The One Thing

Church management systems are increasingly becoming an essential part modern church ministry. Gavin Courtney discusses common mistakes in implementing systems like Church Suite, their limitations, and the future of church management technology.

TOOL BOX:

TOT 343 The Great Name Tag Debate

TOT 344 Does Australia Need Another Church Management

Church Suite Australia

CREDITS:

This episode was brought to you by Church Suite

The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠

To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠

For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Support Reach Australia's online library

Working out what sort of team you are is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team.

Three types of teams:

• Shark tank - competitive teams
• Petting zoo - too nice
• Mediocracy - nothing happens

Working out what sort of team you have

• New people
• Conflict
• Reflecting on change and conflict as a team

What sort of team do you have?



TOOLBOX:

Harvard Business Review allows a limited number of articles to be downloaded for free.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Silos, Politics and Turf Wars by Patrick Lencioni

The Politics of Ministry by Burns, Chapman and Guthrie

Polarization and the Healthier Church by Ronald Richardson



CREDITS:
This episode was brought to you by the Team Development Program

The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠

To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠

For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Support Reach Australia's online library

Derek and Pete talk with Paul Harrington at the new church planting campus of the Reach Australia National Conference 2025.  Multisite is an important concept in church planting and they dig into the concept and application for the Trinity Network in Adelaide.  

TOOL BOX:

Church Planter Questionnaire

Why Plant Churches

CREDITS:

This episode was brought to you by Kidswise Masterclass

The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠

To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠

For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Support Reach Australia's online library

Matt Gorton and Scruff chat about common mistakes in kids' ministry:

• Assuming biblical knowledge
• Using Christian jargon without explanation
• Lack of visual engagement
• Trying to teach too much at once
• Neglecting dramatic conflict

Matt Gorton is the Creative Director of Quiz Worx, an organisation focused on sharing Jesus with kids, primarily through live puppet shows in schools.

Their approach deliberately fills a gap, doing things most local churches can’t—like extensive show preparation, high-level puppetry, and engaging storytelling with theological depth.

Puppets like Scruff play a crucial role by creating dramatic tension, challenging the human presenter, and asking the tough or silly questions kids might be too shy to ask. This keeps shows engaging and relatable while allowing clear gospel communication.

TOOL BOX:

Quiz Worx

CREDITS:
This episode was brought to you by  Kidswise Masterclass

The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠

To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠

For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Support Reach Australia's online library

Kids' ministry burns out leaders faster than most church roles, and the trend is spiking. Sandy Galea shares her real-life struggle as a children's ministry director, as well as her observations as someone who oversees many people who work in this area. Why does it happen?

• The mismatch of expectations and the actual job description of a kids' minister
• The mismatch of the resources needed (especially time) and the actual resources needed to run a ministry
• The danger of not seeing kids' ministry as a legitimate ministry and career for those who work in it
• The importance of discipling the discipler of kids in your ministry

Sandy Galea is the direction of Kidswise, a ministry that seeks to support local churches in the discipleship of kids.

TOOLBOX:

The Surprising Grief in Kids' Ministry (TGC Article)

Slower Deeper Wiser

TOT 190 Burnout Part 1

TOT 191 Burnout Part 2

TOT 192 Burnout Part 3

TOT 193 Burnout Part 4


Kidswise Equip (live online training) For: parents, volunteers, kids ministry directors

Kidswise Academy (individual or group training options) For: parents, volunteers, kids ministry directors, ministry team leaders

Kidswise Masterclass (10 classes over 10 months) how to lead a kids ministry that grows in depth and reach without burning out .

Kidswise Consult For: individual or staff team - kids ministry directors, staff teams.

CREDITS:

This episode was brought to you by Kidswise Masterclass

The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠

To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠.

For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Perceptions shape a ministry’s effectiveness. For kids ministry, we’re exploring Bible-based views to reinforce it and tackling harmful misconceptions.

• What are some of the ministry pressures that kids ministry faces?
• How pressures effect the perception and effectiveness of kids ministry
• How it should be seen through a biblical lens
• Decisions that leaders can make that will help or sabotage the perception of kids ministry

Sandy Galea is the direction of Kidswise, a ministry that seeks to support local churches in the discipleship of kids.

