The qb, the voice of Queensland Baptists by Queensland Baptists

The voice of Queensland Baptists February 2015

She is…BRAVE It’s time to flourish! There’s good work to do

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Issue

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Comment: David Loder Speaking out: John Sweetman Baptisms Around the regions Spreading the good news The body of Christ Knowing God series QB training review Persecution brief Reviews Fun zone Classifieds

5 6 8 9 14 15 16 18 27 43 45 46

QB ministries Are you ready? (QB kids & their families) 2014 grants announced (Baplink) One day (QB Youth) She is...Brave (QB Women) The six Ps of camping (QCCC) It’s not easy - it’s important (Carinity) Gallipoli - 100 years on (QB archives) Malyon Traverse (Malyon) New MTQ leader appointed (MTQ) Defence chaplaincy

In this issue

20 21 24 25 28 30 31 32 33 35

QB partners

Will you join us? (Global Interaction) Flood-ravaged communities bounce back (BWAA)

Articles Introducing Rev Pieter Henning Trusting the shepherd Managing finances God’s way There’s good work to do It’s time to flourish! Creating a strong cord

26 38 39 40 41 42

Our cover: As we move through the blue (or stormy) skies ahead this year, let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, ‘the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God’ (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV).

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News, views and issues

The qb is a member of the Australasian Religious Press Association, published bi-monthly by Queensland Baptist Services Group in February, April, June, August, October and December. Editor: Robynne Milne Design: Shell Graphix Print: Printcraft This magazine is printed with soy based inks and paper from sustainable forest plantations. We welcome reader feedback and opinions about our articles. Remember to include your full name, email and postal addresses.

From the Editor Welcome to the first issue of The qb for 2015. I’m sure John Sweetman’s article (Helplessness) will resonate with you, whether you’re a new parent, a grandparent, or whether you’re of any age and simply looking at our troubled world. It’s good to know that God is in control of our lives, and our universe! Joe Khan follows this theme (Trusting the shepherd) concluding that ‘I will just rest and joyously follow; knowing that he who leads me is truly good’. Our General Superintendent, David Loder, commences a new series of ‘Knowing God’ articles, picking up the QB Board’s focus this year which is discipleship. This focus will also be the underpinning theme at QB Convention 2015. All Queensland Baptists are welcome to attend a special segment of Leadership Day on 10 April which will conclude convention week. Come to QCCC

Mapleton for lunch, and stay for electives, a special Thanksgiving and Recognition Service and dinner. Ps Edmund Chan is a powerful speaker—I’m sure you’ll be blessed! (There is no charge, but please book for catering purposes at events.qb.com.au) Welcome to our new regional consultant for North Queensland, Pieter Henning, and his wife Barbara. Welcome also to Colin Stoodley and his wife Sharon. Colin has been appointed to the role of MTQ Leader. There is plenty to read in this issue of The qb. Robynne Milne Editor, The qb qb@qb.com.au

Articles and advertising in The qb express the opinions of the authors, not necessarily the editor or publishers. Every effort is made to ensure the correctness of facts and information however we cannot accept responsibility for errors. The publishers reserve the right to accept or decline any advertising. Deadline for advertisement and copy: 10th of the month prior to the month of publication. PO Box 6166 Mitchelton Qld 4053 P 07 3354 5633 F 07 3354 5646 Advertising rates are listed in The qb Media Kit available at www.qb.com.au/news-media. Prices are also available on enquiry and advertising packages can be tailored to suit your budget. Reduced contract rates apply to three bookings within a 12 month period. Please contact us for details. A limited number of inserts are also accepted. Copyright © 2003 by Queensland Baptist Services Group. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without written permission from the publisher. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses appearing in The qb are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Comment

Knowing God—discipleship But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7 HCSB). Many organisations nominate a special emphasis for each year. The United Nations has declared 2015 as the ‘International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies’ with the purpose of celebrating all things ‘light’. The Board of Queensland Baptists has determined that our focus in 2015 ought to be on discipleship. Interesting! Whilst ‘discipleship’ remains central to our thinking, the wider community emphasis on light will also be explored by QB to see how this might be used in ministry in the coming year. Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12), his followers are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), God’s Word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (Psalm 119:105) … and the list goes on! The connection of light to discipleship is a valid one and is plain to see in the above texts. The italicised text above indicates both the vertical and horizontal relationships of discipleship: vertical, in the sense that we walk in the light, in fellowship with Jesus, and horizontal in that our relationship

with God impacts our relationships with others. Consequently, in the year ahead, as we talk about discipleship, both areas of relationship will be explored. Welcome to the journey of knowing God—discipleship! Important happenings As a part of the discipleship emphasis, area meetings for pastors and a key leader from each church will soon commence around the state. These have been an annual event for several years and are enthusiastically attended. Pastors will have details forwarded to them in the lead up to these meetings. Our annual convention will also have a discipleship theme. We are thrilled to have Edmund and Ann Chan as our guest speakers. They are from Singapore but are highly regarded around the world. I encourage you to make every attempt to attend. For many years we have coordinated QB’s Prayer Connection which is sent out to people who request it. This has allowed local churches to submit prayer requests for wider

distribution. Sadly, for various reasons, the distribution has been limited. Because there has been a renewed interest in prayer, we are in the process of re-vamping how we handle prayer requests. More information will be made available in due course. Finally… Happy New Year! Many people have made—and already broken—their New Year’s resolutions. We don’t need to wait until 1 January! Jesus identified his true followers as those who made a fresh commitment to walk in obedience each and every day. Today is another day that we begin with a fresh prayer, acknowledging the presence of Jesus with us, for us to learn from him, as we walk in the light! David Loder General Superintendent Queensland Baptists gs@qb.com.au

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Speaking out

Helple ss

A few weeks ago, I was babysitting my grandson Zeke, who is 20 months old. It was a hot day, so I decided to take him around to Julie’s place for a swim. (If there’s one thing better than having a pool, it’s having a friend with a pool.) Julie wasn’t at home and the house was locked, but that didn’t matter. We went around the back and cooled

off in the water. Julie’s little dog, Poppy, came out for a look, but quickly retreated back into the house through the doggy door. As I was packing up after the swim, Zeke disappeared behind a chair in the pergola. No worry, the pool gate was locked. I would pick up the towels and then grab him ... bad choice of

order. As I rounded the chair, there was no Zeke, but the doggy door behind the chair was flapping. Zeke had crawled through the door, looking for Poppy. He was in the house, alone, and I could only watch through the locked door. I felt powerless and a little concerned about what might happen next, especially when Poppy ran

past Zeke and up the stairs, as I looked on helplessly. Well, it worked out okay. I eventually managed to coax Zeke back out the doggy door. But for those five minutes that seemed like an eternity, I knew what it felt like to be completely helpless. I could do nothing to protect or help Zeke.

qb.com.au Things were happening that I could not control. All I could do was watch.

Our diminishing helplessness The first part of our life is a journey away from helplessness. As babies, we are completely dependent and vulnerable—but not for long. We start to crawl and then walk. We begin to say what we want. We start dressing ourselves. Then before long, we’re off to school by ourselves for the week. After that comes the independence of the teenage years: getting our first job and income; passing our licence test to drive a car; leaving home; joining our lives with a life partner; building a career. It’s all a journey away from helplessness. We generally become more self-confident, more self-assured, and more self-reliant. And this is a healthy thing. We don’t want to remain helpless and dependent on our parents and others. We enjoy experiencing and exploring our freedom. We like being in control.

Our growing helplessness But the feeling of helplessness hits all of us eventually. It often surprises us because we have fought so hard to gain control of our lives.

Speaking out One day we get bowled over by a sudden accident, a hurtful conflict, a painful failure, a disintegrating relationship, a lost job, a frightening diagnosis. Then we helplessly watch it all happen, realising that, in reality, we have little control over the outcome. Maybe Zeke will come back out that doggy door. Maybe he won’t. This should not surprise us. James 4:13-15 says: ‘Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”’ We really are mist-like. Oh, God allows us a part in his work, but that’s because of his generosity, not because of our abilities. In becoming a Christian, we acknowledge our complete helplessness and our deep need for a Saviour and a Dad. But old habits die hard, and so in preparation for a life forever with God, he takes us on a journey into helplessness, particularly in the latter years of our life.

God values our helplessness There are many great reversals in the kingdom of God. One of these revolves

around helplessness. At its best, our world feels sorry for the helpless; at its worst, it despises the helpless, seeing them as an unnecessary burden. Helplessness is viewed as a weakness, a failing, a problem to be solved. Not so in the kingdom of God. It’s the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, who are blessed under God’s rule (Matthew 5:3-5). Jesus emphasised this in his use of a helpless child as the example of the greatest in the kingdom. ‘He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”’ (Matthew 18:2-4). So when life spirals out of our control and we are at our most vulnerable and helpless, we are actually closest to God. We are potential recipients of his kingdom blessing. We just need to reach out to God and hold on to him.

Facing helplessness

God. It just drives them deeper into prayer. My mum was like that. She handled serious illness as a young mum, and fading capacities in old age, with aplomb. She never complained. She just trusted God, knowing that he was in control, and she wasn’t. But for many of us, helplessness remains hugely challenging. Jesus said to Peter (John 21:18): ‘I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.’ I wonder how Peter felt when that prophecy came true, when he no longer had any say on what was going to happen to him? Probably, we won’t face the helplessness of martyrdom or even prison as Peter did, but no matter how much we achieve, no matter what resources we accumulate, we all end up with diminishing capacities and dwindling control over our lives. The reality of our helplessness is coming for us, like it or not. It’s part of our necessary preparation for God’s eternal kingdom.

Some Christians handle helplessness with ease. They’re used to relying on

John Sweetman Principal, Malyon john.sweetman@malyon.edu.au

02/15

Baptisms

Baptisms Please pray for those baptised recently in all our churches around Queensland, including: Kruger Parade Baptist Faith Pritchford Levi Marle Peter Tongu

HELP BUILD GODâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S KINGDOM through your local church and other Baptist ministries

Enoggera Baptist Kassandra Sasik New Heart Baptist (Rochedale) Mitchell Brown Stafford Heights Baptist Jamie Symons

Pictured: Mitchell Brown at New Heart

Explore giving options at

www.qb.com.au/giftfoundation or phone 0400 795 302 We encourage you to consider a gift in addition to your tithes and offerings, after you have made provision for family and friends.

PARTNER WITH CHRIST

qb.com.au

Around the regions

Around the

Regions

New Pastors’ Retreat 2014 During the last quarter of 2014, QB’s newer pastors met together with the regional consultancy team at QCCC’s Brookfield campsite. QB is blessed by the quality and experience that young, and not so young, new pastors are bringing to our denomination. The pastors came from as far away as Mareeba and Biloela, five of the attendees were refugee pastors, and a sixth was from Africa.

L-R: David Loder and Joshua Lin

L-R: Godfrey Egwu, James Komakech, Bethany Puffett and Col Peaker.

Time was spent building relationships, talking about issues relevant to new pastors, and presenting important information to assist the attendees take up their responsibilities as QB pastors. Guest input was

provided by QB’s General Superintendent David Loder, Ian Hussey from Malyon College, and Ken Conwell, our Professional Standards Officer. Time was also provided for networking and personal sharing, and building relationships with the regional consultants. The pastors said: ‘Great opportunity to learn, gain wisdom and insight and build new relationships and network.’ ‘This is the best time I spend; I need more of this; really great.’ ‘Thanks QB – you show that we are really supported well.’ ‘Great time to network, establish new friendships and be equipped for the task ahead.’

02/15

Around the regions

A great event for men—FORGE 2015 Once again the Forge Men’s Convention will be held at City North Baptist Church on Saturday 21 March. Sponsored by the interdenominational Queensland Christian Convention Association (QCCA), this annual Bible teaching event has been providing high quality Bible teaching for men over many

years and again promises to deliver. The keynote speaker for the day will be Rev Dr Bill Salier from Sydney, who will shortly be commencing as the Dean of Youthworks College after serving on the staff of Moore College for many years. Bill will be speaking on the rather intriguing topic, ‘The world, the flesh and the devil’. He will be backed up by several other speakers who will lead the elective sessions. Those familiar with Forge will know what to expect.

