Australia (or the west) is simultaneously post Christian, Christian and pre Christian according to Greg Sheridan, one of the most respected and influential 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 the 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.’

Answering your questions about a daily weekday bible study for your church. http:///villagechurch.sydney/dailybibletime

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thepastorsheart)

Father God,

We pray for everyone in and affected by what's happening in Afghanistan.

With this increasing news of deaths and violence we ask you to quickly bring peace and stability to that nation.

We especially pray for the women who are now fearing for their lives, and fearing what living under the Taliban will mean for them.

We pray for comfort for those grieving the deaths of family members in the bloodshed so far.

We pray for the Christians there, that they might be safe and be able to show great kindness to others, and that through their actions people might turn to Christ.

We pray this in Christ Jesus name.

Amen.

#PrayForAfghanistan
http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/prayforafghanistan

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

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

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? What does pastoral leadership on vaccination look like?

What are the implications of viewing the 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.

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

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

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.’

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.

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

Anxiety, social isolation, loneliness, defeat & loss of agency… in this lockdown period. The research shows this is especially a problem for young adults but for all us as well.

Mike Sheedy is the Head of Mental Health and Trinette Stanley is Family & Life Skills Educator with Anglicare. What can we as pastors do to help our staff, members and the broader community?

Mike Sheedy’s paper: https://j.mp/3dJoOc9

During Sydney’s lockdown churches have reverted to livestream services. The current (26.6.2021) Public Health Order under point 14, allows performance singing in NSW, which we have taken to include band leaders in churches (especially those singing in livestream ‘performances’ in a room without congregation present). https://j.mp/3qKFmWM

But what to do with a Multicultural NSW email (https://j.mp/3dtg1v6) sent around yesterday 30.6.2021, which says ‘singing is not permitted in indoor places of public worship. This includes during a livestream and in regional New South Wales.’?

But what authority does that email have? Should we follow the Public Health Order or the more stringent Multicultural NSW email?

To help us decide what to do? We speak to Associate Professor of Law, Neil Foster (https://j.mp/363UswV) plus Rev David Clarke from Hoxton Park Anglican Church and Adrian Russell from Northmead Anglican.

Most of us would agree that the purpose of the Church is to make disciples - but as Christian leaders, how do we engage in discipling our flock?

It’s a reflective episode as we discuss what our staff and congregations require from us.

We talk with Peter Mayrick, from Sydney’s Centre for Ministry Development about Church leadership, setting Church culture and discipling individuals.

Peter shares his experience, outlining how to intentionally ensure your people are growing in Jesus.

Peter shares his model for training senior leaders and how to have serious, encouraging congregations. He also shares how to change Church culture and ensure staff and key lay leaders feel supported.

Sandy Grant and Kara Hartley, who lead the Sydney Anglican Church’s response to domestic violence, are expressing lament and grief at the findings of new national report into intimate partner violence within church communities.

The new report into Domestic Violence in the Australian Anglican Church indicates the number of people who are at least occasional Anglican church attenders and are victims of intimate partner violence is the same as or higher than in the wider Australian community.

The Homogeneous Unit Principle suggests that outreach is most effective when carried out in the context of a discrete group defined by similarity in cultural background.

But David Williams says the mission world's view today is that it's bad in practice and theory.

Religious Freedom is being increasingly marginalised in Australia and across the western world. There’s freedom for worship, freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of conscience.

Australia’s Morrison government was moving to protect religious freedoms. But all this was put on hold by last year’s pandemic.

Freedom for Faith’s Chair Professor Patrick Parkinson (https://freedomforfaith.org.au/) talks with Dominic Steele about his hopes for bipartisan legislation.

In reconciliation week we turn our attention to Colonial Australia and a new book out from John Harris, ‘Judging the Macquaries’ - with Peter Adam

The Black Lives Matter movement is bringing the characters of powerful people in colonial times into sharp focus, particularly their attitudes and actions towards slavery and indigenous peoples.

Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie are among those being scrutinised and reassessed. John Harris paints a more spiritually positive picture of Governor Lachlan Macquarie than had previously been understood.

The Former Principal of Ridley Theological College Melbourne Peter Adam is one of the foremost voices in this space in Australian Christianity and he is delighted with Harris’ new work.

The Archbishop elect of the Sydney Anglican Church Kanishka Raffel joins Dominic Steele on The Pastor’s Heart.

We talk Kanishka’s heart plus the big challenges of strategy, culture, the national church, and the gospel.

We’re taking going deeper at Reach Australia with Queensland Theological College Principal Gary Millar.

Plus the big problems facing Queensland Presbyterians and the College he leads.

It is crucial strategic moment for the work of the Gospel in Sydney. There is limited time to act as the city of Sydney undergoes massive infrastructural changes.

The phenomenal population changes demand a reimagining and redistribution of Church assets, ministry resources and people. The growth will be tremendous, and so will be the responsibility.

In the next 50 years, the current Western Region alone will have a population two and half times that of the South Sydney Region or the Northern Region.

Today on the Pastor’s Heart we speak to Bishop Peter Lin and Ross Jones, the CEO of the Anglican Church Growth Corporation, about the strategic opportunity and risk of not grasping the moment.

Peter Lin’s presidential address notes are here: http://bit.ly/strategicmoment

An important prophetic word from the most senior evangelical leader of Australia’s Uniting Church, Stu Cameron.

Stu has published two short essays over the last week, the first diagnoses the problems in his denomination, saying: We’ve failed the great commission; Stifled entrepreneurial leadership; and most significantly, Have lost confidence in the gospel. (http://bit.ly/stucameron-uc01)

The second essay suggests a five fold solution: 1. Confess, Repent, Pray; 2. Obsess about Disciple-Making; 3. Release Property Joyfully; 4. Learn Humbly; and 5. Blow it all Up. (http://bit.ly/stucameron-uc2)