Out with Apostasy and Colonialism: Center of gravity shifts from Canterbury to Abuja - with Paul Donison
Paul Donison responds to global reaction to Gafcon’s reset of the Anglican Communion and its declaration that Canterbury’s time is over.The Lord is removing his Spirit from the Canterbury–Lambeth lampstand, and the centre of global Anglicanism is shifting from London to Africa.The average Anglican today is not English, not Western, not male — she’s a young African woman in her twenties, probably Nigerian. The Anglican Communion is now catching up with that reality.Since the Gafcon Primates’ announcement on 16 October 2025 — declaring that Canterbury is out and that the Bible will be the foundation document for a reordered Global Anglican Communion — reaction has been electric: claims of schism, conflict in Ireland, tensions in ACNA, questions about women’s orders, realignments in England, silence from some primates, and fresh courage from others.And what does this mean for a blended province like Australia?Gafcon General Secretary Paul Donison joins us with an update on plans for the Global Bishops Gathering in Abuja, Nigeria, 3–6 March 2026.The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is a website and app platform built specifically for churches. Advertise on The Pastor's HeartTo advertise on The Pastor's Heart go to thepastorsheart.net/sponsorSupport the show
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How to revolutionise your church towards a 5% conversion target - Brett Middleton, Ben Molyneux and Dan Au
How to turn around evangelistic stagnation in your church — or how to start pursuing a 5% goal?Across Australian Evangelicalism there is a bold goal — growing our churches by 5% per year through conversion growth.But some pastors are asking: “We haven’t seen anyone become a Christian here in years… where do we even start?”We talk:• Should we even have an evangelism target?• What are the theological issues?• How do you start when conversions have been rare?• What cultural changes actually make a difference?• Funnels, programs and “conversion engines.”• And how to build momentum with stories, prayer and team alignment.Three pastors who are right at the beginning of the journey, Brett Middleton (St Luke’s Miranda),Ben Molyneux (St Faith’s Narrabeen) and Dan Au (Cornerstone Kogarah) — We set an evangelism target - Now what? The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is a website and app platform built specifically for churches. Advertise on The Pastor's HeartTo advertise on The Pastor's Heart go to thepastorsheart.net/sponsorSupport the show
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Riding the young adult revival - Dave Jensen, Sam Mahdavi & Pre Shunmugam
Something is happening. In England the data shows a quiet revival. In France a new evangelical church is opening every ten days. But what about here in Australia?Among young adults we’re hearing stories of renewed interest in Jesus, fresh conversions and surprising openness. Is this a cultural phenomenon or is it something deeper? And how do we ride the wave?We talk about ground level experiences, the big picture, the influence of politics, and the five percent conversion growth goal for Sydney Anglican churches.We’re joined by three frontline evangelists:• Dave Jensen from Sydney Anglican Evangelism and New Churches• Sam Mahdavi from Wollongong Baptist Church• Pre Shunmugam from MBM Rooty Hill in multicultural Western SydneyThe Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is a website and app platform built specifically for churches. Advertise on The Pastor's HeartTo advertise on The Pastor's Heart go to thepastorsheart.net/sponsorSupport the show
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Church music in a culture obsessed with self expression - with Alanna Glover
What does healthy, joyful, word-shaped congregational singing look like in a culture obsessed with self-expression?We are shaped more than we realise by the culture around us. And today one of the most powerful cultural forces pressing on our churches is expressive individualism — the idea that the authentic self must be expressed and affirmed.But what happens when this cultural air we breathe seeps into our church music? When sincerity becomes more important than truth, when the band is excellent yet the congregation is silent, and when singing shifts from “we proclaim Christ together” to “I express what I feel”?If we do not address this, we risk disengaged congregations, weakened church identity and a missed opportunity for deep spiritual formation that comes as we sing God’s word to one another.Alanna Glover — longtime church music leader, former member of Garage Hymnal, ten years with Emu Music, songwriter, trainer and theologian — has just completed significant research on expressive individualism and congregational singing in evangelical churches.The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is a website and app platform built specifically for churches. Advertise on The Pastor's HeartTo advertise on The Pastor's Heart go to thepastorsheart.net/sponsorSupport the show
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Betrayed by my King - with Rachel Ciano and Stephen Tong
Marcus Loane said no. The King said yes. For the first time in more than 800 years, an English monarch has prayed publicly with the Pope.King Charles III — the Supreme Governor of the Church of England — joined Pope Leo XIV in the Sistine Chapel in a highly choreographed moment of unity. But for many Protestants, this was not a moment to celebrate, but to grieve,The Reformation was born out of deep conviction that Rome had departed from the apostolic gospel — that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Those convictions have not changed. And yet, the sight of a Protestant king kneeling in prayer beside the Pope suggests that they believe these dividing lines no longer matter, that the Reformation is no longer relevant.Half a century ago, in 1970, when Pope Paul VI visited Australia, Sydney Anglican Archbishop Sir Marcus Loane — refused to pray with the Pope, saying shared prayer implied shared faith, and that the great truths of the Reformation still mattered: salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.Loane’s grandson, Dr Stephen Tong, joins Rachel Ciano, Lecturer in Church History at Sydney Missionary and Bible College, and Dominic Steele on The Pastor’s Heart to discuss what's happened in Rome this week - as the leaders of the Roman Catholic and Church of England Churches downplay the Reformation's significance.The Church Cohttp://www.thechurchco.com is a website and app platform built specifically for churches. Advertise on The Pastor's HeartTo advertise on The Pastor's Heart go to thepastorsheart.net/sponsorSupport the show
Christian leaders join Dominic Steele for a deep end conversation about our hearts and different aspects of Christian ministry each Tuesday afternoon.We share personally, pastorally and professionally about how we can best fulfill Jesus' mission to save the lost and serve the saints. The discussion is broadcast live on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thepastorsheart">Facebook</a> then on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ThePastorsHeart">YouTube</a> and on our <u><b><a href="http://www.thepastorsheart.net">thepastorsheart.net</a></u></b> website and via audio podcast.
Australia