The Pastor's Heart with Dominic Steele

They Lost Their Church Building — But Not Their Church.

Twenty-four years ago, Anglican minister David Short found himself at the centre of a controversy in Vancouver that would help reshape the worldwide Anglican Communion.

David was leading one of Canada's largest Anglican congregations when a dispute over same-sex blessings became a much deeper battle over biblical authority, the gospel and the future of Anglicanism.

David and his congregation eventually lost their church building. David lost his licence. The personal toll was devastating. He suffered a breakdown and spent more than two years away from full-time ministry.

But that's not where the story ends.

Today, a growing Anglican movement in Canada is training a new generation of gospel ministers, with consequences reaching far beyond Canada.

After 33 years of ministry in Vancouver, David Short reflects on the cost of standing firm, the unexpected fruit of suffering and what the future holds for orthodox Anglicanism.

What does it cost to stand firm for the gospel? And what has God done through that costly stand?

To watch or listen to Bible Teaching from Dominic Steele at Village Church Annandale Sydney goto this link.

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Evangelicals have gained ground in the Church of England's General Synod elections. But so have the revisionists. The middle ground has shrunk and the battle over marriage, biblical authority and the future of the Church of England is more polarised than before.

And now there's a significant disagreement among evangelicals themselves. Should orthodox Anglicans further break fellowship bishops who have departed from biblical teaching?

We discuss William Taylor's challenge, alternative ordinations, the prospect of a parallel province and ask whether the new Archbishop of Canterbury will meet with the leaders of the Alliance or try to ‘kick the can down the road.’

Vaughan Roberts and John Dunnett say the orthodox Alliance in the Church of England is stronger than ever, but the present situation is unsustainable.

To watch or listen to Bible Teaching from Dominic Steele at Village Church Annandale Sydney goto this link.

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They said a Bible-believing church would never grow in Sydney's secular heartland.

But 15 years after planting Vine Church in Surry Hills with just 12 adults, Toby Neal leads a church community of 380, with over 160 professions of faith.

Yet the journey has been anything but smooth — hostile media coverage, a controversial merger and a church that suddenly stopped growing.

Senior Pastor & planter Toby Neal says the most confronting discovery was that he himself had become the barrier to further growth — so what went wrong and how did he need to change?

To watch or listen to Bible Teaching from Dominic Steele at Village Church Annandale Sydney goto this link.

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Where is the need for the gospel greatest – and should that change where we send missionaries?

We often make mission decisions around personal connections, available opportunities, language skills or where churches already have established partnerships. But Tim Silberman says we need to take a harder, more objective look at gospel need.

Tim Silberman, Lecturer in Missions at Sydney Missionary & Bible College, says there are several important questions: How many people are non-Christian? How many have meaningful access to the gospel? Where are the least-reached people groups? And how strong is the local church?

The numbers are confronting. Around 2.2 billion people remain unevangelised.

To watch or listen to Bible Teaching from Dominic Steele at Village Church Annandale Sydney goto this link.

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Before your church packs another Christmas shoebox, pause to ask: who is our generosity really helping?

After more than twenty years serving with the Church Missionary Society in Cambodia, David Painter has challenging questions about Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child—and the way Western Christians support overseas mission.

Can our gifts unintentionally weaken local initiative, local giving and the churches we want to strengthen?

David Painter outlines how to assess whether our generosity is helping local churches flourish.

See also The Other Cheek

To watch or listen to Bible Teaching from Dominic Steele at Village Church Annandale Sydney goto this link.

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What happens when someone has been hurt in a Christian organisation, and the person they need to complain about has authority over them?

Does Christian conflict resolution sometimes assume an equality that simply isn’t there? What changes when the other person is your senior pastor, CEO, bishop or ministry boss — someone who holds not only organisational authority, but perhaps pastoral and spiritual authority as well?

So why is saying “I’m sorry” so difficult? Why do organisations become defensive? Can fear of legal liability or reputational damage cause us to respond legally rather than pastorally? And can refusing to apologise ultimately cause more damage than the original mistake?