For those wondering, you can confidently expect challenging teaching that will be relevant to men today, up-tempo singing, a refreshing day out with other guys, and, of course, you’ll be well fed. With over 220 men attending Forge 2014, there was overwhelmingly positive feedback with comments such as: ‘excellent speakers’, ‘relevant topics’, ‘venue more accessible than expected with plenty of free parking’, ‘food surprisingly good’ and ‘cost very reasonable’.

Why not bring a group of mates with you to Forge 2015. And wives, encourage your men to make the effort. It will be richly rewarding. For $40 (which includes lunch and morning tea) you won’t get better value for your money! You can find more information and registration details on the QCCA website www.qcca.org.au. See you there!

Christ’s love unites!

ethnicities and many of us could not speak a language that all would understand. Our youth, speaking in fluent English, became friends and still keep in touch. It was a special time around the campfire when Matu Christians sang their traditional Christian songs. This was a unique experience that we hope will continue.

Regional Consultant, Emil Rahimov writes: In early October 2014, the Slavic Church held its annual camp in Mapleton. This year, the Slavic Church invited the Matu Christian Church to join them to enjoy shared time together. For both churches, this was an enriching experience. Our youth became good friends, we shared meals, played together and participated in various programs and activities, including services and prayer meetings. It was such a testimony of Christ’s love and unity. We saw the love of Christ, indeed, uniting us during the short time we were together, even though we are of different

We would also like to encourage other churches: become friends with one of our ethnic churches, invite them to your services, and get them to share their life journeys and testimonies with you. Such activities help churches to integrate and it shows ethnic churches that they are not alone—the family of God is bigger, and Christ has removed all barriers.

qb.com.au

QB welcomes Viktor Riaguzov Image: L-R Emil Rahimov, Viktor Riaguzov and David Loder

there were many military bases and factories in the city. The Baptist church where Viktor is the senior pastor was formed in 1902 (he commenced there as pastor in 1980). Viktor was born into a devoted Christian family where both his father and grandfather served sentences because of their faith.

Viktor Riaguzov visited the QB offices in December. Viktor is a senior pastor from the Baptist church in Samara, Russia, and he was in Brisbane to speak at the In 1969, he entered Slavic Annual Conference. university to study medicine, He also visited local Slavic but after three years, he was Baptist churches while he was expelled due to his religious Stories, Music, Inspiration, in town. convictions.Laughter, Viktor did not Edutainment give and S urprises up and continued to Samara is the sixth largest city work as a labourer and serve One-‐hour Presentations for in various in Russia with a population in his local church Ladies, S eniors, O utreach, of over 1.2 million. During capacities. Missions/Fund-‐raising groups. Soviet times, it was a so was also Deputy President called ‘closed city’ where no He Choose rom: foreigners were allowed, since of fthe Baptist Union of Musical and Literary programs Russia for 17 years. Viktor OR considers it a great privilege Powerpoint presentations on Lord a variety of to serve the Jesus and History and Cprays ultural opics that tthe gospel will penetrate Russian society by (the church in Samara is very Lyn H urry active in spreading the good news).

2015 S.M.I.L.E.S.

Currently Samara Baptist Church has close to 700 members and they are very outward-looking in reaching the lost. Please pray for Viktor and for the ministry in Russia. Contact lynhurry@bigpond.com

2015 S.M.I.L.E.S. Stories, Music, Inspiration, Laughter, Edutainment and Surprises One-hour Presentations for Ladies, Seniors, Outreach, Missions/Fund-raising groups Choose from: Musical and Literary programs OR Powerpoint presentations on a variety of History and Cultural topics by

Lyn Hurry

Contact: lynhurry@bigpond.com (07) 3289 8187

(Travel costs only)

02/15

Around the regions

A coastal church with a heart for mission Cecily Wheeler (Coolum Beach Baptist Church) writes: At Coolum Beach Baptist Church (CBBC), as we follow the guideline, ‘To know Christ and to make Him known’ we are serving in our Lord’s Great Commission (Matthew 28:19, 20). CBBC is sharing the gift of Jesus by reaching into the local Coolum community and/or beyond, through: • Week-day or night organised groups for: toddlers’ and preschool children’s play; youth activities; ladies’ quilting; and men’s fellowship-tea and talk. The pastor and a visiting team hold chapel services at three Coolum nursing homes, mid-week each month. • Encouraging every person in the church family to set a Christian example within their own home

•

and neighbourhood, by consciously thinking about ‘going the second mile’ in practical ways, and also by speaking ‘a word for Jesus’ as opportunities present themselves. The church’s tithing of its weekly worship service offering for missions (this has been

•

done for 26 years, since the church was planted by Rev Charles Byrne, as a new fellowship in 1988), and our prayerful and financial support of eight missionaries and/or mission groups. CBBC’s mission committee, who serve in many ways including raising money from car boot sales, an annual ‘Mission Munch’ and May Mission Month envelopes, organising knitted garments to be sent to people in need in colder climates, and supporting the Used Stamp Ministry wholeheartedly. The church family has been ‘blessed to be a blessing’. Ten weekly home groups who meet for in-depth Bible study, an early morning prayer meeting held mid-week and on Sunday mornings— prayer undergirds every church ministry.

Each year, one of CBBC’s Sunday morning services becomes a Community Heroes Thank You Service followed

by a Family Fun Day. On that morning, the church family takes time to give thanks to Coolum Beach’s Emergency Services volunteers and workers. Representatives from local organisations, all wearing their uniforms, join our congregation, and we welcome special guests to participate in our worship time. Carefully worded advertising to the nearby suburbs brings parents and children who are, so far, not part of our church family, to enjoy the Sunshine Coast ‘Son-Shine’ with us. Colourful, eye-catching brochures and leaflets, given out at the service, offer a courteous and caring Christian message, and all church ministries are showcased in the hall. Gift hampers of treats and goodies, to share with their workmates during tea/coffee breaks, were received by representatives of each Emergency Service Hero Group. A Family Fun Day followed the church service. No matter which age group was relaxing in the great outdoors, everyone enjoyed the fun:

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Around the regions

QCCC

QUEENSLAND CONFERENCE AND CAMPING CENTRES

DISCOVER QCCC TAMBORINE Situated in the beautiful Gold Coast Hinterland, we have 4 venues that would be perfect for hosting your next family camp, youth retreat or men’s and women’s getaways.

those who were young enough to enjoy the free rides, jumping castle, mobile rock-wall climbing, harnessed trampoline acrobatics, and face-painting; teens; parents; and the ladies and gents (considerably older than the ‘three score years and ten’ mentioned in Psalm 90:10). There were many opportunities for fellowship with church friends, and for welcoming locals from the community, one-to-one, while the children were happily occupied. The amazing teamwork of CBBC’s ‘ableand-active’ family members,

to provide food and willing service on the day, was a great example of love in action. At the recent Community Heroes Thank You Service and Fun Day, the CBBC family was not only saying ‘thank you’, but also sowing ‘conversational seeds’, during friendly encounters, with many visitors whose backgrounds were scattered across a wide variety of ages and interests. Mark 4:26-32 reassures the church family that as they continue in various areas of service for our Lord, man sows the seed, but God gives the increase.

The Open Door

Retreat

Queensland Baptists’ Retreat Lodge

From delicious meals to comfortable accommodation, we have everything to provide your guests with a memorable experience. Contact us now!

www.qccc.com.au bookings@tamborine.qccc.com.au 07 5545 1417

Relax

Refresh

The Open Door is situated 30km north of Gympie on Mt Kanigan in a rural setting with spectacular 360

degree views. The complex sleeps 27-30 people in seven bedrooms and one dormitory and there are two kitchens, two lounge rooms, four bathrooms, a dining room and fireplace. Other amenities include a children’s play area and games room (pool and ping-pong tables) and a small meeting room/chapel.

The Open Door is a relaxed, refreshing environment that provides a unique uninterrupted setting for leadership seminars, prayer retreats, team weekends and missionary holidays.

For further information contact: Queensland Baptists Phone: (07) 3354 5600 Email: enquiries@qb.com.au

www.qb.com.au

Spreading the good news

02/15 to call sufficiently qualified people but his call qualifies the person sufficiently”’ (Shova). Dave Irwin is involved in worship and young adult ministry at Bridgeman Baptist Community Church. He is also highly involved with JC Epidemic, a ministry that is passionate about extreme action sports and sharing the life changing power of Jesus Christ. Dave often has the opportunity to present the gospel to the gathered crowds and invite them to make a response.

God’s call qualifies sufficiently Emerging evangelists from around Australia met in Melbourne, 21-22 October 2014. Crossover Australia, as the part of Australian Baptist Ministries, has the role to promote and encourage evangelism around Australia. Crossover is funded by the annual Good Friday offerings taken up by many Baptist churches nationally. This year, Crossover and Queensland Baptists sponsored four emerging evangelists who were nominated by their local churches to meet with other emerging evangelists from around Australia. Twenty-five delegates attended. The keynote speaker was Dennis Pethers from the United Kingdom who has been encouraging churches to become involved in grassroots evangelism in the communities where God has placed us. An encouraging link between Dennis and our Queensland Baptists’ board focus for this year is his definition of evangelism as ‘discipling people towards Christ’.

Meet our Queensland delegates Joshua Logo Avia is one of the youth leaders

at Hosanna Church Brisbane where his father is the senior pastor. The church, planted six years ago, now has 400–500 members and 20% of this number is youth. Joshua is involved in building meaningful relationships with other young people. ‘It was definitely a highlight listening to the experiences of other Christians and how they have approached different situations. I’ve gained a lot more knowledge in the area of spiritual warfare, which was explained so simply’ (Joshua). Shova Gurung is originally from Nepal. She works as a community welfare worker with the Annerley Baptist Church. She works with international students, migrants and refugees. Over the last two years through her ministry she has been leading people to Christ with more than 12 people from different nationalities testifying to the their faith in Jesus through baptism. ‘I want to say thank you to Crossover for organising the wonderful conference. I was grateful to share about my journey with the Lord and filled with encouragement after hearing the amazing testimonies of the other participants. For me this conference confirmed my evangelist dream. I left the conference with the following words resonating in my heart: “God never seems

‘I want to thank Crossover for the chance to head down to the emerging evangelists’ conference. Hearing from the other attendees about how God is using them, and what he is doing around our nation, filled my heart with joy, and led to me returning to Brisbane with a boost of endurance and perseverance after being reminded of how much God truly loves this nation and world’ (David). Brad Van der Linde is one of the pastors at the Living Temple Baptist Church. His main role is to assist the church in maintaining an outward focus. The Lord has given Brad a passion for assisting people who don’t work in a Christian environment to use their lives as a platform for evangelism. ‘One of the key things that stuck out for me, was the principle of asking God to show us what he is already doing in our community. Something we will be doing at Living Temple Christian Church is placing addresses of all those who are part of the church as red dots on a Google map. The map will be known as Living Temple Christian Church and will be a reminder that the church is not the building, but the people who have Jesus in their lives’ (Brad).

