Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Pastor's Heart with Dominic Steele

Evangelicals have gained ground in the Church of England's General Synod elections. But so have the revisionists. The middle ground has shrunk and the battle over marriage, biblical authority and the future of the Church of England is more polarised than before.

And now there's a significant disagreement among evangelicals themselves. Should orthodox Anglicans further break fellowship bishops who have departed from biblical teaching?

We discuss William Taylor's challenge, alternative ordinations, the prospect of a parallel province and ask whether the new Archbishop of Canterbury will meet with the leaders of the Alliance or try to ‘kick the can down the road.’

Vaughan Roberts and John Dunnett say the orthodox Alliance in the Church of England is stronger than ever, but the present situation is unsustainable.

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They said a Bible-believing church would never grow in Sydney's secular heartland.

But 15 years after planting Vine Church in Surry Hills with just 12 adults, Toby Neal leads a church community of 380, with over 160 professions of faith.

Yet the journey has been anything but smooth — hostile media coverage, a controversial merger and a church that suddenly stopped growing.

Senior Pastor & planter Toby Neal says the most confronting discovery was that he himself had become the barrier to further growth — so what went wrong and how did he need to change?

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Where is the need for the gospel greatest – and should that change where we send missionaries?

We often make mission decisions around personal connections, available opportunities, language skills or where churches already have established partnerships. But Tim Silberman says we need to take a harder, more objective look at gospel need.

Tim Silberman, Lecturer in Missions at Sydney Missionary & Bible College, says there are several important questions: How many people are non-Christian? How many have meaningful access to the gospel? Where are the least-reached people groups? And how strong is the local church?

The numbers are confronting. Around 2.2 billion people remain unevangelised.

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Before your church packs another Christmas shoebox, pause to ask: who is our generosity really helping?

After more than twenty years serving with the Church Missionary Society in Cambodia, David Painter has challenging questions about Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child—and the way Western Christians support overseas mission.

Can our gifts unintentionally weaken local initiative, local giving and the churches we want to strengthen?

David Painter outlines how to assess whether our generosity is helping local churches flourish.

See also The Other Cheek

To watch or listen to Bible Teaching from Dominic Steele at Village Church Annandale Sydney goto this link.

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What happens when someone has been hurt in a Christian organisation, and the person they need to complain about has authority over them?

Does Christian conflict resolution sometimes assume an equality that simply isn’t there? What changes when the other person is your senior pastor, CEO, bishop or ministry boss — someone who holds not only organisational authority, but perhaps pastoral and spiritual authority as well?

So why is saying “I’m sorry” so difficult? Why do organisations become defensive? Can fear of legal liability or reputational damage cause us to respond legally rather than pastorally? And can refusing to apologise ultimately cause more damage than the original mistake?

Jenni Woodhouse says Christian leaders and organisations can be far too reluctant to apologise.

For more than a decade Jenni served as chaplain to the Sydney Anglican Professional Standards Unit.

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How might we better (as pastors) better come alongside victims of domestic abuse? 

Abuse in Christian marriage is easy to miss—and even easier to minimise. 

How can pastors recognise what is happening behind closed doors and help our churches become places of refuge for the oppressed?

Counsellor and author Darby Strickland joins us to discuss domestic abuse, the entitlement that drives it, and the patterns of control that can be hidden beneath an appearance of Christian respectability.

Darby Strickland is a counsellor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF), and author of Is It Abuse? A Biblical Guide to Identifying Domestic Abuse and Helping Victims.

We explore how to listen carefully and ask better questions.

We consider how Christ’s sacrificial love shapes our care for those living with oppression and fear.

Also see:

Caring pastorally for domestic abuse victims — Jenni Woodhouse

Features a survivor’s story, with Jenni reviewing Dominic’s pastoral response and discussing what pastors can learn.

Abuse in the marriages of ministry leaders — Jenni Woodhouse

Explores the added pressures when a victim’s home, income and church community are tied to their spouse’s ministry.

Telling the difference between Domestic Violence and Dysfunctional Relationship? — Magdalena Liem

Looks at recognising abuse and responding pastorally to victims and those accused of perpetrating it.

Coercive control in Christian families and the impact on children — Jenni Woodhouse

Discusses the impact on children and how church leaders can recognise and respond to coercive control.

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Why do some church teams emerge from disagreement stronger, while others fracture, divide or quietly drift apart?

We expect opposition to the gospel and theological disagreement. What we’re often far less prepared for is tension within our own ministry teams. When ordinary disagreements become personal, motives are questioned and relationships begin to rupture.

Tim Dyer has spent years helping churches and ministry leaders navigate conflict. He says church teams can be simultaneously conflict-prone/averse and process-poor, which can lead to a “high fire danger rating”.

So how do we build ministry teams that are genuinely conflict-capable? And how do we stop a disagreement becoming a relational rupture?

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Consent, Bodies and Belonging: Ministering to Young People with Disability.

In every church's orbit are young people with intellectual disability, whether in the pews, in youth group, or in a family that stopped coming because it got too hard.

