Darryl 2013
new logo 2013


Christian Writers and Commentators are busy interpreting the times and offering churches and leaders hope and hints for the future
1. Current Pressure on Leaders: Two articles.
See
Finding a Pastors State of Mind from Christianity Today (American).
This is a sensitive, brilliant article reflecting the journey of a pastor from distress to faith.
Two Excerpts:
“…I’m wondering to myself what will become of my church and the thousands of other churches around the country, different sizes, different circumstances, different finances.”
“I believe God is birthing something new. Once the coronavirus dissipates and society returns to its daily routines we will have a deeper, thicker church. It may not look the same as before. It may be less impressive in the eyes of the flesh. But this renewed church will be rich in the life of the Kingdom. In ways we never could have imagined prior to COVID-19, this renewed church will witness to the rule and reign of Jesus Christ, the hope of the world. I pray it be so, Amen!”
Kurt W. Bubna from Jesus Creed applies the shepherd model to the current world we find ourselves in.
An excerpt:
Since the pandemic of Covid-19 began, your pastor has probably never worked so hard, prayed so long, or felt your pain more than now. He or she is doing their absolute best to provide you a plethora of opportunities to better connect you with God and others. Pastors know that if a person gets isolated, they get vulnerable to all sorts of evil. We don’t want you just to survive this challenging time; we want you to grow and thrive spiritually in the midst of it all.
2. There will be losses: Two articles.
This item encourages us to take a look at our Real Estate
Your Church is now a Blank Slate by Thom S Rainer. This is a strong realistic challenge to change or fail.
An excerpt:
You will never get to return to your church.
Let me be clearer. When you return to gather for worship and fellowship and study, it will not be the same church before the coronavirus pandemic.
The world will never be the same. And neither will your church.
Many, if not most, of our churches are struggling and hurting. Some will not make it. The situation is bleak for many congregations.
3. There will be Gains: Four articles. (The first three are from the Australian Eternity News)
“Now, with most churches back on the bike and travelling along at a reasonable pace, there seems to be more space for reflection. What has changed? Is it good or bad? And is there anything good that’s come from the Australian Church being forced to fix what wasn’t broke?”
“People who, by their own admission, would “never set foot inside a church” were invited to peek inside – and they did.”
Murray Noble says the experience of house churches in countries where Christians are persecuted shows that faith always grows in times of hardship and isolation. Open Doors believes Christian groups in Australia and New Zealand have so much to learn from persecuted churches around the world that it has created a hub of relevant resources, 
House Church
.
Thirty one per cent of Australians who state they have ‘no religion’ told researchers they would search online to find out more about faith or religion.
The figure is slightly higher for young ‘no religion’: 36 per cent of 18-34 year olds would also search online to explore the subject of faith further.
“We’ve had 348 Churches register Alpha Online courses since we launched in March 2020 – and 15 per cent of these are churches that have never run Alpha before,” Emily Papas from Alpha Australia tells Eternity.
“City on a Hill based in Melbourne (who had not run Alpha before) launched Alpha Online on April 20 in multiple locations across Australia.
“They have had an average attendance of 220 each week.”
(American article from Carey Nieuwhof.
Main points:
There is a big spike in digital curiosity
People see digital as real
Digital Church has a much lower barrier to participation
Online Church scales* in a way physical church simply can’t
Financial Investment for digital ministry is lower than for physical ministry
scales* An example:
YouVersion
, which launched as an idea a decade ago, has over 400 million installs and is run by a team at a local church. It’s about the ratio of results per effort
Don’t Miss our next Ministers Together Zoom this Wednesday, on the 13th of May, 4:00-5:00 pm. This meeting is open to all ministers in the Illawarra who are passionate about unifying as one body to practically meet the needs of our region.
In this Ministers Together meeting, we would like to hear and encourage one another as the Body of Christ here in the Illawarra.
On Wednesday, Hengki is going to bring up a simple initiative (called “Hey Neighbour!”)  to reach out to our communities together. 
If you have any particular topics or needs that you would like to discuss, please let us know by Tuesday 5pm on
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Further info:
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 603-803-5400
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Blessings, Darryl