The Pastor's Heart with Dominic Steele

It is almost D day in the Anglican Communion.Today we give the background for two highly significant meetings. One to take place next week in Rome.  The second in June in Cairo.The Rome gathering has been called by the rejected Canterbury leadership.  The Cairo gathering has been called by the leadership of the Global South.As background, The Church of England, the historic mother church of the Anglican Communion, under the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury formally abandoned the historic Christian faith when the English General Synod voted to follow Archbishop Welby and his house of bishops in voting for same sex blessings.In reaction, the majority theologically orthodox have drawn a line in the sand and parted company with The church of England.The Global South Churches said in their important Ash Wednesday 23 statement that the Church of England has disqualified herself from leading the Anglican communion.Gafcon said the Archbishop of Canterbury’s leadership has been irreparably damaged.We speak with  the chair of the Global South Archbishop Justin Badi Arama of South Sudan and the new General Secretary of Gafcon Bishop Paul Donison.Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

We are moving into a post - post-modern world  But what does that look like and mean for truth - and us as pastors - as we attempt to communicate with our churches?Our church members have unconsciously adopted some of the presuppositions of our society in the way we process texts and information.We are living in a fake news world on social media with a parallel loss of confidence in institutions and authorities. Prince Harry says, ‘Whatever the cause, my memory is my memory, it does what it does, gathers and curates as it sees fit, and there’s just as much truth in what I remember and how I remember it as there is in so-called objective facts.  Things like chronology and cause-and-effect are often just fables we tell ourselves about the past.Former US President Barack Obama says “Unfortunately, too much of politics today seems to reject the very concept of objective truth. People just make stuff up. They just make stuff up. … we see the utter loss of shame among political leaders where they’re caught in a lie and they just double down and they lie some more. Politicians  have always lied, but it used to be if you caught them lying, they’d be like, “Oh, man”. Now they just keep on lying."Moore Theological College Lecturer Lionel Windsor joins Dominic Steele to explore what it means to believe the truth, turn to the truth, and adopt habits of truth and faithfulness in a post truth world.Purchase Lionel Windsor’s Truth be Told  https://bit.ly/3VVD34NSupport the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

What is permissible and not permissible under new conversion practice laws in New South Wales - with Neil Foster, Matt Aroney and Michael SteadSydney Anglican Bishop Michael Stead, who chairs Freedom for Faith, describes the new laws  as the least worst that he has seen in Australia. Associate Professor of Law at Newcastle University and author of the Law and Religion blog Neil Foster says the law is unnecessary, but better than has been implemented in other parts of Australia. Professor Foster supports moves to ban oppressive or violent practices that are designed to change someone’s sexual attraction or impair gender identity. However, Professor Foster says the laws (which have a criminal and civil component)  can go beyond those bad things to areas where a minister is explaining the teaching of the Bible and wanting to help people to live in accordance with the bible. Acting Minister of Watsons Bay Matt Aroney says he doesn’t think the new laws will impact his pastoral practice.  Matt wants to turn down the anxiety levels.  He encourages to choose thoughtfully to respond to the people in front of us with the love and compassion that Jesus has. Matt applies the principles of his new book ‘Renovated: How God makes us Christlike’  to caring well for those Christians experiencing same sex attraction or gender incongruence. Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

The Pastor’s Heart - A word to our heart from Dominic SteeleIn a Pastor’s Heart special, Dominic Steele speaks to our hearts today as we engage in the battle of the Christian life.  We get a call today to perseverance and resilience. Dominic addresses, not just pastors, but young and old; healthy and unfit; wealthy and poor; busy and quiet; husbands, singles, divorcees and widowers; fertile and infertile, straight or experiencing same sex attraction; or struggling in addictions. Calling out to God:God what are you doing? Why am I stuck in this? What is going on?Why is it so hard?Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