The Australian Disability Royal Commission found people with disability are twice as likely to face abuse and exploitation. Are our churches actually safe, welcoming places?

Accessibility Ministry Advisor at Sydney Anglican Youthworks Bec Baines speaks about consent, capacity, bodies and belonging, and how to disciple young people with intellectual disability.

Living Hope Anglican Accessibility Guide

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After a decade of decline, Sydney Anglican church attendance has grown by more than 20% in just three years. This is now higher than at any point since 2013.

But underneath the encouraging headline, the picture is uneven. Larger churches have grown fastest. Around 13% of churches reached an approximate proxy for the report’s 5% conversion target.

Plus, a significant group of churches remain in long-term decline.

So what’s driving the turnaround? Are people actually coming to faith in Jesus? Or are Christians moving between churches? And why are churches with stronger children’s and youth ministries growing faster?

Craig Roberts, CEO of Anglican Youthworks and chair of the committee behind the new Sydney Anglican attendance report, says there’s much to thank God for, but there’s also some challenging numbers, as Sydney Anglicans pursue the ambitious goal of 5% annual attendance growth through people coming to faith in Jesus.

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What's the functional idol in your own ministry? Career? Family? The platform? The numbers? Are we preaching law as legalism dressed up as discipleship, or grace so loose it asks nothing of anyone? 

Do we actually rest, or just talk about it? And when my church's own reputation is on the line, does truth-telling survive contact with self-protection? 

In this episode, we examine the application of the ten commandments to pastoral leadership today. 

Most Anglican churches have given up reading the Ten Commandments aloud. 

Phillip Jensen says that's sad. 

And when Dominic Steele read the line in his new book, he almost choked, because he was a member of the church Phillip pastored for 15 years and doesn't remember it happening there at all.

The Ten Commandments have stood for centuries as a basic statement of good works, but in our society they're being quietly displaced by shallower substitutes. And the problem isn't just out there — it's in the church as well.

We are with Phillip Jensen, former Dean of Sydney's St Andrews Cathedral, now heading up Two Ways Ministries. He has just published “Written on Our Hearts”. 

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1986. London’s Westminster Central Hall. The then young Australian preacher Phillip Jensen takes the platform at the Evangelical Ministry Assembly, and detonated UK Anglican Evangelicalism 

Dick Lucas, the elder statesman of UK Evangelicalism Rector of St Helen's Bishopsgate, said his mind was "blown apart by these bold Australian exhortations." 

Chris Green says a room full of ministers in training were "revolutionised overnight." 

It's the third in our occasional series of specials on evangelical oral history.

We are with Dr Andrew Atherstone (Wycliffe Hall Oxford) and this time we trace how a Sydney rector's insistence on Bible teaching and the local congregation, over and above inherited Anglican structure made such an impact on the UK evangelical scene. 

Jensen's 1986 and 1988 addresses didn't just inspire, but they gave a generation of English ministers permission to think differently about bishops, boundaries and where real spiritual authority lives.

Phillip Jensen’s Evangelical Ministry Assembly talks are here. https://phillipjensen.com/resources/?_series=evangelical-ministry-assembly-uk

#evangelical #anglican #history #phillipjensen #dicklucas

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For evangelical Christians in the Church of England, the question of whether to stay, resist, or leave is a live crisis.

If you’re deciding whether to head into C of E ministry or carve out a path in independence, or if you’re a pastor navigating a "mixed denomination," how do you maintain gospel integrity when institutional leadership turns away from historic orthodoxy?

Church historian Dr. Andrew Atherstone (Wycliffe Hall, Oxford) to look back at six decades of evangelical oral history—and what it teaches us about our current crossroads.

We cover:

• The 1960s Crisis: Why ministers like Herbert Carson, Eric Lane, and Moshe Radcliff reached the breaking point and the intense personal cost of separation.
• Lloyd-Jones vs. Stott (1966) & Keele (1967): The iconic confrontation that defined the "in it to win it" strategy for a generation.
• The David Jenkins Stress Test: How a controversial bishop radicalized evangelicals to plant across parish lines and rethink financial support.
• 
  

Dr Atherstone has been presenting on this at Sydney’s Moore College Lectures.

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We often speak about the pressures and heartbreaks of pastoral ministry. But we speak far less about its joys, privileges and eternal rewards.

Matt Fuller, Senior Minister of Christ Church Mayfair, joins us to discuss his new book, The Joyful Pastor (Despite Everything).

We talk about difficult sheep, false accusations, losing joy, practising thankfulness, avoiding burnout and returning daily to Christ.

And we explore something pastors rarely discuss: the reward promised by the Chief Shepherd.

“When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” — 1 Peter 5:4

An honest and encouraging conversation for weary pastors.

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Answering "Anglican", "Catholic", or "Baptist" on the Census isn't a test of church attendance

Before filling out your form, hear researcher Mark McCrindle, and Bishop Michael Stead discuss

1. What the Bureau of Statistics is actually measuring.
2. Why writing your specific denomination helps community planning more than generic labels.
3. How census data impacts real-world support—like hospital, prison, and military chaplaincy.Don't let a secular misinformation campaign fill in your form for you. Get the facts and answer honestly!