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The body of Christ

Exchanging ideas to build the kingdom In October 2014, QB Regional Consultant Emil Rahimov headed to the USA to be the main speaker at the 77th Annual Congress of the Slavic Baptist Association of the Pacific Coast. The association consists of 37 member churches and around 8,000 individual members. It was formed by three major waves of migration of Slavic Baptists to the USA. The first wave was evangelical refugees escaping Russia after the rise of communism, the second was displaced people from World War II, and the third wave wasBaptists who were allowed to come to America after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 90s. Slavic Baptists of the Pacific Coast are very mission minded and their vision extends beyond the Slavic community of the USA to the Slavic community scattered in Europe and other parts of the world. For example, with the help of the association, one church planter family started seven churches consisting of Slavic migrants in Italy. A major challenge for the association is helping churches integrate the generation born in America. A survey taken during the congress indicated that 83% of attendees were still using a language other than English in their household (mainly Russian and Ukrainian), whereas 58% of their children spoke mainly English. Of

those surveyed, 83% responded that there is a necessity to use English in their churches, and 60% said that their churches need a parallel English service. Emil was asked to conduct an elective on how Queensland Baptists (QB) integrates ethnic churches, what the ministry challenges for ethnic churches are, and how they are overcome. Youth and young adults are the particular area of concern of the association. Significant resources are invested to help those people who are struggling with integration, and thus can be exposed to negative influences, such as drug addiction. Many churches implement a rehabilitation program where youth who want to be freed from drugs are supervised by church people to help them overcome their addictions. Emil visited one of these programs with the Rev Nickolai Burgives, one of the leaders of the association. Each day at 7.00 am, drug addicts come together for Bible reading, prayer and devotion and then they go back to their places with their supervisors and mentors. The program is working, and a number of people have been released from this bondage. At the morning service Emil attended, he was touched to see one of the young men give his life to Christ. During the exchange of ministry experiences, the leadership of the association became interested in our QB pastors’ registration program—to the

extent that they asked Emil to speak on that topic also. The association is now considering using QB’s experiences and adopting the program to suit their own needs so that it will help their ministry and extend the kingdom. There was another helpful exchange of ideas around the conventions that QB conducts each year. The association purchased Sierra Pines Camp that churches hire for different programs. Following QB’s example, the leadership is now considering shifting their annual conventions to the campsite which, according to them, will help families participate and will bring along more younger generations. Emil said: ‘I indeed enjoyed my time in the USA, interacting with my brothers and sisters in the Lord. They are very zealous for the Lord and generous in ministry. They do have significant challenges, and they fervently seek God’s face and are open to learn from other experiences so that they are effective in ministry.’

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Knowing God

QUEENSLAND BAPTISTS 2015 THEME

KNOWING GOD PART ONE

DISCIPLESHIP Then Jesus came near and said to them, ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age’ (Matthew 28:18-20). When Jesus spoke, people listened—and so should we! Some people were still coming to terms with the reality of the resurrection of Jesus. He had their full attention. Now he speaks these words of assignment. His sovereignty is asserted. ‘All authority has been given to me.’ Even more reason to hear and to heed! Pause … Reread the charge given. Note the four actions: go, make disciples, baptise, teach. Reflect ... Which of these is most important? The original language makes it very clear. The key action is ‘make disciples’. The other actions explain the process. We could read it this way: make disciples by going, baptising and teaching. This is the commission that Jesus gave to all his followers—even Queensland Baptists! This is reason enough for the QB Board to make discipleship our focus. We can add to this, in that the National Church Life Survey has also indicated this needs to be a priority. Anecdotally, as we move amongst the churches, we also affirm that churches need to prioritise the ministry of discipleship. In its simplest definition, a disciple is a learner. So Jesus has commanded that we, who are learners, ought to actively make learners of others. In other words, we need to ensure an authentic discipleship process that leads to intentional disciple-making.

Jesus outlined the process. We are to go. That means we get up, move out and do it! Baptising is a part of our Baptist DNA. Some of our forebears died advocating it as being biblical. It is the Jesus way of outwardly demonstrating the inward change that took place when we became followers of Christ. And then we are to teach. But it is not mere teaching that Jesus advocates. Jesus directs us to teach others to obey his commands-obedience is primary to the teaching. Now, pause again and reflect … How many of the commands of Jesus can you quote? As a learner you need to be applying. To fulfil this commission, we need to be teaching others to obey them! This demands application in numerous ways. As Queensland Baptists we will engage in the process. The QB Board has spent time considering what this might look like. It has, through a long process, drawn up a ‘manifesto’ for Queensland Baptists. This will never make it into the constitution and over time will probably undergo a few changes. However, it stands as a document that outlines aspects of our identity and journey. It begins, ‘We are QB and we are followers of Jesus. We are not yet perfect but we are on a journey. Established in love, we continue to move, by faith, steadfastly towards the hope that is set before us. We are seeking God; we are being transformed; we are intentional about how we live for Jesus; we are committed to the Great Commission. We are being unified under the Lordship of Christ,’ and ends with, ‘And where prayer prevails God acts’. In between are a number of statements— some are aspirational, but all revolve around knowing God: discipleship. You will find your copy of the manifesto in this issue. I commend it to you to prayerfully apply—both personally and in your church. David Loder david.loder@qb.com.au

You are welcome to join us at the Queensland Conference & Camping Centre, Mapleton (Obi Obi Road) THESE EVENTS ON FRIDAY 10 APRIL 2015 ARE FREE OF CHARGE

FRIDAY 10 APRIL 2015

Lunch - 12.30pm Electives (Edmund & Ann Chan) - 1.30pm Afternoon Tea - 3.30pm QB Thanksgiving & Recognition Service - 4.00pm (Speaker: Edmund Chan) QB Celebration Dinner - 5.30pm For more information or to book (for catering purposes) please contact admin@qb.com.au, ph 3354 5600, or register online at events.qb.com.au

Rev Edmund Chan Rev Edmund Chan will speak at the Pastors’ & Spouses’ Retreat 7-9 April and also at QB Leadership Day. The Leadership Mentor of Covenant Evangelical Free Church, Rev Chan is widely regarded as a seasoned disciplemaking pastor, an insightful Bible expositor, and a mentor of Christian leaders.

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QB training review

Queensland Baptist Training Review In the last issue of The qb, David Loder introduced the QB Training Review. I’ll not repeat too much of what he wrote, so please refer to his article for more of the practical details. Who was the Review Group? Rev Dr David Loder shouldn’t need an introduction as he has served as our General Superintendent since 1999. Helen Bates serves as an Associate Pastor at Gateway Church, has worked with YWAM, and is a visiting lecturer at the Berean School of Ministry in the Philippines. Colin Stoodley has recently been appointed as leader of Mission to Queensland (supporting our church planting). He has twice planted churches and has taught at Christian Heritage College and The Pines Training Centre. My background is in medicine, with involvement in teaching for my medical speciality (Public Health) at state and national levels. I am currently Associate Pastor at Toowoomba Community Baptist Church.

part-time Christian. We are all called to ‘whole-of-life’ discipleship. Therefore training should equip us for all the contexts in which we live, work and play. The pastor-teacher’s responsibility is not limited to equipping God’s people for church programs, but for family, work, leisure, and volunteer activities— everywhere we interact with others.

Training should include ‘head, heart and hands’.

While our backgrounds are diverse, we were united in our vision for training. Our first recommendation was ‘that the focus of training be on “making disciples who make disciples”’. God calls his people to engage in his mission in this world, and training is the means for equipping his church for this mission. This is the lens through which all our recommendations should be viewed.

Training should include ‘head, heart and hands’. We need to know Scripture, and how people have understood Scripture at different times and places, and how that understanding affected what they did. We call this ‘head’ knowledge, while recognising that this impacts on what we do. ‘Heart’ is about our attitudes. The foundation of our attitudes is our relationship with Jesus—this relationship underpins our ethics and so directly affects our actions. Finally, ‘hands’ is about practical skills: preaching, church planting, conducting a wedding, counselling those who grieve.

This mission encompasses everything we do. There is no such thing as a

Once a person told me, ‘You train dogs, but educate humans’. If you prefer

‘education’ to ‘training’, please substitute one for the other in this article, but do remember to include ‘head, heart and hands’. Our other recommendations mostly related to either flexibility or supervised practice. The purpose of supervised practice is to develop ‘heart and hands’. It is quite difficult for academic institutions to provide this directly. Our college provides several Field Education subjects, and supervised practice builds on these. The difference is that supervised practice occurs after registration as a minister with Queensland Baptists. People must be working as a pastor at least three days a week. During Field Education they are students; during Supervised Practice they are practitioners. We partly copied this model from another Baptist Union, but it is familiar territory for me. As a medical student I saw patients most days—my ‘field education’; but once I graduated I worked as an intern—supervised practice. This recommendation was warmly received in our discussions with pastors across the state. We also had discussions with a number of people who had recently been on pastoral search teams, asking them, ‘What sort of pastor were you looking for?’ In total, we were able to connect with 64 people through 28 interviews/written comments. We are deeply indebted to those who

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contributed. We had an amazing opportunity to learn from a variety of people with some strong opinions about their training experiences. We wished we could have talked to even more people, but as we all had multiple other responsibilities, this wasn’t possible. One final word about supervised practice: it will fail unless supervisors are trained and supported. This is the reason for the appointment of an additional

regional consultant, which David mentioned in his article. It directly addresses the vision of ‘making disciples who make disciples’. Supervision, mentoring, coaching, whatever term you prefer, the purpose is to equip people to be disciples who make disciples. So the extra regional consultant appointment is not about extra paperwork (although I imagine there will be some), but rather to enable deeper relationships between supervisors and the supervised. Our more contentious recommendations concern flexibility. Queensland Baptists already allow considerable flexibility in pathways to registration and ordination. Our review attempted to describe an ideal training pathway, so our brief did not include registration and ordination and our recommendations would stand, even

QB training review

if these were abolished. This is not to suggest they will be! We suggested that training paths should include Malyon and The Training Collaborative (previously CALAM), and other similar institutions. However, training through Queensland Baptist institutions does give prospective pastors some understanding of QB culture in all its diversity. We are also keen that previous training and experience be

recognised, and are not so concerned about completing academic courses prescribed by outside bodies. Students should be encouraged to examine their own needs, and develop individual training plans. Of course, the danger with flexibility is that some will test the margins and do as little as possible. We recommend that QB Ministerial Services expand their role somewhat to include oversight of supervised practice and recognition of prior learning. The implementation committee will discover whether or not they are happy with the increased burden our recommendations place upon them! I felt there were two important limitations to our review. Firstly, we ran out of time and energy to

provide concrete recommendations for training of ‘lay’ people. The principles in our recommendations are relevant to all training, but our specific recommendations mainly concerned pastoral training. So our committee recommended that another committee be formed to make further recommendations. A bit sad really. The second limitation was too few recommendations on development

of the ‘heart’. How do we deepen our relationship with Jesus? How do we encourage others to deepen their relationship with Jesus? We certainly hope and pray that supervised practice will be part of the solution, and that through the experience of formal supervision, pastors and other church leaders will be empowered and encouraged to mentor/disciple people throughout their churches to deepen their relationship with Jesus, and so become disciple-making disciples. Dr Neil Parker is the Associate Pastor at Toowoomba Community Baptist Church neil.ray.parker@gmail.com

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QB kids and their families

Are you ready?

leaders of children that this generation so desperately needs!

We are so excited about IGNITE 2015! Mark the date in your calendar now! 7 March 2015 We would love to see you there!

This year we are celebrating the theme of INNOVATION! Come along to hear inspiring keynote speakers, informative electives, see resources and connect with others in this children’s ministry journey!

QB Kids and their Families has partnered with Queensland Children’s Ministry Network for the last 11 years, and recommends that all their leaders come along to be equipped, trained, inspired and empowered to be the

Speakers include David Wakerley (Kids Pastor & Creative Director at Hillsong Kids), Josh Laack (Team Leader— Underground @ Rivers Church of Christ & SU Chaplain), Caleb Hearne (Kids Pastor at Highway Church) and Naomi Cahill (School Chaplain in Inala, Brisbane).

Can’t wait to see you all! There are opportunities for country delegates to attend too, as well as junior leaders. Visit igniteexpo.org.au for more details, or to register!