We explore the delicate dynamics of faith, family, and identity in the world of church leadership.As pastors most of all we want our kids to love Jesus.  And yet Barnabas Piper says so often pastors kids are messed up. What are the unique experiences, joys and challenges of being pastors kids? And how can we better parent as pastors?There are issues of awareness, assumptions and expectations.  Plus confusion about identity. This episode isn't just about the challenges; it's also a treasure trove of wisdom for Pastor's kids themselves. Whether you're feeling the weight of a congregation's gaze or struggling to carve out your own identity.We discuss the power of parental apologies and the healing they can bring.James Galea grew up as a pastor’s kid in Western Sydney and now leads the ministry team at Freshwater Anglican Church on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

How do we speak to children about sin? How can we help youth understand themselves as sinful and in indeed of forgiveness?What to make theologically of the sense of entitlement in youth culture?Plus how do we think theologically about the important issue of vibe in youth and children's ministry and in regards to how kids engage with church.And what can we learn from Sunday School history that will help with practice today?The new book ‘Identity, Church Culture and Discipleship in Youth and Children’s Ministry - Australian Evangelical Perspectives on Youth Ministry’ is being launched this week.Papers in the book were first presented at the HOUSE conference for youth and children’s ministers in Sydney.Contributors include Ruth Lukabyo,  who leads the Sydney Anglican Youthworks Institute, teaches church history at Youthworks College and his responsible for editing the book.Bill Salier is a former principal at Youthworks College and now heads up the Anglican GAFCON Theological Educators Network.Tim Beliharz is on the ministry support team at Youthworks.To purchase: https://bit.ly/3x3P0uUSupport the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

The old saying is ‘A rising tide lifts all boats.’  But could the spark of story telling, and celebrating faith increase evangelism in churches and on university campuses everywhere?National Director of the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students Richard Chin is emphasising the importance of prayer, through what he calls a 'two-for-two' model, and asks churches to join him in consistent branding in a nationwide push to introduce people to Jesus.We discuss practical steps to integrate evangelism into the church's DNA, champion the role of head, heart, and hand in fostering a consistent culture of outreach.Rory Shiner is senior pastor of Providence Church, Perth and Chair of the Gospel Coalition Australia.Baden Stace leads the ministry team at St Stephens Normanhurst in Sydney’s north.Elliot Temple is missions pastor at Christ Church St Ives also in Sydney’s north. Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

“It’s like they got the exegesis spot on, then closed their eyes, fired an arrow randomly into the air, opened their eyes to see where it landed and said, ‘That looks like a good place to do application!’” - Theological College lecturer on student sermon application.But are those of us who have graduated from theological college much better? For after all the students are just imitating what we have modelled.Dean of Students at Sydney’s Moore Theological College Paul Grimmond has just completed a doctor of ministry project on improving application in evangelical preaching.Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

Andrew Leslie is encouraging us to first take a step back from practical concerns and reflect on the beauty and wisdom of the bible’s teaching about manhood and womanhood.In much contemporary debate about gender we focus on practical questions about what different people can do.  However the head of Moore Theological College’s Doctrine Department says the picture of gender in the beginning is not an arbitrary divine imposition that comes with its own set of arbitrary rules and instructions. Rather, the man and the woman together – and only together – irreducibly different and yet one inconceivable without the other, created a microcosm of God’s own very being and character and glory, summing up the wisdom and creative word of God.Andrew Leslie gave the keynote addresses at the Priscilla and Aquila Conference in Sydney. Talk One: https://bit.ly/49ABygt Talk Two: https://bit.ly/3ORxWhI He wants us as pastors to more fully appreciate the beauty of the bible’s teaching.Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

Stephen McAlpine says the real question is “Does the future have a church?”The statistics are not our friend.We have been talking on The Pastor’s Heart about dropping church attendance. Stephen McAlpine is writing about the more widespread phenomenon.He says some countries like the US are coming off a high base and in those places there is fat and cultural cachet to play with, whereas the level of religious commitment in the UK has dropped so dramatically that it is possible to imagine a time when Christianity will be a thing of the past.In Australia the proportion of people self identifying as Christians has shrunk to 44% in 2021, down from 61% in 2011. Church attendance across the west is collapsing with the rise of nones and dones.Ministry Consultant Stephen McAlpine from Perth in Western Australia has a new book FUTUREPROOF.Order online: https://wanderingbookseller.com.au/products/future-proofSupport the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

