In this March 2026 episode of the Exponential Australia Church Leaders Podcast, Rich and Jules share the story of planting Passion Church in Mandurah, Western Australia. They talk candidly about starting with just their family, trying the usual launch approaches, then choosing to begin regular Sunday gatherings anyway and trusting God with the pace and the people. The conversation also explores the practical support that helped them build well, including the frameworks and relational coaching they received through Harvestnet, and how that strengthened governance while still leaving room for local expression. Rich and Jules unpack how they have tried to keep a grounded culture by celebrating each season, staying thankful, and learning to love what is in their hand. Finally, they share how they identify leaders early, prioritise character, and build real pathways for development through a leadership academy that includes mentoring and hands on ministry projects.

In this episode of the Exponential Australia Church Leaders Podcast, Charlie sits down with Dave Adamson from YouVersion for a wide ranging conversation on why digital ministry is no longer a “back door” option, but one of the most important front doors for evangelism and discipleship in Australia today. Dave shares his reflections on returning home after years in the US, and what it means to lead mission in a nation that is increasingly pre Christian and, in many ways, pre trust. They unpack the significance of the Beyond a Billion milestone and what it reveals about a growing spiritual curiosity across Australia, with millions engaging Scripture through the Bible App every day. Dave offers practical insight for pastors and planters on how to activate a YouVersion Church Page, disciple people throughout the week and connect with locals who are searching long before they ever step into a church building. He also previews what is coming in 2026, including the potential to stream services within the Bible App and the opportunity for churches to better serve the real questions people are already asking. It is an energising and grounded conversation for leaders who want to reach “the one”, build trust in their communities, and move beyond reach toward genuine spiritual formation.

To kick off 2026, the Exponential Australia Church Leaders Podcast welcomes back Dave Ferguson, visionary leader of Exponential Global, for a timely conversation as we move toward our August National Gathering theme, Multiplier: It is in you. Dave shares the major leadership transition he navigated in 2025, handing the baton at Community Christian Church through an intentional apprenticeship process and stepping into his full time CEO role at Exponential. He unpacks the heartbeat behind the 16 percent mission and why church planting remains the most effective evangelistic strategy, not only for reaching people, but for human flourishing and community renewal. This episode goes deeper than strategy, confronting cultural strongholds church leaders face in the West, especially drifting into places we never intended. Dave introduces the internal gauges that protect health and integrity, and the external practices that drive genuine multiplication. He challenges leaders to shift the question from “How do I grow my church?” to the far better question: “How do we multiply God’s Kingdom?” and calls the Australian church to embrace its opportunity to set the pace for multiplication in a post Christian landscape.

In this compelling year-end episode, cultural commentator and spiritual leader Mark Sayers offers a prophetic and piercing diagnosis of the cultural strongholds gripping the Australian Church—individualism, distraction, comfort, and the idol of control. But he doesn’t stop there.As 2025 comes to a close, Mark invites leaders to see what God might be doing beneath the surface, preparing His people for a fresh move of renewal through dependency, prayer, and radical Kingdom allegiance. This episode is an urgent but hopeful call to the Church in Australia—to stop copying shallow models and start cultivating spiritual authority that can speak into a fragmented culture.It’s the perfect closing conversation for 2025: reflective, convicting, and full of possibility.💬 The Exponential Australia Church Leaders Podcast returns on Monday, February 2, 2026—with fresh voices, multiplying stories, and a deeper hunger for advancing the Kingdom across Australia.

In this vibrant and hope-filled episode of the Exponential Australia Church Leaders Podcast, Ben and Emily Higgins pull back the curtain on their unique leadership journey—stepping into the national roles of Alpha and Alpha Youth—and share what they’re seeing across the Australian Church with contagious faith and clarity.

From handing over the baton with grace, to championing innovation in evangelism and next-gen ministry, Ben and Emily speak with authenticity, wisdom, and a deep passion for the gospel. Their reflections on the power of partnership, the hunger for Jesus in young people, and the emerging signs of renewal across denominations will leave you inspired.