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Baplink

2014 grants announced Here at Queensland Baptists, we are delighted to announce that a total of 28 churches received grants (from a total pool of $101,423) in this year’s Ministry Grants funded from the surplus of Baplink operations in 2013/14. Our prayers for God’s rich blessings on these ministry projects accompany the funds! • • •

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Agnes Water/1770 Baptist Church: purchase a portable PA system and 32 kids’ Bibles for Kidz Church Beaudesert Baptist Church: fit out the discipleship room—screen, chairs and curtains Bellbowrie District Baptist Church: purchase PA equipment, speakers, microphones, data projector and screen to set up in new location Bracken Ridge Baptist Church: purchase resource materials to

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enable the leadership training of key young people Bridgeman Baptist Community Church: purchase iPad, headphones, sensory material, interactive whiteboard, printer and laminator to support kids’ church participants with special needs Chuwar Baptist Church: undertake internal refurbishment and repairs to the manse City North Baptist Church: purchase resources to facilitate a one-on-one discipleship program Coral Coast Christian Church: purchase resources to run Crown Financial Resources courses Discovery Baptist Church: assist with wages for a youth intern Fairfield Christian Family: construct a shed for storage of Boys’ Brigade

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gear Flame Tree Baptist Church: hold local Christmas carols event Forest Lake Baptist Church: fit out a food trailer to serve disadvantaged people in the community Hosanna Logan City: hold a Christmas carols event in the local park to engage with the local community KawanaLife: produce a ‘Welcome Pack’ to create connections with new neighbours in the community Kingsridge Baptist Church: purchase a translation sound system to facilitate translation church attendees Kruger Parade Baptist Church: purchase tables, chairs, carpet and resource materials to set up a resource room to run short courses

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Baplink

Logan Grace Baptist Church: fund the personnel costs to run a Gospel Choir to engage with the local community and opportunities for church attendees Longreach Baptist Church: purchase Alpha course material, photocopier, portable PA and laptop to run an Alpha course Minden Baptist Church: install air-conditioning in the back room which is the location of ministry sessions Mt Warren Park Community Church: hold a mini-fair at local school and produce church flyers to engage with the local community New Heart Baptist Church: install air conditioning and safety glass at Balmoral Campus

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Park Ridge Baptist Church: purchase a coffee machine to be used for ‘Pamper the Princess’ functions for women in the community, and other activities Silkstone Baptist Church: purchase an old car and camping gear for Over 18’s Ministry projects South Pine Community Church: enable the youth group to refurbish the local school lunch area to engage with the school community by serving Stanthorpe Baptist Church: purchase items for the coffee shop fit out—outdoor settings, heaters, planter boxes, counter, lighting, signage, appliances

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Sunnybank District Baptist Church: purchase Mandarin and English resources for women’s ministry Toowoomba Community Baptist Church: build a custom cupboard for the Food Pantry ministry Windsor Road Baptist Church: purchase coffee machine equipment and furniture to work in conjunction with the Thrift Shop ministry to facilitate discipleship conversations with customers.

BAPLinK investing in ministry

Courses include: - Diploma of Business - Bachelor of Business - Bachelor of Education - Diploma of Social Science - Bachelor of Social Science - Master of Counselling - Diploma of Ministry Studies - Bachelor of Ministry

Combine your passion with your purpose chc.edu.au

Business QB_2015.indd 1

Education & Humanities

Social Sciences

Ministries 8/01/2015 12:51 pm

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Baplink grant

A book for all leaders

Warren Crank, lead pastor at Northreach Baptist Church, has released his book, The Resolute Leader. Made possible through a BapLink grant a couple of years ago that covered publication costs for the first 500 books, The Resolute Leader is being sent to all Queensland Baptist pastors. In his overview, Warren writes: ‘There was a murder on the steps of our church. I’d been the lead pastor of the church for a grand total of one year. It was my rookie year in the big league. I didn’t really know how to lead the Church on a mission to care for people and meet needs. Jethro showed me how. His God-inspired structure, taught in Exodus 18, is simple enough. Some lead 10s, others 50s and so on. ‘What may not be so clear is how to create and maintain that sort of structure in your church or Christian organisation. This book will teach you how to do this. The content in the following chapters is intended to make the elements of Jethro’s structure applicable to any church, organisation and mission team so that leaders can implement them. What will be set out in the chapters that follow is my extrapolation of Jethro’s structure. I call it “The Jethro Model”’. Reviewing the book, Rev Dr John Sweetman, Principal at Malyon wrote: ‘I must admit I was impressed. The book is insightful, thorough, logical and well written. It contains lots of

great ideas and is interesting to read. I would be very pleased to use it as a basis for a unit on church leadership. Well done Warren. It shows a lot of creative and logical thinking and productive hard work. It is an opus. I also found it personally challenging and helpful. I learned a few new things myself. Plenty of interesting, relevant stories too. It is a brilliant effort and well worth every lead pastor reading it. As I said, I would be pleased to use it as a resource for training pastors. I doubt that I could write something as well-crafted as this myself. Others have said: ‘For those who can’t figure it out and for those who think they have but aren’t sure, The Resolute Leader is a must read’ (Dr Paul D. Borden, Author: Make or Break Your Church in 365 Days, USA). ‘In The Resolute Leader, Warren Crank builds a helpful paradigm for leadership that is both practical and biblical. As a thoughtful practitioner, he’s crafted a helpful handbook on leadership development that you should read with your leadership team’ (Ed Stetzer, President of LifeWay Research, Nashville, USA). You can get your copy of Warren’s book by emailing sales@chibooks.org, or enquire at your favourite Christian bookstore.

developing Christians of influence Degrees in theology and ministry Bachelor | Masters | Doctoral

Warren sincerely thanks BapLink for their support with this project.

‘Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding’ (Jeremiah 3.15).

www.malyon.edu.au

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QB youth

After four years heading up QB Youth it has been my pleasure to have led alongside some incredible youth and young adult pastors around Queensland. I have been so encouraged by what God is doing through so many youth and young adult ministries around our state.

3. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been great seeing youth pastors connect with each other and feel supported in what, I believe, is the most important and challenging ministry in church life. Groups of youth and young adult pastors are meeting together all over the state to support, challenge and cheer each other on.

As I reflect over the past four years, here are some of the significant things we have seen:

Here at QB Youth we support leaders, pastors and churches with youth and young adult ministries, and will continue to do so.

1. It has been encouraging and exciting to see a vitally important shift from simply entertaining young people on Friday nights in youth groups, to seeing young people ministered too and seeing numbers of young people become followers of Jesus through youth ministries. 2. Over the past few years it has been encouraging to see churches take

Dave Morrow

the faith steps to appoint a youth and young adult pastor and allocate budgets for them to reach the young people in their community. It has also been encouraging to see what God has done as a result. Can I continue to strongly encourage more churches to take the faith steps to give time and finances to reaching the next generation?

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QB women

day and in every way. This year you are going to conquer that mountain, walk on that ocean, and break down the walls. It’s time to stop trying harder; time to get HIS strength on. Sue Peters Director, QB Women, Director, Australian Baptist Women, President, Baptist Women’s Union of the South West Pacific www.sheis.net.au www.sheisleading.com admin@sheis.net.au

Life is one huge adventure, to be fully lived and experienced. Any adventure, any dream, any success requires bravery. Bravery means feeling scared and doing it anyway. Rosa Parks was brave. She refused to give up her bus seat to a white person. This led to a bus boycott led by Martin Luther King. This moment was the beginning of the end of segregation in America. It was bravery that caused Catherine Booth to stand and speak in her church, even though her husband, her church and her culture believed respectable women should not speak in public. She went on to be a partner in establishing The Salvation Army, and led the fight against unfair and unsafe working conditions for children and women. It was bravery that enabled Sharon to escape an abusive marriage and raise three girls on her own. All three girls made it to university, and she has established her own accounting business. Her long term dream of safety, of a warm home, of a flourishing life took little brave steps, over and over. It was bravery that made Catherine pick up the phone and call her doctor’s office to make an appointment. That day she took her first small step in the long journey towards healing, to live a life free of debilitating depression. In the movie ‘We bought a zoo’, I love the moment when the main character, Benjamin says, ‘You know,

sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery, and I promise you something great will come of it’. For many of us, that is all it will take: 20 seconds to pivot our lives from the direction of loss and hurt towards, instead, a life of grace and love. A few thousand years ago the Bible put it this way, ‘Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin’ (Zechariah 4:10 NLT). ‘She is...BRAVE’ in 2015 will be all about ‘getting your brave on’: finding God’s strength, discovering your courage and rising up to be the woman he created you to be. We will be in five locations across Queensland, and we hope to connect every woman who desires to rise up and be brave—every

‘When Sue told me that the 2015 camps and conferences would be called “She is… BRAVE”, I silently said to myself, “That is mine”. Brave seemed to be the word over my life’s season. So I was beyond thrilled when a few weeks later she asked me to be a keynote speaker for “She is…BRAVE”. It was a moment of “yes and amen”. Since then, God has been bombarding my spirit with verses, ideas, teachings he wants to tell his women. I am bursting with his word and cannot wait, simply can’t wait, to share it with you. God is doing something amazing with his women across the planet and when you come to our regional events you are connecting with the global force of brave women. So please come, I can’t wait to be with you. Elissa Macpherson is an author and international speaker. She has written two books, ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Mirror, Mirror’. Elissa lives to pursue the beauty of God and infuse that truth into the lives of women. She desires to see women live in beauty, freedom and joy. Elissa has a passion for the abandoned girls of Asia, and in 2015 she will speak at the global Baptist Women’s Leadership Conference in South Africa on the issue of gendercide. She has been married for 25 years, has three amazing kids and lives on a vineyard in country Queensland. She loves shoes, glitter, chick flicks, reading, coffee and laughing until she gets hiccups.

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RC appointment

Part of their ministry preparation and training took place at The Stephen Olford Centre for Biblical Preaching, in Memphis, TN, USA. As a result, Pieter and Barbara are committed to the sound expository preaching and teaching of God’s Word. Their crosscultural and international experience has shaped them for effective ministry in various contexts. Passionate in their desire to see people reached with the life-changing love of Jesus Christ, discipled and equipped for life and Christian service, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, Pieter and Barbara love to see people, in turn, released into gift-orientated ministry. Pieter and Barbara have three children and one grandchild. Their children are all actively involved in their own local churches. About his role as QB Regional Consultant for North Qld, Pieter says:

Introducing Rev Pieter Henning—QB Regional Consultant for North Qld At the end of 2014, the QB Board was delighted to announce the appointment of Rev Pieter Henning as Regional Consultant for North Queensland, in a part-time capacity from 1 January 2015, transitioning to full time by the end of the year. Pieter has been associated with Queensland Baptists as an accredited minister since 2008. Together with Barbara, he has served as the senior pastor at Dalby Baptist Church, and is currently serving as the pastor at the Whitsunday Church in Airlie Beach. Pieter has a business and business-lecturing background: he left the banking industry to pursue

a theological degree at the Baptist Theological College of Southern Africa. Ordained as a Baptist Minister in South Africa in 2005, he has served as the senior pastor at Ladysmith Baptist Church, and as the moderator at Krugersdorp Baptist Church in Johannesburg. Prior to coming to Australia, and while serving as a board director and member of the senior leadership team of Multi Ministries International, Pieter and his wife, Barbara, were involved in the training of rural pastors as well as evangelism in various countries around Southern Africa.

‘We are both humbled and excited at being afforded the opportunity to serve and learn from, and about the uniqueness of, the churches around North Queensland in this new role. Furthermore, we’re encouraged to be able to serve together with wonderful colleagues as part of the QB ministry team. Those who have previously served in this role, such as Col and Judy Peaker and Steve and Sue Twible, and others as well, have set a high standard and done such an exceptional job. We also hope to be an encouragement and blessing to QB churches around Far North and North Queensland. Getting around and meeting all those around the region, as soon as possible, will be one of my first priorities. In addition, our time as the pastoral family at Whitsunday Baptist Church in Airlie Beach continues to be very special, with the support of a wonderful church family, albeit only in a part-time capacity as from 1 January. When a new full-time pastor is appointed for WBC, we will transition full-time into the RC role.’

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Persecution brief

Please pray! EGYPT Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has been informed that the six-year sentences handed down to three members of the Church of Iran denomination have been revoked following an appeal hearing on 9 December. Pastors Behnam Irani, Matthias Haghnejad and Deacon Silas Rabbani were informed that charges against them had been dropped. Pastor Haghnejad and Deacon Rabbani were subsequently released; however, Pastor Irani remains in Ghezal Hesar Prison in Karaj, where he is serving a one year sentence for action against the state and a five-year sentence for ‘action against national security’. The three clergymen were initially charged with Mofsed-efilarz, or ‘spreading corruption on earth’, while the two pastors faced the charge of Moharebeh, enmity against God, both of which are capital offences. However, these charges were later dropped and they were tried for ‘action against national security’ and ‘creating a network to overthrow the system’, and each sentenced to six-year imprisonment. SUDAN Police and security officers arrived at 6am 4 December, in nine police vans and began demolishing part of the church building before arresting 37 people who were praying in the church. The group of 15 women and 22 men were detained before being charged under sections 69, 77 and 99 of the criminal code with ‘breach of the peace, public nuisance and obstruction of a public servant during the course of his duty’.