Social media is changing again. In an increasingly digital age, our collective consciousness is captured by infinite scrolling, short-form videos, and internet personalities. A church's social media presence has gone from an optional nicety to a key lever for engaging newcomers to church.How can pastors and ministry teams best capture the opportunities that can come with social media? How can a church's resources be best assigned to this new space? What if our gifts and skills don't line up?Hannah Thiem and Liz Fong discuss best practice and minimum dose for churches and pastors on social media.They highlight some of the biggest church wins on social media.Hannah Thiem works at leading social media company Hello Social working with major corporates, and on the side does social media for Sydney Anglicans and Dubbo Presbyterian Church.Liz Fong runs social media for Reach Australia and advises churches on best practice in social media.Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

How can male senior pastors have better relationships with the women on their ministry teams, where everyone shares complementarian convictions.In those contexts - there are stories around that suggesting that relationships between some senior pastors and the women on the teams have been strained and have sometimes broken down completely.There’s been massive cost to the individual, the team, the churches and to gospel work.Clare Deeves has just completed her PhD, studying working relationships between women employed in complementarian ministry teams and the senior pastor who they work with.Clare serves as an Assistant minister at Kallaroo Anglican Church in Perth.  And lectures in church history at Trinity Theological College Perth.Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

What can we learn from recent secular literature about the practice of Christian pastoral leadership? Head of Ministry at Sydney’s Moore Theological College Archie Poulos looks at how the 'The Infinite Game' concept, popularized by Simon Sinek, can be applied to ministry. Sinek explores the consequences of short and long term thinking in business and life. Long term success is more likely when an infinite perspective is taken.Then we examine Loran Nordgren and David Schonthal’s book ‘The Human Element: Overcoming the resistance that awaits new ideas.'Archie considers the emotional and psychological hurdles (inertia, effort, emotion, and reactance) that congregations face when change is suggested.We look back to ‘After the Ball’ by Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen, a 1989 secular play book for effecting LGBTI societal acceptance.  Archie suggests there are lessons from aspects of that strategy for Christian mission.Plus Archie talks about what impressed him about Andrew Heard’s soon to be released book ‘Growth and Change - The danger and necessity of a passion for church growth.Purchase/download links to the books discussed this week:Growth and Change - by Andrew Heard - The danger and necessity of a passion for church growth The Infinite Game - by Simon Sinek - exploring the consequences of short and long term thinking in business and life The Human Element: Overcoming the resistance that awaits new ideas - by Loran Nordgren and David Schonthal After the Ball - by Marshall Kirk and Hunter MadsenHuman Sexuality and the Same-Sex Marriage Debate - by Mark Thompson (Editor)Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

‘Many of the ways we are running our churches and ministries and many of the ways we are exercising leadership within our churches, has become a significant hindrance to the growth of the church.’Andrew Heard’s about to be released book Growth and Change will be the ‘must read’ book for pastors for 2024.In his opening preface Gospel Coalition founder  DA Carson - says ‘I am usually loath to proclaim that such and such a book is the best in it’s field … but if there is one book that happily serves as the exception to the rule, Heard’s book is it.Change is painful.  Why don’t we want to change?We cannot be content to just be faithful, if we mean faithfulness has no regard for the growth of God’s church.The younger leader is more likely to succumb to the dangers relating to a passion for growth.  However for older leaders,  ‘As we age, it is possible to get stuck… We have battled for so long under the weight of small things, that our vision has shrunk to become no larger than the day to day needs of the church.’How do we get unstuck? ‘Leading change requires significant emotional, relational and creative energy. But most church leaders have very little in the tank…'Pre order ‘Growth and Change’ http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/growth-and-changeSupport the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

