Reach Australia Podcast
By Reach Australia
Listen to great interviews from church leaders across the country, plus get all our talks and seminars from Reach Australia Conferences.
Also check out our shorter podcast The One Thing – designed to give you one solid, practical tip for gospel-centred ministry, every week.
Reach Australia PodcastApr 30, 2020
26.3 Wrestling With Working Hard and Resting Hard for Gospel Workers (Andrew Heard) | Conversations about Growth and Change
Work hard, play hard? Is that what we are supposed to be doing?
Andrew Heard has a new book out challenging us to think about how we should think about growth and change. Here is the third of four conversations about some of the things that didn't make it to the book.
Growth and Change is available from Matthias Media.
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.
26.4 It’s Not About the Five Ms (Andrew Heard) | Conversations about Growth and Change
There has been a myth about Reach Australia that church ministry is about instituting the 5 M structure of church. Andrew goes through what we are really about:
Clarity is King
Be Faithful in Inputs
Take Responsibility for Outputs
Break down the Big Things
Understand the Ecosystem
Andrew Heard has a new book out challenging us to think about how we should think about growth and change. Here is the last of four conversations about some of the things that didn't make it to the book.
Growth and Change is available from Matthias Media.
The Reach Australia Framework ebook is also a great resource.
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.
26.2 Why Working With Numbers and People Is Loving (Andrew Heard) | Conversations about Growth and Change
Numbers! Is it really unloving to count and measure ministry? Andrew Heard has a new book out challenging us to think about how we should think about growth and change. Here is the second of four conversations about some of the things that didn't make it to the book.
Growth and Change is available from Matthias Media.
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.
26.1 Hard Things We Need to Hear about Growth and Change (Andrew Heard) | Conversations about Growth and Change
What are the hard things we need to hear? Andrew Heard spent seven years working on this new book, challenging us to think about how we should think about growth and change. Here is the first of four conversations about some of the things that didn't make it to the book.
Growth and Change is available from Matthias Media.
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.
25.3: Affected by Floods and Gospel Community Ministry (Stew Playsted Southern Cross Presbyterian Church, Lismore)
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.
25.2: The Challenges of Ministry in a Tourist Town and The Commitment and Cost of Training Church Planters (Chris Ekins from Coast Evangelical Church, Forster)
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:
If you are interested in planting in Kemsey, email us (resources@reachaustralia.com.au) and start with our Assessment Tool
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.
25.1 Transitioning Roles to Church Plant, Stepping into a Senior Role, Change Management in Churches (Ben Ho from Centenary Church and Steve Tran from St. Lucia Evangelical Church)
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
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.
24.12 Passionate Hearts for God: Crafting Services to Serve and Shape a Loving Community (Andrew Hayes, Charles Cleworth and Liv Chapman) | Workshop | 2023 Reach Australia National Conference
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
Point Out Process from EV church
24.11 The Noble Call of the Pastor (Phil Colgan) | Plenary Talk | 2023 Reach Australia National Conference
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
24.10 How Do I Keep Going In Ministry? (Des Smith) | Plenary Talk | 2023 Reach Australia National Conference
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
24.9 Community and Mission from the Book of Acts (Greg Lee) | Plenary Talk | 2023 Reach Australia National Conference
Greg Lee from Hunter Bible Church speaks on Acts and the role of mission in community
SHOW NOTES:
Mission ebook by Dave Jensen
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
24.8 Family Systems View On Care: Reciprocity and Responsibility (Lauren Errington) | Workshop | 2023 Reach Australia National Conference
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)
24.7 Caring For Your Flock: A Practical Guide To Organising Church Care (Sally Sims and Caroline Litchfield) | Workshop | 2023 Reach Australia National Conference
Sally Sims (Care Ministry Coordinator) and Caroline Litchfield (Membership Director) for St Ives Christchurch in Sydney explain their approach for setting up systems for pastoral care through a church setting
SHOW NOTES:
Together Through the Storm by Sally Sims
Community Plenary (Episodes 24.4 and 24.5)
Letters to Emma, by Lee Carter (a book about grief and care)
24.6 Enduring in Hardship for the Sake of the Gospel (Andrew Heard) | Plenary Talk | 2023 Reach Australia National Conference
Andrew Heard seeks to encourage your heart in serving God through difficult times.