Eleven of the detainees were then transferred to Khartoum Bahri Criminal Court, which acquitted two of the group and found the rest guilty of the charges, imposing a fine of 250 Sudanese Pounds (SDP) ($43 USD). Eleven others were sent to Omar El Mukhtar court in Kober, Khartoum North. They were found guilty of the charges and were also fined 250 SDP. The final 15 were tried at the El Jireif West Criminal court and were all acquitted. The raid on 2 December is one of a series of actions taken against the Bahri Evangelical Church in recent weeks. On 17 November, security personnel arrived at the church and demolished a wall of the main building and neighbouring houses. Security personnel presented the church leaders with a court order demanding that the property be given to a Muslim businessman who was the alleged owner. On 18 November, the church leaders filed a formal challenge over the legal ownership and are awaiting a court decision. On the same day, security personnel arrived with a second court order requiring that all property be removed from one of the houses and padlocks belonging to the Muslim businessman fitted on all doors. Church members formed a human shield preventing the security personnel from interfering with the property. Finally, on 25 November, eight people were arrested for refusing to comply with the court orders to hand over the church to the Muslim businessman. The group, including five church leaders were named as the Rev. Daud Fadul, elder Fathi Hakim, elder Nouh Manzoul, deacon Iman Hamid and Tilal Mafishi. SOURCE: Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)

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QCCC

there being many aspects to being the head, heart and feet of Christ in a given context. In this article and in the April issue of The qb, I will break down the six Ps as they apply to camping.

Practice of the presence—living with courage: In Untamed, Alan and Debra Hirsch gently critique the creation of modern Christian ghettos where ‘too many Christians “hang out” only with other Christians and in environments frequented by Christians,’ as fulfillment of the seditious Steve Taylor song from the 1980s, Guilty by Association, where Christians only ‘drink milk from a Christian cow’. They suggest the ‘missional movement’ of the last decade has made great strides in breaking down church-created barriers to involvement in society, encouraging people to make intentional choices to move out of religious zones and be where people are. No doubt this edition of The qb will be full of examples of just this.

Christian leadership in the great outdoors

The six Ps of camping

The Forge Missional Training Network uses six incarnational discipleship practices called ‘the six Ps’ to help imbed mission into the lives of their interns. Forge’s approach is tuned towards people living in a community and becoming like Jesus. At QCCC, the majority of our time and ministry focus is given over to catering to 50,000 guests for shortterm stays. This may make the longterm relational aspect of mission harder, but it’s still possible to live the six Ps and create a community in camping which fulfils a vital role in the body of Christ,

Creating a Christian enclave is not an option for a modern camping ministry. Thousands of people visit our sites annually and the majority of these people don’t attend Sunday church. A modern campsite operates across all three mandates of Christian witness, and at all points of the Engel Scale of spiritual maturity. In coming years, QCCC’s presence with guests will be lengthened through the provision of sequential camping programs, prompting school students to visit QCCC several times, and for longer periods. We have to take our key constituencies seriously, understand their history, stories, heroes, books and music, in order to understand their take on things and help them understand the gospel in relevant terms (Acts 17:22-33). We cannot take ourselves out of the equation of mission, and such a calling requires us to live compelling lives—with integrity. Michael Frost suggests ‘it requires godly verve, flexibility and energy to be missional’.

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QCCC

Practice of proximity—be a team:

Practice of powerlessness— humility in the midst:

If our lives are to be a living example of the hope of the gospel, it requires proximity. If we are to be the incarnation of the Christ-life, we must take seriously the call to live up close and personal with the people God sends to us, understanding his desire is to redeem all things to himself.

Three of the gospels record an incident where parents bring their children to Jesus, only to have the disciples scold the parents for their presumption (Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17). Jesus becomes angry with his disciples and urges them to ‘let the children come to me’. Two thousand years later, camping still brings the children to him, especially children from the family contexts most hostile to the things of God, far removed from the influence of institutionalised church. This is a responsibility which bears daily reminding—the honour to welcome the ‘least of these’ and those furthest away from the Father into a sphere of Christian influence.

We know successful outdoor education is experiential, and it shouldn’t be any different with our incarnation. People need to see Christ in our values, beliefs, and practices, expressed in cultural forms that make sense and convey impact. Leonard Sweet suggests one of the unintended and unfortunate outcomes of the Protestant Reformation is that ‘Lent beat Carnival to a pulp. Feasting as a ritual celebration was deemed gluttonous’, the Lord’s Supper became metaphor and wakes and weddings more reveries than revelry. Camping’s strengths are perfectly suited to providing a living example of ‘the Carnival’ through the breathtaking generosity and celebration of Christ’s disciples. We do this through excellence in hospitality and service.

Jesus turned this episode into one of his exercises of experiential education. He took the children into his arms and blessed them after suggesting ‘the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children’. It was a powerful and provocative example, because children did not enjoy high standing in first century Jewish society, and clearly the disciples who witnessed

it didn’t forget. Children pour into our sites with wide-eyed wonder, a constant reminder of the beguiling innocence and a call to the humble lifestyle required to be ‘great’ in the kingdom of God. Many come from backgrounds of extreme brokenness and find their time in our camping communities a restorative and refreshing break. Hirsch suggests ‘the great challenge for us is to recognise that to be weak, needy and even powerless is part of the human condition, not something to be abhorred’. Jesus advocated a way of life in the humblest of terms, as a servant, while Philippians 2: 1-15 provides a template for the lifestyle of humility required for a welcoming community, such as ours, to have a positive influence on its guests. We can subvert evil and brokenness through Christlike service.

Andrew Grant Director of Queensland Conference and Camping Centres andrew.grant@ qccc.com.au www.qccc.com.au

02/15

Carinity

It’s not easy— it’s important ‘Spirit of power’ gives strength to teenagers in their darkest hour. They say growing up is hard to do and surviving the teenage years is a challenge for both young people and their parents. Thankfully there is help when things get tough. Psychologist Stephen Braun delivers Carinity Communities – Wahroonga’s Adolescent Wellness Program in Rockhampton. Stephen was drawn to a career in clinical psychology in his mid-twenties working initially as an organisational psychologist. He enjoyed his corporate work but decided he could make more impact on people’s lives working in a clinical setting. While studying his Masters in Clinical Psychology he was involved in a research project treating adolescents with conduct disorder, a diagnosis characterised by extremely challenging behaviours. ‘I was working with deeply troubled boys and girls who were extremely manipulative and would lie and steal. It was fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants counselling; it was exhilarating and I knew I had found my calling,’ Stephen says. He came to Carinity Communities – Wahroonga two years ago and loves his work but admits working with teenagers is demanding. They are often difficult to engage and motivate and require hard work for small gains.

‘Adolescents often don’t turn up and they don’t do their homework. You can’t expect the responsibility and motivation that you get from adults,’ Stephen says. ‘I don’t work with adolescents because it’s easy. I do it because it’s important. The teenage years can be a confusing time because it’s when mental illness often first emerges.’

in May last year. Three of his colleagues lost their jobs and many clients had to be referred elsewhere. ‘It was a real blow. We felt we had achieved so much good, and then the rug was pulled from under us,’ Stephen says. ‘The local schools, parents and students, wanted us to continue helping young people in need. So we just had to come up with a way to keep going.’ He proposed a Medicare funding model and a change in operating hours to three days a week. Clients now need to visit their doctor and obtain a Mental Health Treatment Plan. Stephen has begun marketing to local doctors for referrals. Returning the service to five days a week is essential as the other youth mental health services in Rockhampton are unable to meet demand. A fundraising campaign was launched in November last year with a target of $60,000 to help financially disadvantaged clients better access the service. By Christmas the campaign had raised over $16,000.

‘My faith in God’s calling keeps me going through these challenging times,’ Stephen says. ‘Most of my clients don’t Stephen listens to, and supports, his know this, but I pray before every adolescent clients through tough times, counselling session. I•amCommunities known in the Aged Care • Education • Lifestyle • Y and teaches them coping skills for use community as a Christian psychologist in their daily lives. His aim is to head www.carinity.org.au and will pray and draw on scripture in off emerging depression, anxiety and a session if a client identifies themselves An outreach of Queensland Baptists other mental illness and steer his young We’re as a Christian.’ When asked about his here f clients away from self-destructive coping favourite biblical verse, Stephen quotes measures, such as drugs and alcohol. He 2 Timothy 1:7––, ‘God did not give us teaches practical skills that enable clients a spirit of fear but a spirit of power, of to develop healthy relationships and love and a soundness of mind’. It’s an strong supportive peer groups. appropriate verse to remember when we are experiencing troubles. Stephen’s most difficult cases involve clients with strong suicidal urges, especially when they have a clear plan to take their own lives. ‘This then becomes a crisis situation and the dilemma is to try and keep trust whilst ensuring they remain safe,’ says Stephen.

Stephen’s experiences are an insight into the 11-year success story of Carinity Communities – Wahroonga’s Adolescent Wellness Program. Established to combat growing suicide rates in Rockhampton’s young people aged 12–24 years, Wahroonga’s psychologists have helped more than 1100 clients and have never lost a client to suicide. So it was devastating for Stephen when State Government funding was withdrawn

Carinity Communities – Wahroonga helps young people develop strategies for coping with issues such as abuse, neglect, depression, anxiety, bullying, self harm, suicidal thoughts and family relationships. The counselling and therapy sessions enable clients to engage with their peers, their families and function within the community more effectively. If you would like to offer financial support to Wahroonga please visit www.carinity.org.au/donations or call Stephen on (07) 4922 5226. L to R: Supporters gather to lend their support to Wahroonga after government funding cuts. Stephen Braun speaks to journalist Marlina Whop regarding the loss of government funding .

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Maryborough honour board includes the name of Sister Beryl Corfield

Gallipoli—100 years on This is the centenary year of the Anzacs at Gallipoli—1915, the year that turned Australia from a former British colony into a country with its own national identity. Although one of the smaller Christian denominations, Baptists, like the broader community, were affected by Gallipoli and the Great War. As people began to join up, churches noticed the loss of workers—some pastors signed up as chaplains or YMCA Welfare Officers, several women volunteered as nurses and large numbers of men joined the AIF. Very soon, churches began to erect honour boards to commemorate their members on active service. In 1917, in its yearbook, the Baptist Union printed a long list of the names of people who had joined up. Total Baptist membership for the state was only 2600 in 36 churches, but there were about 650 from 31 churches on the list. Toowoomba had the highest number (62) and Albion was next (56). Already there were 50 wounded, 52 dead, five prisoners of war (POWs), three missing in action (MIA) and seven medal winners. There were six women listed, including Sister Beryl Corfield from Maryborough, who died of typhoid in Egypt; her name was proudly placed on that church’s Honour Board.