Gospel ministry in the Indian Ocean is growing rapidly.Anglican Primate James Wong leads the ministry in Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius and is visiting Sydney, on a speaking tour of the Church Missionary Society Australian Summer Conferences.Archbishop Wong charts a course for further growth in ministry in his region.Plus he outlines the detailed back room work taking place to reset the Anglican Communion, following the failure of the Church of England leadership to repent, ahead of the significant Global South meeting in Cairo in June.Archbishop Wong is an advisor to the Gafcon Primates Council and serves on the leadership group of the Anglican Global South Fellowship.http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/growth-archbishop-james-wongSupport the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

The massive drop in church attendance is a crisis facing churches across the Western World and there are external pressures and internal weaknesses that need to be addressed at every level of the church.We highlighted a few months ago the attendance drop in Sydney Anglican Evangelical Churches in the last ten years. Raj Gupta first called it a plateau problem.  But the data released at last September’s Synod shows it’s now much worse.  From a high in 2015, attendance in 2019 was down 7.5 percent. And in 2022, attendance was down a further ten percent.Even allowing for a covid factor even assuming some sort of bounce back these are figures that we should talk about.Andrew Heard, the senior pastor of EV Church on the Central Coast, has challenged Evangelical Anglican leaders in Sydney to look at their hearts, head and hands, saying there’s a heart problem and a skill deficit.David Rietveld is senior pastor of Dapto Anglican Church to the South of Sydney, and the author of ‘Being Christian after Christendom' partially agrees with Andrew but gives more weight to the problems in the soil. Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

We catch up with Australian Christian musician for one of our funniest ever episodes, but with a serious message.Colin talks with Dominic Steele about managing life as a public Christian, living with integrity in family, church and while engaging in the secular media.Colin draws on his experience with Play School to share top tips for kids' ministry and shares his insights on planning public Christian events.We delve into Colin’s approach to songwriting and how he balances truth and clarity within simple songs, designed for kids.Plus Colin launches a new and exclusive song "If you have ever made a mess, say yes!”Colin also confronts controversial questions such as  ESV or NIV, Ford or Holden… and answers tough questions about what he would do if Archbishop?Join us for a wild and fun ride as we explore the heart of this amazing Christian leader.Check Colin's website: https://colinbuchanan.com.au/https://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/bestof-colin-buchanan-archbishopSupport the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

‘Do not be anxious about anything’ says the Apostle Paul.  But Paul Grimmond says saying that to an anxious person is a bit like telling an icecream not to melt in summer.How do we think biblically about anxiety while taking on board what else is happening with a person’s biology and environment?How can we see anxiety as a gift? What does the interplay between mind and body look like? How does sin contribute to anxiety?  What place for counseling? Self talk? Paul Grimmond is a lecturer at Sydney’s Moore Theological College.  He came into speak to us about his book -  ‘When the noise won’t stop: A Christian guide to dealing with anxiety’.To purchase a copy: https://bit.ly/3y2FULLSupport the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

As we head to 2024 most of us are recasting ministry teams for the new year.But how can we do this without making some of the mistakes that we have made in 2023?How do we do better with staff teams  and all the various volunteer ministry teams across our church?And even in the best places - there’s an inertia that we will slip back to functioning as rosters… How do we fix that?Grahame Fuller is a long term senior leader at EV Church on the Central Coast.  Jo Gibbs is the Effective Teams consultant for Reach Australia. http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/relationships-results-rhythms-ministry-teamsSupport the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

How can we make our Christmas Services better?With just a few days to Christmas, and while some of us are well planned, some of us are still scrambling around putting things together.Whether it’s Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, or a kids gathering, carols or Gingerbread and Wreathmaking...What are the pitfalls we can fall into?  How do we avoid them?James Galea is senior minister of Freshwater Anglican Church. Dave Jensen will be working next year with the Sydney Anglican Churches Evangelism and New Churches team to encourage best practice evangelism.http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/improving-your-christmas-talkSupport the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.