24.5 Culture, Key Principles (Connection, Care, Community) & Ecosystem (Tim Clemens) from the Reach Australia National Conference 2023
24.4 The Glory and Struggle of Church (Karl Deenick) | 2023 National Conference
24.3 Better Together in Mission (Rory Shiner) | Talk 3 out of 3 | 2023 National Conference
24.2 Better Together in Church (Rory Shiner) | Talk 2 out of 3 | 2023 National Conference
Rory Shiner, from Providence Church in WA, talks us through the theme of church in the book of Colossians.
24.1 Better Together with Christ (Rory Shiner) | Talk 1 out of 3 | 2023 National Conference
Rory Shiner, of Providence Church in WA, takes us through the majesty of the Son in Colossians 1:15-20
23.3 Reaching Muslim Australians (Samuel Green)
Reaching Islamic Australians with the gospel of Jesus has its own nuances and specifics.
Samuel Green
23.2 Reaching Vietnamese Australians (Nam Doan)
Available as video on the Reach Australia youtube.
reachaustralia.com.au
23.1 Reaching Hindu Australians (Jeri Jones Sparks)
Available as video on the Reach Australia youtube page.
18th August 2023 Satya Conference, Sydney book here.
Special: Shepherd Leadership (Scott Curtis)
0:23 Introduction
1:03 God is shepherd
5:21 People are shepherds
9:26 Bad shepherds
12:00 Hope for shepherding
13:18 Shepherding in the New Testament
17:53 6 reflections
22.5 Mission Audiobook (Dave Jensen)
Read by Josie Seto.
To get the written resource, go to reachaustralia.com.au/mission.
22.4 Pastoring is Leadership Audiobook (Andrew Heard)
A reading of Andrew Heard's ebook 'Pastoring is Leadership'. This is one half of the ebook 'On Leadership'. The other part was written by Tony Payne.
To get the full written ebook, click here.
Read by Josie Seto.
22.3 Pastoring is Taking Heed Audiobook (Tony Payne)
A reading of Tony Payne's ebook 'Pastoring is Taking Heed'. This is one half of the ebook 'On Leadership'. The other part was written by Andrew Heard.
To get the full written ebook, click here.
Read by Tony Payne.
22.2 The Reach Australia Framework Audiobook
A reading of the Reach Australia Framework ebook.
Read the text of this audiobook.
Read by Lisa Truong.
22.1 Our First Audiobook (Serving Others)
A reading of the Reach Australia audiobook released at the 2022 National Conference: Serving Others.
Read the text of this audiobook.
Read by Josie Seto.
21.6 Awareness and Connection Events (Dave Jensen, Jo Clark, Dave Robertson)
Last episode in the mission series.
Accompanying written resource by Dave Jensen: reachaustralia.com.au/mission/
The 3 conversions
1) Non-Christian to disciple
2) Christian to evangelism
3) Ineffective evangelistic strategy to effective missional pathways
21.5 Follow Up to the Conversion Engine (Dave Jensen, Jo Clarke, Dave Robertson)
What do you offer after someone finishes the conversion engine?
Accompanying written resource by Dave Jensen: reachaustralia.com.au/mission/
The 3 conversions
1) Non-Christian to disciple
2) Christian to evangelism
3) Ineffective evangelistic strategy to effective missional pathways
21.4 Conversion Engine (Dave Jensen, Jo Clark, Dave Robertson)
Focussing on the 'conversion' stage of the mission funnel.
Accompanying written resource by Dave Jensen: reachaustralia.com.au/mission/
The 3 conversions
1) Non-Christian to disciple
2) Christian to evangelism
3) Ineffective evangelistic strategy to effective missional pathways
21.3 Competence and Connections (Dave Jensen, Jo Clark, Dave Robertson)
Build evangelistic competence and connections for your church.
Accompanying written resource by Dave Jensen: reachaustralia.com.au/mission/
The 3 conversions
1) Non-Christian to disciple
2) Christian to evangelism
3) Ineffective evangelistic strategy to effective missional pathways
21.2 Conviction and Confidence: Banging the Mission Drum (Dave Jensen, Jo Clark, Dave Robertson)
Build missional conviction and confidence in your church.
Accompanying written resource by Dave Jensen: reachaustralia.com.au/mission/
The 3 conversions
1) Non-Christian to disciple
2) Christian to evangelism
3) Ineffective evangelistic strategy to effective missional pathways
21.1 New Mission Season (Dave Jensen, Jo Clark, Dave Robertson)
New season focussing on mission in your church.