QB archives There were many different attitudes towards the war, some of them controversial—one pastor was forced to resign as a consequence of his stance. The war and its aftermath would have profound effects on people and churches, but people volunteered for service just the same. One was Luke H. Flood, an orchardist from Thulimbah near Stanthorpe. Born in the Logan district, he was brought up in Brisbane and attended the City Tabernacle Baptist Church. He began farming in the Lockyer district and, soon after, served for two rounds in the Boer War. When the Great War began, he was hard at work on his farm in the Granite Belt and volunteered to fight again, but he was considered too old at 39. However, in 1916, as the war situation deteriorated, he was called up and served on the Western Front until the end of the war. At the time of his call up, he had recently married Bessie Brett. Although his strong pacifist views were honoured by his assignment to the 4th Pioneers, Class 14 En-gineers, he was still in the line of fire in his work— constructing bridges, roads and other infrastructure. Private Flood suffered from trench fever and influenza, but there seemed to be no lasting effects. He retained his strong Christian faith through the ordeal and made a generous gift to the YMCA on his return in appreciation for the ‘blessing bestowed [by them] during the war’. He returned to the Granite Belt in 1919, resumed his farming work, and cared for his growing family. He did not speak much about the war, or attend Anzac services, but was proud that he and his two sons (who served in WWII) gave altogether over 12 years to ‘king and country’. He died as the result of an accident at the age of 72. His gracious wife, Bessie, lived on until 1975. Contact with the nearest Baptist church in Warwick was only occasional, so the Flood family supported the local Presbyterian church, which was known for its strong evangelistic and missionary interest. He was thankful that his own family supplied

Luke Flood

one of these missionaries, while many of his relatives and in-laws were prominent in Christian work. As was common, Luke’s local church had an honour board and his name was at the head of the list, along with about a dozen others from the community. As often happened, with the advent of another war, the board was replaced with a larger one carrying still more names. As church buildings have changed over the years, sometimes these honour boards have been removed and placed in storage, or sadly, lost. This year, the centenary of the Anzacs, is a good time to bring them out again, refurbish them and reflect on the sacrifice of the people commemorated on them. It is an opportunity for churches to find out more about the service men and women, like Luke Flood and Sister Corfield, and give thanks for their lives. Why not hold an ANZAC memorial service in April. The Baptist Archives would like to collect good clear photographs of these boards for its records and publish them in print and electronically. Please contact us as soon as possible about contributing images. You are welcome to attend our next Baptist Heritage meeting to be held on 21 February at 2 pm at the Archives. Baptist Church Archives archives@qb.com.au, Ph 07 3878 3178, 07 3354 5642 or 07 3256 8897 The Baptist Archives PO Box 6166, Mitchelton Q 5053

02/15

Malyon

We are very pleased to announce the At Malyon we are all about developing Christians of influence. We believe Malyon College has been called by God to help do what he promised: ‘Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding’ (Jeremiah 3:15). We take this to mean that we should be training both the hearts and the minds of our graduates, so that they develop into people who care about others (shepherds), who love and serve God (have a heart after God’s own heart), and who have a strong understanding of the Bible and ministry (knowledge and understanding).

How do we do this? Well, some Christians may come to Malyon and complete a degree. But many won’t. So, while providing high-quality degrees remains our core business, we decided to take the training of Christians way beyond the confines of the college and its degrees. We decided to develop the Malyon Centres. Several years ago we opened the Malyon Leadership Centre to facilitate networks, conferences and professional development for pastors. Since then, we have opened two more centres, one of which is Malyon Traverse.

What is Malyon Traverse? We’re so glad you asked! Traverse is the Malyon Centre for Bridging Church and Culture. The centre’s purpose is to provide training and resources to churches and Christians so they can ‘traverse the gap’ between their personal faith and the culture in which they live.

Dave Benson, Director Malyon Traverse

Dan Paterson, Assistant Director Malyon Traverse

Clearly there’s a gap between Christian faith (both on an individual level and as a church community) and the culture we live in. There’s a gap between who we believe God is and who our culture says God is. This must affect both the way we live and the way the church ‘does mission’ to those living in the Australian context. How can the church Traverse that gap?

Malyon Traverse provides an online platform where Christians and churches can access readings, studies, a blog, small group materials, podcasts and links to help you: • • • •

reconcile the questions of the mind with the longings of the heart re-imagine a church which serves the world make connections between the good news of the gospel and the needs of hurting people in a broken world commend and defend your personal faith in a persuasive, culturally sensitive way.

We also hold a conference once a year so you can connect with like-minded people and be trained in answering some of the big questions people ask about Christianity.

Traverse Conference 2015 COMING SOON to Malyon College Reboot: Becoming a Church for the World Exploring: Theology, Evangelism, Apologetics and Spiritual Practices For all the information or to register go to www.traverse.org.au. See you there!

qb.com.au

MTQ

New MTQ Leader appointed

The Queensland Baptists’ Board has appointed Colin Stoodley to the role of MTQ Leader, to replace James Baker. Colin comes with experience in church planting, training and mentoring church planters, has a Masters of Education Research degree related to the training, coaching and formation of church planters, and has been a QB Minister since 1990. Colin served as a planter for The Salvation Army in Canberra (19811986). ‘We began with a small team and left behind a thriving work of over 100 adults and 70 children; we were thrilled to note that 70% of these were converted while we were there, and four couples applied for ministry within the wider movement’, Colin says. ‘I also served with Queensland Baptists (19941996) planting a work in New Farm. We met at the old QB building and developed a small team and about 30 people attending, with a few significant conversions.’ Colin was Senior Associate at Peace Baptist (1991 and 1994) and Senior

Pastor at Rochedale Baptist, now New Heart (1997–2005). He then joined The Pines Training Centre (established by The Southern Cross Institute in 1997) to train planters and took the leadership role (2006–2011) replacing John Tanner as Director. He was Interim Pastor at Beachside Church (2011–2012) and then served as Senior Lecturer and Course Coordinator Christian Studies at Christian Heritage College, before commencing his own business as a Leadership Consultant in mid-2014. Colin’s commitment to learning is very strong and alongside a busy ministry life he has always studied—seeking to prepare himself more and more effectively for the work he is doing. His background in classical piano has been a great enjoyment for him, and he has led numerous workshops to develop worship teams in churches across Australia. He has also conducted training for leaders in Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia. About his new role, Colin says: ‘I think church planting requires a prayer movement around it to be truly effective,

so I will strive to ensure that there is a strong group of intercessors from around the state to undergird the work. Because I think church planters face unique challenges in their work, I will continue to work with planters personally, to develop their skills and support them as people. I believe the work to be a work for local churches, so I will continue to work with all QB churches to identify opportunities, develop leaders and teams, and then support them as they seek to release and empower those who are called to take advantage of the opportunities God has given.’ Colin is married to Sharon and they have five adult children. Please pray for Colin and Sharon as they embark upon this new ministry journey. Please pray also for James and Heather Baker as they move through this period of transition.

02/15

Global interaction

Will you join us? Do ‘missional’ congregations need to re-engage in global mission? In my travels around churches I have observed that many are taking intentional steps to take the Good News of Jesus to their local neighbours. That surely is a good thing! At the same time, some evidence a scaling back of involvement in global mission. As one commentator, has said, ‘It’s like “missional” has merged with privatised Christianity, becoming selfcentred, apart from developing a mind for their Judeas, Samarias and uttermost parts of the earth’. Mission is about going, rather than about bringing to us. Our God-given task is about sharing the Good News with those who’ve not heard. God is at work among us. We live in a time when global opportunities abound. Let’s pray that the Lord of the harvest will send forth workers.

leave Australia during 2015. All that’s needed are people and churches to pray for them, and to give dollars to partner with them. Will you take the opportunity of joining together to ensure this next phase of Queensland Baptists in global mission gains impetus through our mission arm, Global Interaction? Here are the candidates:

Tristan, Megan and Zechariah—going to Cambodia Contact our office to arrange to have them visit your church.

Ben, Petra, Bryce and Lachlan—going to ‘The Silk Road’ area

We are grateful to God for the service of John and Glenda, who have returned permanently to Australia. During February-March, they will be able to say thank you to those who partnered with them. (pictured top left) Also, catch up with Tim, Mel, Jarred and Clayton during the first part of the year. They are on Home Assignment from Malawi. (pictured top right)

The associated step is that we partner with those who go. Now, here‘s opportunity for 2015! Currently, four families from Queensland Baptists’ congregations are preparing to go: three would love to

Luke, Belle and their baby son—going to Thailand

Jean-Claude, Joyce, Chris, Onella, Venerande and Isabella—going to Malawi

Geoff Cramb Queensland State Director, Global Interaction gcramb@globalinteraction.org.au Office phone: 07 3354 5603 globalinteraction.org.au

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Defence chaplaincy

Some chaplains serve on a fulltime basis and have to consider the requirement to move to different locations and the possibility of being deployed on operations overseas, or being away for a number of weeks on exercises. Others serve on a parttime basis in the reserves, whilst continuing their primary ministry in a local church or denominational role. These chaplains may volunteer for deployments if they are available, but will normally serve in a location close to where they live.

Ministering in a unique environment Service as a chaplain in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is a challenging and highly rewarding ministry to people who work in a unique environment. It is a ministry to serving members and their immediate families. Just like the general population, most service personnel are not actively involved in any particular religion, but unlike the general population, most service personnel relate to their chaplain (padre) as the person who cares for all, regardless of their particular beliefs. Members of the ADF have to deal with issues such as relocating family on a regular basis, a highly structured working environment, deployment on operations, and, for some, the ongoing physical or mental impact of their service. ADF chaplains have the incredible privilege of ministering to service personnel and their families in all aspects of life. One day you can find yourself preparing a couple for marriage or celebrating the birth of a child, the next day you can be providing pastoral care to someone

Queensland Baptists’ ministers serving with the ADF on a full-time basis are Kerry Larwill, Carl Rutley and Troy Ulrich. Stephen Thomas and David Butterfield serve on a part-time basis whilst continuing in pastoral ministry in a church setting.

who is having relationship difficulties, is injured, or grieving at the loss of a loved one.

There are a number of vacancies for chaplains throughout the ADF. Ordained ministers in good standing who have completed a Bachelor degree in ministry or theology, have a minimum of two years’ pastoral experience and can meet the medical and physical requirements are welcome to apply for either full-time or reserve positions.

Chaplains are often asked to provide lessons on issues such as life skills, good decision-making, understanding various religions and cultural sensitivities. There are opportunities to lead church services when on exercise, often in the middle of the bush under the shade of a tree— these times are especially appreciated by those who attend. Most major military bases have dedicated chapels where services can also be held.

If there is someone in your church who is already serving in the ADF and has a desire to minister as a chaplain, there is also an in-service training scheme which they may apply for. This scheme enables a person to continue as a serving ADF member whilst undertaking full-time study, and gain ministry experience before being commissioned as an ADF chaplain.

Whether in barracks or on operations, the chaplain’s specialist knowledge (which is highly valued) can make a significant contribution, through the provision of advice to commanders on ethics, religion, character development and morale. A chaplain can serve as a trusted confidant to all and, in particular, to those in command, who often have to wrestle with significant decisions that impact many people.

If this is an area of ministry that interests you, please contact Stephen Thomas, ph 0409 036 483. First appeared in Network, the weekly email update to QB key leadership, produced by QB Director of Administration, Phillip McCallum. diradmin@qb.com.au

02/15

BWAA

Ndazi

Flood-ravaged communities bounce back It’s a Queensland is no stranger to wet seasons and flood events. Who can forget December 2010 and January 2011, when record rainfall caused a series of floods which left a trail of damage and destruction estimated to be in excess of $200 million? Thirty-eight lives were lost, and homes, businesses, crops and livelihoods were swept away. In an outpouring of generosity, people from all around the country donated goods and funds. The federal government also offered compensation to those affected. When natural disasters occur across the developing world, there is no safety net, and no government assistance. Natural disasters don’t just destroy homes and livelihoods; they also wash away any development gains, entrenching families in poverty, and leaving them vulnerable to famine and exploitation.

Malawi, a landlocked country in southeast Africa, frequently experiences floods and drought. Just in the last two years, almost 13,000 households have lost their homes, had crops damaged, livestock lost and water sources contaminated as a result of flooding. Displaced families take refuge in makeshift accommodation, often without adequate sanitation—at risk of cholera outbreak, food shortages and disrupted schooling. Perhaps worst of all, their children become at very high risk of abuse.

escape from the abuse I was going through [from] my parents’ boss.’

Ndazi knows only too well the perils families can face. Her family moved to the north of the country with the hope of a better life, but her parents and siblings were forced into backbreaking labour, harvesting tobacco and other cash crops in order to survive. Moreover, tragically, the local landowner demanded more from this vulnerable young girl.

‘Me and my family are so happy with the changes that are happening to our community, but especially the change that has taken place for me. Now I want to finish my school and be a doctor,’ Ndazi says.