They also explore what it takes to grow a culture of trust, multiply leadership, and move from good intentions to real gospel impact. If you’re longing for fresh momentum in your church, and wondering what the Spirit might be doing across Australia—you’ll want to lean into this conversation.

In this powerful and refreshingly grounded conversation, Josh and Berlinda O’Callaghan (Lifehouse Church, Murray Bridge) share their journey of raising up young leaders, sending them out to plant churches, and embracing the rhythms of loss and renewal that come with multiplication. From shrinking youth ministries to church planters rising from the ranks, they unpack what it really means to invest deeply, live incarnationally, and cultivate kingdom-minded leadership in a regional context.Together we explore how planting churches in country towns isn’t a step down, but often the most catalytic move a church can make. With honesty, hope, and hard-won wisdom, Josh and Bel call us to a slower, more relational, Spirit-empowered vision for multiplying leaders and churches—where discipleship looks like training, not just trying, and where every “goodbye” makes room for another “yes” to the mission.Whether you’re leading in the suburbs, the city, or the country, this episode will stir your faith for what’s possible when we see people as Jesus does—and dare to send them.

What if the future of mission and church impact wasn’t led by celebrity voices or content creators, but by cartographers—those mapping new paths of redemptive imagination?In this episode of the Exponential Australia Church Leaders Podcast, we explore what God might be doing through business leaders, innovators, and risk-takers who carry a vision for kingdom transformation across every sphere of society. This conversation leans into the sacred tension between holy ambition and humble formation, between sustainability and spirit-led innovation, and asks what role the Church must play in creating the kind of table where entrepreneurs, pastors, and prophets can dream together.We also introduce the idea of Redemptive Ventures—a growing movement and initiative designed to activate capital, collaboration, and courage around gospel-fuelled vision.

🔗 Learn more about Redemptive Ventures: https://www.redemptive.au

What happens when leaders stop asking, “Which model wins?” and start asking, “How do multiple models work together for Kingdom impact?” In this episode, Gary Rucci unpacks the leadership shifts behind Australia’s “blended ecology” — from rows to tables, from platform to people, from building church to making disciples who make disciples. We explore hybrid expressions (large gatherings and table church), the rise of microchurches, why unity across tribes matters, and how denominations are beginning to validate smaller, contextual communities without losing necessary governance and care. Gary shares grassroots stories (running clubs, factory lunchrooms, beach gatherings), a pro-Kingdom posture that refuses “mega vs. micro,” and a practical vision for churches holding multiple models in one movement so more Australians hear the gospel. If you lead a church, a network, or a denomination, this conversation will help you rethink success and re-tool your ecosystem for multiplication.

In this compelling episode of the Exponential Australia Church Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Dianne Jarvey, National Faith Community Development Secretary for The Salvation Army Australia, to explore what it truly takes to catalyse renewal within a historic denomination.With vulnerability, wisdom, and passion, Dianne unpacks the Salvation Army’s intentional journey away from maintenance mode and back to its movemental roots — marked by innovation, inclusion, and grassroots disciple-making. From coffee carts to paddleboard churches, she shares how small, faithful experiments are weaving a powerful spiritual web across the nation.We explore the role of shock absorbers and bridge builders, the theology of innovation, and the importance of permission-giving leadership cultures. Most of all, this is a story of hope: that God is not done with the Church, and that fresh winds of the Spirit are blowing — even in the most unexpected places.Whether you’re a denominational leader, church planter, or pastor navigating change, this conversation will encourage you to dream again, unlearn, and join in what God is already doing.“Be faithful in the little things, and God will do the big things with you.” — Dianne Jarvey

In this candid conversation, James Murray names three missteps from his planting journey—and the shifts they sparked. He unpacks starting against something instead of for a Spirit-given burden, leading from comparison rather than calling, and copy-pasting models instead of discerning a context-shaped approach. James then shares the course corrections: becoming burden-driven, reframing Sundays for edification that fuels everyday mission, and adopting a healthier scorecard—baptism, obedience, endurance, and multiplication over mere attendance. It’s a practical, pastoral guide for leaders who want depth without losing mission—and who are ready to lead differently.