against, with two abstentions. Today on The Pastor’s Heart we are speaking first to the Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel and then to the the Gafcon Australia Bishop RIchard Condie of Tasmania and Rev Jennifer Hercott from Queensland.  The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

How do we prioritise kids ministry? What to look for in appointing a kids minister?  How do you support your kids minister to prevent burnout and work towards longevity? How to create a kids ministry that fits with the overall ministry philosophy and direction of the church? Advice on dealing with parent complaints and helping parents to value kids ministry and the time put in by kids ministers.Bruce Linton is the Children’s and Youth Director at the Church Missionary Society NSW. The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

Disappointment is a difficult topic to deal with in ministry. As humans, we tend to make mistakes and sometimes, disappointment can come at nobody's fault at all. So, how do we process the disappointment in ministry then? Personally process as leaders and processing with our people?What about when the church plant fails? Hans Kristensen planted the Resolved Church in Newtown, and six years later closed it down. Naturally, failure comes with any attempt at anything! But how do we know when to call time? And what part does ego play in all of this? Hans Kristensen is now the senior pastor of Marsfield Community Church in Sydney. Before that he was founding pastor of Resolved Newtown in Sydney and is bringing a wise word on dealing with disappointment. The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is an excellent website and app platform built specifically for churches.  Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.