What will happen in churches after the third wave of COIVD as the freedoms return to Australia over the next two months? 

When vaccination rates reach 70% venues, including places of worship are likely to be reopened, and even more when the rates reach 80%.

Governments are planning more freedoms for those who are double vaccinated.  But will they impose restrictions on who can attend worship? 

Our guests are:

Akos Balogh, Executive Director of the Gospel Coalition Australia

John McClean, Acting Principal of Sydney’s Christ College (Presbyterian)

Phil Colgan, Minister of St George North Anglican Church

Are vaccine Passports a Religious Freedom Issue For Bible Believing Christians or not? And if the government doesn’t make it a requirement, how should local church leadership think through what expectations to put on staff, members and guests? 

Plus what’s our panel’s reaction to the Ezekiel Declaration? 

Further reading:

https://gsandc.org.au/a-response-to-the-ezekiel-declaration/

https://www.akosbalogh.com/blog/vaccine-passports-and-the-coercing-of-conscience-what-should-christians-think-12

https://murraycampbell.net/2021/09/01/why-we-cant-sign-the-ezekiel-declaration-an-evangelical-response/

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What are the consequences if euthanasia is legalised?  And how do we fight the issue?

Legislation is before the Queensland Parliament and is about to come to the parliament in the UK and in New South Wales to allow euthanasia. 

And laws permitting euthanasia have already been passed in Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand… there’s a bit of a sense that even if the conservatives succeed in holding out this time…  at some stage it feels like it will happen.

Euthanasia is illegal in most of the United States, although significantly it is legal in the more progressive Washington, D.C. and seven states.

Andrew Errington is Senior Minister of Newtown Erskineville Angican Church. 

Megan Best is a palliative care doctor and  associate professor with the Institute for Ethics and Society at the University of Notre Dame.

Further reading: 

https://www.case.edu.au/blogs/case-subscription-library/assisted-dying-laws-is-suffering-still-the-main-problem.

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Australia (or the west) is simultaneously post Christian, Christian and pre Christian according to Greg Sheridan, one of the most respected and influencial analysts of domestic and international politics. 

How can Christian writers and artists, or even non Christian writers and artists who think Christianity has something important and worthwhile to say, speak into the confused and hostile culture of today?

Greg started at The Australian newspaper in 1984.  And has been it’s foreign editor since 1992. 

Greg has just published: ‘Christians: The urgent case for Jesus in our world’, following on from his 2018 book ‘God is good for you: A defence of Christianity in troubled times.’ 

We talk the media, Christians in the Media, the case for Christ today, and the faith of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/greg-sheridan

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Answering your questions about a daily weekday bible study with a goal of growing your members daily bible reading habits.

http://villagechurch.sydney/dailybibletime

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How can we as pastors lead proactively out of the COVID quagmire and not just be reactive? 

What adaptive change issues are open to us?  How can we use this moment to go deeper with discipleship?  And is this the greatest moment of evangelism? 

Post COVID, will there be a sense that small is beautiful?  How can we get back to big gatherings? Should we aspire to that?  

As we are weary and anxious what can we learn from God? How do you care for your staff team? 

What does pastoral leadership on vaccination look like?

Guy Mason is senior pastor of Melbourne’s City on a Hill. They have campuses in Melbourne, Geelong, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Surf Coast and soon in Wollongong.

http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/covid-proactive-guy-mason

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What are the implications of viewing  Christ’s crucifixion, when Jesus experienced being in the wrong flesh, as BODY DYSPHORIA?

What are the implications of our bodies being created, broken and redeemed? 

Is my body me? 

Sam Allberry says for some the real me is my soul or spirit.  The body is a simply a lump of matter I am connected to.  It is the blank canvas on which I can paint my identity. For others the body is much more significant.  Much of our identity is based on what our body looks like. 

But what does God say? And what is the significance of our sex organs?

Sam is a preacher, pastor and apologist.  He’s on the staff of Immanuel Church in Nashville in the United States, but joins us on the line from the UK.

To order: What God has to say about our bodies? 

http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/bodies-allberry

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How and should Christian pastors exercise leadership in the debate over vaccination? 

What role should the church leader play in speaking to members about vaccination when there’s a range of different perspectives? 

What difference will selfish individualism vs an ethic of other person centredness/ community responsibility make to the vaccination rollout? 

What’s the impact of the society’s loss of confidence in government, science and journalism on the current debate?

Plus, How should we feel about suggestions to make vaccination passports for church attendance mandatory (whether imposed by government or denominational or local leadership)?

John McClean is Vice Principal and Ethics Lecturer at Sydney’s Presbyterian Christ College. 

Phillip Jensen is former Anglican Dean of Sydney and now leads Two Ways Ministries. 

Ray Galea pastors the influential MBM church in the heart of the COVID hotspot area in Western Sydney.  

http://www.thepastorsheart.net/vaccination

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How do you have a budget that is driven by vision and mission rather than just by taking last years and adding a CPI increase?  And what does a pledge and commitment season look like in 2021?

What’s the process for developing a budget that works to grow your vision each year?

And how do you roll it out with your church?

Plus what if the amount pledged is not enough to cover expenses?

Pete Stedman is senior pastor of Norwest Anglican Church in Sydney’s North West and joins us today to talk about how not to have ‘Step off a cliff and cross your fingers church budgeting.’ 

Links:
Norwest pledging strategy,  Norwest 2019 pledge letter, Norwest 2020 pledge letter, Village annual pledge brochure 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021; Village pledge videos, 
Village 2020 Intergenerational gift brochure, Village 2020 Intergenerational gift videos

Watch the discussion here

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Good leaders multiply disciple making ministry.  And yet most of us would admit that our churches struggle with leadership development. 

Author of ‘Wisdom in Leadership Development’ Craig Hamilton has lots of wisdom about how the average church can develop a leadership pipeline. 

https://matthiasmedia.com.au/collections/latest/products/wisdom-in-leadership-development

Craig serves as senior minister of Pitt Town Anglican Church. His book includes ten commandments for creating a leadership pipeline.  

1. Going from one layer to the next takes intentionality and specific training
2. The goal isn’t to ‘level up’
3. Being good at a ministry doesn’t mean you should advance up the pipeline 
4. Being awesome at one layer tells you nothing about whether you’ll be awesome at the next
5. The behaviours that cause success at one layer will sometimes compromise it at the next
6. Don’t skip layers
7. The goal is not toe be optimally proficient in every skill at every layer
8. The further along the pipeline you are the more things change
9. The pipeline can get clogged at any level
10. Life is often not as neat as the pipeline

http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/leadership-development

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The resignation of Rev Andrew Pearson as rector of the 11-hundred strong Advent Cathedral in Birmingham, Alabama has come as a shock. 

The conventional wisdom had been that Advent could ride the storms of liberalism surrounding it, despite many other evangelicals being gradually forced out of America’s Episcopal Church over the last decade.

However, the Cathedral’s vestry has recently capitulated to the demands of the new Alabama Episcopal bishop. 

Andrew says an ultimatum was put to him by two successive bishops, ‘change or leave the denomination.’  

Andrew speaks about how he reluctantly came to realise there was no future for him in the Episcopal denomination, and that he needed to leave.

He speaks about joining the Anglican Church in North America, what it’s like now serving under a bishop he can trust in Foley Beach, and his plans for a new church plant in Birmingham.

http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/andrew-pearson

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