Jenni Woodhouse says Christian leaders and organisations can be far too reluctant to apologise.

For more than a decade Jenni served as chaplain to the Sydney Anglican Professional Standards Unit.

To watch or listen to Bible Teaching from Dominic Steele at Village Church Annandale Sydney goto this link.

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How might we better (as pastors) better come alongside victims of domestic abuse? 

Abuse in Christian marriage is easy to miss—and even easier to minimise. 

How can pastors recognise what is happening behind closed doors and help our churches become places of refuge for the oppressed?

Counsellor and author Darby Strickland joins us to discuss domestic abuse, the entitlement that drives it, and the patterns of control that can be hidden beneath an appearance of Christian respectability.

Darby Strickland is a counsellor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF), and author of Is It Abuse? A Biblical Guide to Identifying Domestic Abuse and Helping Victims.

We explore how to listen carefully and ask better questions.

We consider how Christ’s sacrificial love shapes our care for those living with oppression and fear.

Also see:

Caring pastorally for domestic abuse victims — Jenni Woodhouse

Features a survivor’s story, with Jenni reviewing Dominic’s pastoral response and discussing what pastors can learn.

Abuse in the marriages of ministry leaders — Jenni Woodhouse

Explores the added pressures when a victim’s home, income and church community are tied to their spouse’s ministry.

Telling the difference between Domestic Violence and Dysfunctional Relationship? — Magdalena Liem

Looks at recognising abuse and responding pastorally to victims and those accused of perpetrating it.

Coercive control in Christian families and the impact on children — Jenni Woodhouse

Discusses the impact on children and how church leaders can recognise and respond to coercive control.

To watch or listen to Bible Teaching from Dominic Steele at Village Church Annandale Sydney goto this link.

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Why do some church teams emerge from disagreement stronger, while others fracture, divide or quietly drift apart?

We expect opposition to the gospel and theological disagreement. What we’re often far less prepared for is tension within our own ministry teams. When ordinary disagreements become personal, motives are questioned and relationships begin to rupture.

Tim Dyer has spent years helping churches and ministry leaders navigate conflict. He says church teams can be simultaneously conflict-prone/averse and process-poor, which can lead to a “high fire danger rating”.

So how do we build ministry teams that are genuinely conflict-capable? And how do we stop a disagreement becoming a relational rupture?

To watch or listen to Bible Teaching from Dominic Steele at Village Church Annandale Sydney goto this link.

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Consent, Bodies and Belonging: Ministering to Young People with Disability.

In every church's orbit are young people with intellectual disability, whether in the pews, in youth group, or in a family that stopped coming because it got too hard.

The Australian Disability Royal Commission found people with disability are twice as likely to face abuse and exploitation. Are our churches actually safe, welcoming places?

Accessibility Ministry Advisor at Sydney Anglican Youthworks Bec Baines speaks about consent, capacity, bodies and belonging, and how to disciple young people with intellectual disability.

Living Hope Anglican Accessibility Guide

To watch or listen to Bible Teaching from Dominic Steele at Village Church Annandale Sydney goto this link.

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After a decade of decline, Sydney Anglican church attendance has grown by more than 20% in just three years. This is now higher than at any point since 2013.

But underneath the encouraging headline, the picture is uneven. Larger churches have grown fastest. Around 13% of churches reached an approximate proxy for the report’s 5% conversion target.

Plus, a significant group of churches remain in long-term decline.

So what’s driving the turnaround? Are people actually coming to faith in Jesus? Or are Christians moving between churches? And why are churches with stronger children’s and youth ministries growing faster?

Craig Roberts, CEO of Anglican Youthworks and chair of the committee behind the new Sydney Anglican attendance report, says there’s much to thank God for, but there’s also some challenging numbers, as Sydney Anglicans pursue the ambitious goal of 5% annual attendance growth through people coming to faith in Jesus.

To watch or listen to Bible Teaching from Dominic Steele at Village Church Annandale Sydney goto this link.

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