Welcome to the Pastors’ Pen – an update for life at Southern Cross…
This week I have spent time in Sydney for the final intensive in the two-year Reach Australia
consultancy. The program can be ‘intense’, with programs on site starting early and finishing late.
But there is much to be thankful for an organisation like Reach Australia. Around 10 years ago the
movement began largely as an organisation to stimulate church planting in Australia. However, it
wasn’t long into the journey that they understood that planting churches is simply not enough. For
even the new chairperson of The Gospel Coalition Australia, Rory Shiner, says; “Church planting is
fun for about five minutes, then it just simply hard work!!”
Therefore, Reach Australia wanted to help not just new churches but also established churches in the hard work of sowing gospel seeds and praying like crazy that our Father God would grow and bless those gospel efforts. Even though our connection to Reach Australia will weaken as the year continues we can be very thankful for the assistance they have been to us. Matt C would speak positively about Scott S, the Executive Director of Reach Australia. Not only did Matt find him very approachable, I also found he
has been keenly invested in our efforts and particularly willing to explore how to see our Gospel
Communities grow and thrive.
So, next time if Reach Australia were to visit SCPC (no longer undercover as a ‘secret shopper’) can I
encourage you to find them and thank them for their efforts! Not only in planting churches, but to also help established churches to continue in their labours, knowing they are not in vain.
This reflection from 1 Corinthians seems appropriate:
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to
believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God
has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only
God, who makes things grow. 1 Cor 3:5-7
SP