‘My life was a confused one,’ Ndazi recalls softly. ‘I got married at a very tender age—13 years old. I had no heart for school at this time. All I thought about was to get married to

Sadly, it’s not an uncommon story. Ndazi felt that her only escape from this terrible situation was to get married, not realising the risks and losing any chance of further education. Thankfully, Baptist World Aid Australia’s Christian partner in Malawi heard of Ndazi’s plight and invited her to take part in a support program which helped her begin the process of reclaiming her fractured childhood.

Baptist World Aid Australia works alongside its international Christian partners, investing in Disaster Reduction programs. Our Vulnerable Children Fund invests in children, families and communities at risk as a result of natural events.

qb.com.au

BWAA

Aid giving slashes malaria death rates The World Health Organization (WHO) has just revealed their annual World Malaria Report showing that aid giving really works! According to this comprehensive study, the number of lives claimed by malaria, worldwide, has fallen by a massive 47% between 2000 and 2013. For African children under five, the rate has been reduced by an amazing 58%. This dramatic result is being attributed to a combination of life-saving malaria interventions including rapid diagnostic tests, improved treatments and increased access to bed-nets, such as those distributed by Baptist World Aid Australia’s projects. Director-General for the WHO, Dr Margaret Chan, says, ‘We can win the fight against malaria. We have the right tools and our defences are working. But we still need to get those tools to a lot

Australian aid giving falls to lowest level

more people if we are to make these gains sustainable.’ Malaria is a disease caused by the blood parasite Plasmodium, which is transmitted by mosquitoes. The simplest and most effective way to prevent malaria is to use an insectrepellent treated bed-net, and educate people about the best ways to protect the family. ‘Our $10 Malaria Prevention card is one of our most popular gifts from the Little Book of Big Gift Ideas,’ Rose Young, from Baptist World Aid Australia, says. ‘This recent report from the WHO has shown what a big impact our aid giving can have in the lives of children and families living in poverty. While great gains have been made, there is still much work to be done to help vulnerable communities understand the cause and prevention of malaria,’ Rose concludes.

million people affected by disasters and emergencies, trained 100,000 teachers and helped 1.3 million more children attend school.

In late December, the Australian Government, as part of its mid-year economic and fiscal outlook (MYEFO), announced the biggest cut to Australian aid in the program’s history, making us one of the least generous aid-giving nations in the world!

Image: MYEFO 2014, Budget Papers 2014/2015 and 2013/2014 and Economic Statement August 2013.

As a result of the government’s decision, aid giving will now fall to its lowest ever recorded level—just 21 cents out of every $100 in national income (0.21% of GNI). A long way from what was once a bipartisan promise to increase aid to 0.5% of GNI, and even further away from the UN target of 0.7%. The cuts also include a 20% ($1 billion) reduction next financial year—the single biggest cut ever recorded.

‘Despite the battering our aid program is taking, it is still transforming millions of lives; in fact it’s hard to think of any other government program that is doing this much good,’ Gershon Nimbalker, Advocacy Manager at Baptist World Aid says. ‘Last year, Australian aid supported the vaccinations of 2.3 million children, saw that 900,000 additional births were attended by a skilled birth attendant, provided life-saving assistance to 10.2

‘I’m uplifted by all the people that I get to talk to who feel that Australia can do better. Twenty years ago, aid cuts were met with silence. Now, Christians are standing up and letting leaders know that it’s not OK to shunt our obligations onto the world’s poorest people. Please join with Baptist World Aid Australia as we continue proclaiming this truth. Please also pray for our leaders that they might be touched by compassion for the poor.’ For more information or to make a donation, please visit www. baptistworldaid.org.au or phone 1300 789 991.

02/15

Tangible truths

Trusting the Shepherd I like to surprise my girls. I plan something I know they will love and then give them a series of cryptic clues to wet their appetite for the coming joy. When the time comes for them to receive their surprise, I normally want them to get their usual tasks out of the way first. ‘Make your beds, clean up that mess; get dressed so we can get going.’ Normally these instructions would be met with rolled eyes, pained expressions and passionate protests ... but not when I have told them something good is coming. Even when they don’t know exactly what the good is, they trust me enough to know that it will, indeed, be good. As I listened to Francis Chan at the Oxygen Christian Leaders’ Conference run by Katoomba Christian Convention (KCC) in August, I was shattered by this reality: the simple trust that my children have in me (even though I am a flawed, weak and inconsistent father) is so often what I lack in my relationship with the perfect, almighty and faithful Jesus.

Chan’s text was the famous statement of Jesus, ‘I am the good shepherd’ and his message focused on the need for pastors to stop constantly thinking of ourselves as shepherds and remember that we are also sheep. I need to rest as a sheep in his care and trust that my shepherd will lead me by still waters, into green pastures and through the valley of the shadow of death. I need to be more like my girls, and even though I don’t know how things are going to work out, if my shepherd is in the lead, I have to trust that it will be good. The beauty of Jesus’ statement is that it actually gives us tangible truths about himself on which we can base our trust. Firstly, Jesus holds himself up as good shepherd against the ‘cattle thieves’ of his day (Pharisees). Jesus says that the thieves come to ‘steal and kill and destroy’ but that he ‘lays down his life for the sheep’. Chan impressed on hearts that this is how much Jesus loves us … no one loves us more than this. We can trust Jesus to lead us towards the good, because he was prepared to lay down his life for us.

Secondly, Jesus is doggedly protective of his sheep. Jesus says that when confronted with a threat, hired hands will run away and leave the sheep to their own devices because they care nothing for them. But the good shepherd goes in to fight for his sheep. Surely knowing that our shepherd has our backs should give us confidence, even when danger lurks at every corner. Chan said at this point, ‘If I was a sheep … and Jesus was my shepherd … I would actually love to walk into the valley of death just to see him fight for me’. We can trust Jesus to lead us towards good because he has our backs. So when Jesus says that the life he is leading us to is the ‘abundant life’, surely we have grounds for trusting him. But it is just so easy for me to hold back from following my good shepherd because I think I know what ‘good’ is better than he does. I put control measures in to ensure my safety, security and peace. I shy away from difficult paths because I am not confident they will work out well. I procrastinate with my obedience because I am not convinced that it is for the best.

qb.com.au

Stewardship

At the end of the day, what I think Chan was getting at, and what Jesus is offering as my shepherd, is the kind of abundant life where I am so convinced of the love and protection of my shepherd that I will just rest and joyously follow, knowing that he who leads me is truly good. More than 25 Queensland Baptists attended Oxygen Christian Leaders’ Conference this year and many flagged this message from Francis Chan as pivotal. ‘What God whacked into me was that Jesus, his Son, is my Good Shepherd and that I am his sheep who needs his shepherding as much as any other sheep’ (Russell Matthews, Toowong). ‘Though we may be shepherds, we are still sheep … this encourages me to keep humbly focusing on Christ, not taking myself too seriously, and identifying more closely with the people I serve … I’m still one of them!’ (Murray Lean, City North). ‘God is sovereignly at work and I can take rest and encouragement from knowing that it is not all down to me: this is both empowering and freeing’ (Mark Mackay, Forest Lake). ‘I was reminded that if Jesus is who he says he is, I am a fool to “do ministry” apart from him. Ultimately, it’s his work; not mine’ (Michael Howell, City North). ‘Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.” In life and in ministry, as one of his sheep, the best thing I can do is look to him to lead, protect and provide. In any situation, it’s vital to take a moment to pause and hear his voice’ (Stu Quarterman, Crosslife). Joe Khan (Rosalie Baptist) Find more articles and interviews from the conference on Joe’s blog http://gospelatdepth.blogspot.com.au/

Managing finances God’s way It would be fair to say that national and personal debt is at an all-time high in Australia, which indicates that most governments and individuals have ignored the biblical warnings about the dangers of non-prudent borrowing. Not only does excessive debt result in a heavy burden for the borrower, but the associated interest payments place limits on governments in providing essential community services and, in the case of individuals, being free to help others with special needs, as God has directed in the Bible. Over the past decade, tens of thousands of Australians have discovered how to achieve true financial freedom and contentment by following God’s procedure manual, the Bible. Crown Financial Ministries Australia has developed culturallyfriendly resources that highlight the biblical principles relating to the following topics: God’s Part and Our Part in Finances; Attitude to Work; Understanding Debt; Seeking Counsel and Mentoring Children; Practising Honesty; Saving, Investing and Giving; Contentment and Eternity. People who have been exposed to this package of biblical truths and have resolved to apply them, invariably describe the experience as life changing. The overall result of the

teaching causes people to put into practice what the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:3-7, ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. … Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who … made himself nothing, taking [on] the very nature of a servant.’ This verse echoes what Jesus said about himself in Mark 10:45, ‘Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ Just imagine what a difference it would make to the cohesiveness and well-being of our nation if people were to adopt the ‘blueprint for living’ that God has provided in the Bible and emulate the servanthood approach of Jesus Christ. This is the answer to the ‘hip-pocket’ syndrome that focuses on self-interest and which always breeds discontentment. Excerpt from article written by Trevor Owens of Crown Financial Ministries Australia www.crown. org.au Testimonials from a recent Crown Financial Ministries Course in Brisbane involving 34 Gen Ys: ‘... I learned many new things about God’s way of doing finances and other important topics such as work, honesty, seeking wise counsel, saving, giving, contentment and eternal rewards. These biblical truths have really blessed me as I seek to follow Jesus in every facet of my life.’ ‘I did Crown to get a better grounding of God’s word about money and found it invaluable. I had never really considered stewardship, God’s sovereignty over finance, the importance of honesty or God’s place in my financial plan. I was surprised to learn that God was as interested in my savings and investments as he was in my giving and that my financial behaviour can be worship to him.’

02/15

Labour of love

There’s good work to do ‘I appreciate the pay cheque, but God knows I wish there was more meaning to my work.’ My friend Matt, a hard working electrician, tossed another chip into his mouth before continuing: ‘It’s frustrating to watch the best hours of life daily drained away to a company that doesn’t even value me. It just feels wrong.’

God shatters all of life. This side of sin, all work is beset with frustrations, tilling ground replete with ‘thorns and thistles’. Positive results only come through ‘painful toil’ and ‘sweat’ (Genesis 3:1719).

Whatever your feelings about work, I’ve found a biblical perspective which is affirming towards our lived reality while offering a refreshing vision for the meaning of work itself.

While gardening last week, I experienced all the above in just one day! Still, realistic expectations bring relief. We can anticipate work to be frustrating at times. Nobody needs to just smile and pretend like everything’s amazing and wonderful. That’s not our lived reality, and it doesn’t match up with the mess the Bible describes. For me, it’s affirming to just hear it said: ‘Yeah, you’re right. Work sucked today.’ But for Matt and others like him, it’s more important to talk about what is actually right about work. The Bible places a lot of value in the work that we do! Work isn’t just a way to make money, or a space to positively influence people—as good as that may be. Second, then, our work has meaning in and of itself.

