Years and years of putting your feet up is the lifestyle of the sluggard.To be a sluggard is a so called ‘deadly sin.’The concept we now know as retirement is a 19th century invention and not a Christian concept.Former Missionary, Bible College lecturer and principal Mike Raiter says the idea that we should stop work at 65 and enjoy 20 or 30 years of rest is not biblical.How should we think about the stage of life that starts at 65.  What are the ministry opportunities available? What are the sins and temptations that the over 65’s are prone to?And how can younger pastors speak to those who are older?http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/growing-old-mike-raiterThe 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.

It’s going to be an especially bumpy six months for religious freedom issues in New South Wales..Legalised Euthanasia will be rolled out in just a few weeks. But what about faith based aged care institutions, where organizations and staff are conscientious objectors to euthanasia? Then there’s the Law Reform Commission inquiry into religious schooling and whether the religious exemptions to anti discrimination law should be removed. And the debate over conversion therapy will come to a head in the parliament. Monica Doumit is Director of Public Affairs and Engagement for the Catholic Church in Sydney… and was one of the presenters at the Freedom for Faith Conference in Sydney. Mike Southon is executive director of Freedom for Faith http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/euthanasia-discrimination-conversion 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.

Andrew Heard discusses the decline in church attendance and drop in newcomers in Sydney Anglicans, offering insights applicable globally. Topics include evaluating ministry effectiveness, addressing heart issues for successful outcomes, balancing decentralized decision-making, setting targets for church missions, and navigating challenges in church leadership.

Rolling out the Global Anglican rescue - with Archbishop Justin Badi Arama Nicky Gumbel teams up with the Global South in rebuking Archbishop Justin WelbySlowly, carefully, but quite deliberately, a new locus of leadership is emerging within the global Anglican Communion, a locus that significantly is intentionally focused on Christ and biblical authority and not focused on London, England or the Archbishop of Canterbury. An important meeting of the Primates of the Global South and other leader of the Anglican Community has just wrapped up in Cairo. Significantly and surprisingly the 13 orthodox Primates were joined at their meeting by Nicky Gumbel, the pioneer of the Alpha Course and London’s Holy Trinity Brompton’s massive UK church planting network. Nicky Gumbel has been a friend of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby since high school. Chair of the Global South Archbishop Justin Badi Arama spells out the plans to reset the Anglican Communion, coming out of the Cairo meeting.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.

Award-winning author Chris Watkin discusses the evolution of identity from Descartes to today's commodity view. He explores the delicate balance between dignity and humility in shaping personal identity, contrasting societal pressures with biblical perspectives.

Our focus today is on the massive legacy of some of the greatest women of church history.  We discuss how different the Jesus’ mother Mary (as portrayed in the New Testament) is to Mary as she’s popularly thought of.  We focus on the account of one of the early martyrs, 22 year old mother Perpetua, who was fed to the lions.  We look at England’s nine day queen Lady Jane Grey and her mentoring by the Swiss Protestant reformer Heinrich Bullinger.  Then there’s the extraordinary story of Salvation Army co-founder Catherine Booth’s campaign to have the age of consent raised in England from 12 to the eventual age of 16.  And Gladys Alward’s 350 kilometer trek across the mountains of China with 100 orphan children.Click here to purchase Ten dead gals you should know by Rachel Ciano and Ian MaddoxSupport the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

Whether we are the senior pastor, theological college lecturer, missionary, student worker, Christian publisher, or denominational leader - we all work within an evangelical ecosystem.And it’s possible for us to make it harder or easier for our ministry peers to play their part in glorifying God. Mikey Lynch’s new book The Vine Movement, published by Matthias Media (https://bit.ly/vinemovement), explores how churches, missionary organisations, evangelical student ministries, chaplains and denominations can all work together best.Mikey Lynch is a director of Reach Australia, leads the AFES staff team at the University in Hobart and is the editorial director for Gospel Coalition Australia. Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

Raj Gupta and Zac Veron discuss the challenges and declining trends facing Sydney Anglicans, including attendance, financing, and mission. They analyze the gap between declining attendance and Sydney's growing population, explore the difficulty of strategic planning, and address the trend of people moving to larger churches. They emphasize the importance of engagement, effective evangelism, and focusing on children and youth ministry amidst the aging population.

Social Justice is a fiercely contested concept among Christians. Often discussions about caring for the poor have not been grounded in a biblical vision for gospel ministry.. Evangelicals have been criticized for appearing to be weak on social justice. The charge is that we have been so focused on gospel ministry that the poor and disadvantaged have been neglected. How does caring for the poor fit with the mission of Jesus church? Tim Swan is the CEO of Sydney’s Anglican Aid, which hosted an important conference last weekend ‘Reframing Social Justice.’  Ed Loane is Warden at St Paul’s College in Sydney and lectures in Church History part time at Moore Theological College.Berthier Lainirina is Principal of St Patrick’s Theological College MadagascarSupport the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

We send out missionaries.  But sometimes it doesn’t work out.  There’s a forced return home.  Dashed hopes.  And all sorts of understanding and support - from the mission agency, supporter churches, pastor friends and others.Stan and Clare Lie were serving with the Church Missionary Society, lecturing in theology in the middle east, and serving with a church in Alexandria, before being called home during COVID. Jenni Woodhouse is pastoral care consultant with the Church Missionary Society.Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.