Accompanying written resource by Dave Jensen: reachaustralia.com.au/mission/
The 3 conversions
1) Non-Christian to disciple
2) Christian to evangelism
3) Ineffective evangelistic strategy to effective missional pathways
How's Mission Going in your Church? (A New Series with Dave Jensen)
New Season on Mission: Dave Jensen with Jo Clark and Dave Robertson
Accompanying written resource by Dave Jensen: reachaustralia.com.au/mission/
20.5 Al Stewart on Preaching (Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches)
Guest: Al Stewart from FIEC. Hosted by Gary Eastment.
The full sermon, played as a clip in this podcast, is here.
reachaustralia.com.au
20.4 Adam Ch'ng on Preaching (Melbourne)
Guest: Adam Ch'ng from Cross and Crown Melbourne. Hosted by Gary Eastment.
The full sermon, played as a clip in this podcast, is here.
reachaustralia.com.au
20.3 Phil Colgan on Preaching (Sydney)
Guest: Phil Colgan from St George North Anglican Churches. Hosted by Gary Eastment.
The full sermon, played as a clip in this podcast, is here.
reachaustralia.com.au
20.2 Des Smith on Preaching (Adelaide)
Guest: Des Smith from Holy Trinity Adelaide. Hosted by Gary Eastment.
The full sermon, played as a clip in this podcast, is here.
reachaustralia.com.au
20.1 Rory Shiner on Preaching (Perth)
New series: the art and craft of preaching. Guest: Rory Shiner from Providence Church in Perth. Hosted by Gary Eastment.
reachaustralia.com.au
Want to Preach Better? (Season 20 Trailer)
New Season On Preaching: Gary Eastment with Al Stewart, Adam Ch'ng, Des Smith, Phil Colgan, Rory Shiner
Special: Young Leaders (Paul Young, Perth and Jayesh Naran, Brisbane)
A young church planter and a young church re-vitaliser speak with Scott Sanders.
Paul's church is Providence Bayswater.
Jayesh's church is Ithaca Presbyterian.
19.3 Principles and Ideas for Church Apprenticeships (Rhett Harris)
3 year apprenticeships? Apprenticeships for retirees? Rhett Harris joins Scott Sanders on the Reach Australia podcast.
19.2 Myths About Church Apprenticeships (James Hoey and Ben Pfahlert)
Part 2 of our series on apprenticeships in the church.
James Hoey is the MTS Victoria Partnership Developer.
Ben Pfahlert is the national director of MTS.
mts.com.au
MTS 2026: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://mts.com.au/wp-content/uploads/MTSTowards2026v3electronic-spread-Copy.pdf
6 steps: https://mts.com.au/for-trainers/training-resources/
19.1 Church Apprenticeships (MTS - Ben Pfahlert)
Part 1 of our series on apprenticeships in the church. Ben Pfahlert is the national director of MTS.
mts.com.au
MTS 2026: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://mts.com.au/wp-content/uploads/MTSTowards2026v3electronic-spread-Copy.pdf
6 steps: https://mts.com.au/for-trainers/training-resources/
18.9 Transformed by the Gospel; Mobilised for Ministry Romans 12:1–8 (Andrew Reid Part 2)
Recorded at the 2022 Reach Australia Conference: Andrew Reid opens the Word of Romans to encourage us to be mobilised for ministry.
18.8 Wolves, Sheep and Good Shepherds: 1 Peter 5 (Andrew Reid Part 1)
Recorded at the 2022 Reach Australia Conference: Andrew Reid expands on good pastoral ministry in church from the letter of 1 Peter.
18.7 The Church We Want to Build: Hebrews 9 (Phil Colgan)
Recorded at the 2022 Reach Australia Conference: Phil Colgan's final talk opens up the Word to help stir our hearts to serve the Lord our God with all we have.
18.6 Making Change (Andrew Heard)
Recorded at the 2022 Reach Australia Conference: Andrew Heard (Lead Pastor at EV church) discusses the need to make change.
18.5 Leading A Church Towards Serving Others (Grahame Fuller Part 2)
Recorded at the 2022 Reach Australia Conference: Grahame Fuller (Pastor at EV church) breaks down the structure of how churches can grow towards leading and serving others. This is Part 2.
Talk slides here: https://reachaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Grahame-Fuller-Part-2-Slides-2.pdf