First, our work has been frustrated by sin. Surprise? ... Or maybe not. Work can be tedious and difficult; workplaces soak up hours, and hard labour may produce few positive results. It might ‘feel wrong’, as Matt moaned, because there is something wrong. Genesis describes how our fractured relationship with

Genesis 1:27-30 describes the original idea of work, through the story of Adam and Eve, as our participation with God’s purposes to bless our world. God creates humanity in his own image with a mandate: there’s good work to do! Together, Adam and Eve are to cultivate the world as they are to provide order,

Many people wrestle with the meaning of where we spend the majority of our waking lives—the workplace. Although some aspects of our work can be satisfying, conflicting attitudes emerge. Work may be something we want to get over with, so we can live for the weekend. Work might simply be a platform to share what we really care about, or something we do to provide financial freedoms and securities.

good ruling, for every creature, great and small. They are to tend the garden and fill the earth as a community of people who will evidence the reign of God’s good plans. This original mandate from God still holds true for us today. When we feel a sense of satisfaction over the good work we’ve accomplished, we are truly tapping into God’s design for humanity. Just as ‘God saw that it was good’ (Genesis 1) when he created something amazing at the beginning of creation, we, too, sense it to be good when we’ve brought something beneficial into the world. Indeed, God is still at work bringing his good plans to bear. Through us, God’s order and blessing illuminates our world, and our work is a means of participation in his labour of love. This sounds like good news for people like Matt and me. Even the mundane work of an electrician is energised if we open ourselves to conduct divine love. So, ‘Let there be light’ (Genesis 1:3), and in our work, as frustrating as it can be at times, may we join God in earthing heaven’s vocation. Ryan Vallee is the pastor of Community Development at Kenmore Baptist Church ryan.vallee@kbc.org.au

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Soul satisfaction

It’s time to flourish! As 2015 ramps up, take time to refresh your thirsty soul. A goal for many Christians at this time of year is to really attend to their spiritual walk with God. Of the people making this decision, a portion will discover that spiritual breakthrough is not coming as easily as they would expect. Perhaps you have been there? Prayer is difficult, worship feels like a waste of time, hearing the voice of God is hard. In frustration it is as though the very core of you becomes repelled at the idea of continuing to seek God further; after all, if God is always there and always pursuing us, then why is God suddenly playing hard to get when you really need him most? In the Bible we come across a number of analogies which describe God’s Holy Spirit being like water which the soul thirsts for, and finds satisfaction in (John 4 is one example). When we are walking with God as he intends, then most of our days should be filled with a satisfaction that comes only from dwelling in God, and he in us. This is not only for the ‘spiritual’ but for all Christians. Living in the heat of Queensland, the ‘water’ analogy hits home, especially as I attempt to grow a garden that is fighting to flourish. Interestingly, I have come to learn that when the soil is very

dry around a plant and you water it, you will not see the soil absorbing the water, quickly taking advantage of the opportunity to replenish the plant and dampen the seeds. What you will find is that the soil will repel the water and it will run off the very area that needs it most. On the other hand, soil that is already damp will take in water easily, and the plants and seeds flourish. This is not unlike the human heart. When the soil of the heart is dry and hard, either from lack of watering or its environment, it repels the refreshing water of the Spirit of God, and little other than weeds grow. So what then? Give up? No! Here are some simple steps to soften your heart until it can receive all the goodness found in the presence of God. It is in that place you will see the fruit in your life blossom and multiply. Step 1: Soak it The best thing to do for a pot-plant that is dying of thirst and unable to take in water is to submerse the entire pot in water and leave it there as long as possible. For other plants it is gently and continuously watering the plant until the ground softens and begins to absorb the water. We read how Elijah sat on the mountain and waited for God to come through.

He did not move until breakthrough came (1 Kings 18). Try and carve out for yourself a good chunk of time, all day if possible, all week if necessary; to come away from that which drains from your spirit and gently soak yourself in the presence of God, until you find that your thirsty soul is drinking of the depths found in God. Step 2: Water regularly Even the smallest bit of water each day will stop the soil from becoming hard and dry. Every day, do something to open your heart up to drink from the Spirit of God, to quench your soul thirst. Going to church or life group once a week maybe enough to sustain you, but what God intends for you is to flourish, knowing his presence in every moment, satisfied in the knowledge of him and his grace. Today as you meet with God may your burdens be lifted, your joy return, and the refreshing that comes only from his Spirit satisfy and cleanse you, that you may drink, be satisfied and flourish. Jess Quak worships with Living Temple Christian Church (Tugun) Reprinted with permission: http:// livingtemple.com.au/our-blog/page/4/

02/15

Praying together

however, when the pitter-patter of tiny feet added a new challenge to our covenant to pray.

Creating a strong cord The best advice we received before marriage Margaret and I have a good marriage, not a perfect marriage. For almost 38 years we have lived together, and served the Lord together, in relative harmony. An experienced psychologist remarked that our marriage shouldn’t really work. But it does work, and a key to that has been following some incredibly wise advice that we were given before we said, ‘I do’. Margaret and I have very different personalities and come from very different families. I am a big picture person. I love risk and delight in all things spontaneous. Margaret plans carefully, relishes detail and dislikes surprises. We do have much in common, but the differences are enough to put a strain on any relationship. They did, and still do. I met Margaret when I was searching for truth following the death of two housemates in a motorcycle accident. Margaret gently guided me in the way of God’s truth and on Christmas Day, 1975, I became a Christian. When we began to date, we started praying together. By that I mean that Margaret prayed, and I listened. I began to grow as a Christian and soon after we were engaged. Before our wedding, somebody suggested that we should make a

covenant to pray together every day of our marriage. That sounded like a good idea. Making a covenant seemed relatively easy to do … so we did. We even added a clause that we would pray every day for those in our immediate family who didn’t know the Lord. So, in December 1976, Margaret and I were joined together in holy matrimony and headed off into that unknown adventure called marriage, and the amazing life of bliss that would surely be ours. And it was blissful. We loved each other deeply and were very committed to keeping God at the centre of our relationship. Praying together was easy during our honeymoon, and even for the first few weeks when we returned to teaching. Then came our first significant argument. We settled into bed, still not talking … and waited. We wanted to go to sleep but that ‘silly’ covenant that we had made kept coming to mind. It was at that precise moment that we discovered a truth we had never anticipated. It is basically impossible to pray sincerely with someone you are angry with. This event triggered a steep learning curve where we began to understand the wisdom of ‘Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry’ (Ephesians 4:26). Our covenant to pray ensured that we dealt with conflict on a daily basis, and we still do. We continued to pray together every day and it was even becoming easier. That all changed,

Our first son was born in 1980. Whenever we tried to pray, he screamed. We changed our prayer schedule; he adjusted his crying schedule to match. It suddenly occurred to us that a spiritual battle was going on. That battle has continued and we do not expect it will ever stop. Hindrances to prayer are a normal strategy of the evil one’s plan to keep us from praying. But pray on we did, and that practice has been a daily one for almost every day of our marriage. The only exceptions have been when I am overseas, or out of telephone contact, or in hospital and unable to speak. What began as an adventure, and soon became a chore, is now a joy and a privilege. The spiritual battle goes on, the challenges remain, but the benefits of praying together daily far outweigh the effort. In our years together we have brought up four children, dealt with the accidental death of Margaret’s father, and faced together the many trials that come with ministry. We have seen family members come to faith and God has delivered us from seemingly impossible situations. My health issues, including two strokes, have forced many changes including the need for Margaret to become the family breadwinner. We still serve in ministry as best we can. We still experience conflict. Health and family crises continue. However Jesus meant it when he said: ‘Apart from me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5). This inspires us to go on praying together every evening, and often during the day, not because of law, but out of love for God and for each other—and out of a growing understanding of a very important biblical truth: ‘A cord of three strands is not quickly broken’ (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Rev Ian Kerr serves as the Director of Alongside Ministries and is the QB Area Coordinator for Caboolture/Pine Rivers.

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BOOK: Top Cop (David Nicholas) Price: $19.99 (at WORD) Told through the eyes of Former-Chief Inspector Gary Raymond (NSW Police Force), Top Cop captures the essence of police life and covers, with

Reviews: Books, DVDs, Music depth and humour, a wide range of incidents from his career. Raymond saw life at its raw edge—death, murder, suicide, petty crime. He was at the scene of the John Newman political assassination and present when the killers of Anita Cobby were tracked down. He struggled with a worker at the top of a Sydney television mast and rescued two women from under the debris of the infamous Granville train wreck. A stirring account of his dogged determination, Raymond repeatedly put his life on the line in the service and protection of others. His rugged and tenacious faith in God shines through. Top Cop will change the way you think about Australia’s police force.

‘For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home’ (Matthew 25:35 NLT).

BOOK: Collected Writings on Scripture (D A Carson) Price: $5.99 (at WORD) God’s Word has always had enemies, but in recent years the inspiration and authority of Scripture have been attacked with renewed vigour. Respected scholar D A Carson has written widely on the nature of Scripture over the past 30 years, and here presents a timely collection of his work in two parts.

In part 1, Carson selects essays written on such themes as how to interpret the Bible, recent developments in the doctrine of Scripture, unity and diversity in the New Testament, and redaction criticism. Presenting a theologically balanced and confessional perspective, Carson defines the terms of a number of debates, critiques interpretive methods and theories, and suggests positive guidelines for future action. Part 2 presents critical reviews of nine books dealing with the inspiration and authority of Scripture. Though substantial in content, Carson’s detailed reviews will foster careful thought and perspective in those who are relatively new to the debates surrounding biblical inspiration and authority. This volume is a diverse collection that will prove to be a helpful resource to both seasoned pastors and scholars and those who are just starting serious study of the Bible.

When the song of the angels is stilled When the star in the sky has gone When the kings and princes are home When the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins: To feed the hungry To release prisoners To rebuild the nations To bring peace among brothers To make music with the heart. Reprinted with permission: Imelda Gilmore [gilmore.imelda@gmail.com]

These reviews provided by WORD.com.au

02/15

Reviews: Books, DVDs, Music late 1830s onwards, but by the 1860s (partly due to the rise of secular education as government policy) there was an increasing religious scepticism, especially among the business and professional classes.

BOOK: Australians and the Christian God: An Historical Study (Hugh Jackson) Price: $37.95 (Available from mosaicresources.com.au)

It’s no secret to anyone that Australia is an increasingly secularised nation. In the 2011 census, 4.8 million Australians, or 22% of the population, reported ‘no religion’. If present trends continue, ‘no religion’ will be the most common response to the religion question in the next census. Put another way, a century ago only one in 250 people claimed to have no religion—by the next census, that figure will have jumped to one in four. One in four! Of course, Christians should be concerned about these statistics. But how has this situation come about? What factors in Australian history and culture are responsible for this evaporation of belief in God? These are the questions which Christian historian Hugh

Jackson seeks to answer in this very useful book. Jackson finds the roots of declining belief in the Christian God in the attacks on religious authority made by the rise of modern science and philosophy in the so-called European ‘enlightenment’ of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Then, carefully tracing developments in Australian history, society and religion from the first convict settlement down to the present day, he provides a detailed study of the factors which have led to the rampant religious scepticism that characterises contemporary Australian society. From 1788 until the arrival of the first free settlers in the 1820s, only a tiny minority of the predominantly convict and ex-convict population practised any kind of organised Christianity; most resented the religion that was foisted upon them by the authorities. The number of church-goers increased with the waves of free settlement from the

From about the mid-1890s there was a distinct decline in church-going which, despite a brief reprieve in the 1950s with the Billy Graham crusades, has continued down to the present. Fairly naturally, along with the decline in church attendance most people became rather indeterminate in their religious convictions. From the 1960s onward, this religious disbelief became more overt and explicit. I found Australians and the Christian God to be anything but dull and boring. Hugh Jackson is a master of his craft, and the characters in the story are described in engaging detail. At a rough count, his index of names— including everyone from Richard Johnson and Billy Graham to Phillip Adams and even the Beatles!—numbers about 400. He records that ‘Timothy Coghlan, who was appointed to the new office of New South Wales government statistician in 1886, was of the view that the [church] attendance returns made before 1886 were ... “for the most part extremely unsatisfactory”‘(86); some things never change! A certain Reverend John Wollaston preached a sermon on ‘Worldly Mindedness’ at Bunbury on 18 June 1843, lamenting in his journal that

this was a topic that had to be addressed often in ‘this dominion of Mammon’ (70). He suggests that Baptist growth in the 1850s and 1860s was probably held back ‘because there was an element in the Baptist churches suspicious of preaching for revival’ (82). Yes, an interesting read. Australians and the Christian God is a book of social and religious history, not of prophecy, practical theology or evangelism. So it makes no claim to propose how the present situation might be redressed from a Christian point of view. However, if an understanding of the present is essential for clear thinking about future directions, Jackson provides a compelling analysis of the contemporary situation on the basis of detailed historical research. Australians and the Christian God is probably not intended for the general reader, but anyone with a grain of intelligence, an interest in the dynamics of contemporary Australian society with regard to religious attitudes, and a concern to share the gospel in this environment would be greatly helped by Jackson’s book. In particular, I warmly encourage pastors, Christian leaders and those preparing for ministry of various kinds in the Australian context to read it. Reviewed by D Morcom

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02/15

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