TOOLBOX:

Growing an Effective Kids Ministry (Seminar)

Missional Kids Ministry (Interview)

Kidswise Equip (live online training)  For: parents, volunteers, kids ministry directors

Kidswise Academy (individual or group training options) For: parents, volunteers, kids ministry directors, ministry team leaders

Kidswise Masterclass  (10 classes over 10 months) how to lead a kids ministry that grows in depth and reach without burning out .

Kidswise Consult  For: individual or staff team - kids ministry directors, staff teams.

CREDITS:

This episode was brought to you by Kidswise Academy

The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠

To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠.

For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Raising issues with your leader or your team can be tough—too many ideas may overwhelm, confuse or burden them unnecessarily, or it might intimidate you. Russ Smidt from MTS created a tool to help you present problems to your leader or team effectively.

1. What's the issue? How do you get this down to a sentence
2. What's the options? why are options important?
3. What's your recommendation?
4. What's the concrete next step?

• How do you get the issue down to a sentence?
• Why are the options important?
• Why does it need to be a paper and not merely a conversation?
• The potential dangers
• Who needs to be one who writes it
• What is the difference between this and coaching tools?

Russ is the Director of Training with the Ministry Training Strategy

TOOLBOX:

The Ministry Training Strategy

Reach Australia Coaching

Example Work Paper (to come)

CREDITS:
This episode was brought to you by ChurchSuite

The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠

To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠.

For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

As Christians, we want everyone to understand our message about God, but language barriers can hinder fellowship. Sunflower, an AI tool, helps churches bridge this gap by enabling non-native English speakers to follow services and conferences with ease.

Chuhoa Liu is one of the co-founders of Sunflower.

• What does it do?
• How fast is it?
• What do you need to set it up?
• Dealing with theological and specialist terms

TOOL BOX:

Sunflowerai website

The Culture Map by Erin Meyer

CREDITS:

This episode was brought to you by the VCA

The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠

To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠.

For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Lighthouse Church, located on the mid-central coast of NSW, has significantly increased its mission effectiveness.

A key measure of this success is the ratio of individuals professing faith as a percentage of average weekly attendance.

In just three years, Lighthouse has doubled this figure, rising from 4% to 8%.

• What are they measuring?
• What are they focussed on?
• How do they manage distractions?
• How are they keeping their church fired up for evangelism?

Jeremy Kidd has done an apprenticeship at Lighthouse Church. He's currently the mission pastor as he continues theological study.

TOOL BOX:

Lighthouse Church

TOT 394 Social Media for Church Teams Who Don’t Like Social Media (Liz Fong)

TOT 395 Gaps and Missed Opportunities: Mission Planning Fails (Dave Jensen)

TOT 396 Mapping out Mission: How to Plan your Church’s Mission Calendar (Dave Jensen)

Mission ebook

CREDITS:

This episode was brought to you by the Leadership Development Program

The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠

To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠.

For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Building an effective church mission calendar is like conducting an orchestra—it requires careful coordination, intentional rhythm, and a deep understanding of both the individual instruments and the overall symphony of church life. The calendar is not just a logistical tool, but a strategic roadmap that keeps the main thing of mission the main thing.

There are important points and principles you need to keep in mind, including:

• Starting with the end in mind
• Identifying your two pathways and "conversions"
• What needs to be the priority?
• How to learn from others around you
• The importance of term 4 (and what to do in the other terms)
• When you know you have mission heat

Dave Jensen is the Assistant Director of ⁠Evangelism and New Churches⁠ (ENC), with a specific focus on the ‘E’ of ENC: Evangelism. His aim is to assist churches in their endeavours to see lost people find life and hope in Jesus.

TOOL BOX:
Now, Where, How diagram

Now, Where, How tool

Mission calendar example

Mission ebook

Reach Australia National Conference

CREDITS:

This episode was brought to you by EA Insurance

The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠

To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠.

For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.