The Bureau of Statistics definition of religious affiliation is simple: it’s the faith group you associate with, even if that differs from your active practice or participation.

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In this special ‘pop up’ episode of The Pastor’s Heart we talk with New Testament Professor Darrell Bock about how best might Christians might engage culturally to reach Australians for Jesus.

Plus his love of Sydney,  Sydney Swans Australian football team and why he would move here if he didn’t have grandchildren. Bock is known for getting up at 2am in Dallas to watch the Swans play live on TV.  He will see three Swans games during his current visit to Australia.

Darrell Bock is executive director of Cultural Engagement at The Hendricks Center and Senior Research Professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.

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Leading New Testament scholar Darrell Bock gives a rapid fire exploration of Luke and Acts. 

Bock, who is Senior Research Professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, outlines what first drew him to Luke and answers questions including:

• Is Luke writing before or after Matthew and Mark?
• What—what kind of historian is Luke?
• How do you explain the difference between Luke’s genealogy and Matthew’s genealogy?
• How do we reconcile the birth narratives in Luke and Matthew? 
• What is Luke’s theology of atonement? 
• What is the kingdom of God in Luke?
• How does Luke use the Old Testament in ways that are different to the other Gospel writers?”
• Why is the Sermon on the Plain from Luke 6 different to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 to 7?”

Plus Luke’s distinctive emphasis on the world wide expansion of the gospel, the kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit, care for the poor and the creation of one new family from Jews and Gentiles. 

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Do our sermons actually land in the lives of the people in front of us?

Do they help anxious believers, tired parents, proud leaders, compromised Christians or sceptical guests to hear, trust and obey the living Word of God?

Richard Coekin says application is part of faithful preaching itself. 

But application has dangers, it might come not really from the text, or could be overly directive. Or we could give accurate lectures that fail to shepherd the church.

Richard Coekin leads Reach UK.  Richard has just written ‘Apply the Word: A Practical Guide to Preaching with Application.’ 

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New global research associated with Harvard University suggests that people who regularly attend church tend to do better in life than people who do not.

The Global Flourishing Study is following more than 200,000 people across 22 countries and tracking not only happiness, but meaning and purpose, relationships, character, mental and physical health, life satisfaction and material stability.

But if churches are helping people flourish, what is happening to the pastors who lead them? Senior pastors carry grief, crises, expectations and organisational responsibility that most people never see. A church may appear to be growing and successful while its pastor is quietly being depleted.

And how do we know whether a church itself is healthy?

Valerie Ling joins us from the Center for Effective Serving to explore richer ways of recognising flourishing in pastors, churches and the communities they serve.

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On the surface, some are drawn by beauty, history, liturgy, mystery, masculinity, discipline and Orthodoxy’s claim to be the original church. 

But John Diacos says beneath many of the surface attractions lies something much more spiritually dangerous.

John was converted from Orthodoxy to a clear faith in Jesus Christ 50 years ago, has served Jesus for decades in Melbourne and is the author of Certainty for Life: An Invitation for Those in Eastern Orthodoxy.

We ask: Why are evangelicals leaving for Orthodoxy? What is Orthodoxy offering that some evangelical churches seem not to offer? Where is Orthodoxy right in its critique of us? Where is it wrong? And what should pastors do when someone in our church starts drifting?

Purchase John's new book.

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For a generation of Sydney evangelicals, the Katoomba Christian Conventions weren’t just events in the calendar - they shaped church programs across the city.

In the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, thousands gathered under the circus tent and then later in packed auditoriums to hear the Bible taught, sing with conviction and be raised up for ministry.

But how did Katoomba become such an influence in Sydney evangelicalism? What decisions shaped its extraordinary impact? And what lessons are there for today. 

We start a new occasional oral history series on the Pastor’s Heart, with former Katoomba Chairs Philip Jensen, David Cook and Al Stewart, reflecting on Katoomba’s phenomenal influence, the priority of expository preaching, the importance of guarding the platform and why “we teach the Bible” became a defining conviction.

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New research suggests that around 70% of those who attended church regularly at age 11 are no longer attending by their late twenties, with the most vulnerable years stretching from around age 10 through to 25. 

Dean of Students at Youthworks College Ruth Lukabyo explores why young people disengage, how inherited faith becomes owned faith and what churches can do to better navigate the critical transitions from childhood to adulthood. 

We discuss the practical changes pastors, parents and churches can make to help more young people keep following Jesus for the long haul.

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Tony Payne provocatively argues that while evangelicalism has successfully recovered expository preaching and every-member ministry, we have not adequately recovered every-member word ministry. 

Tony argues that the Reformation remains unfinished, that we haven’t fully thought through the implications of the priesthood of all believers, and that passages like Ephesians 4, Hebrews and especially 1 Corinthians 11-14 may need to be read rather differently than many of us have assumed.

Tony asks, have we trained people to serve on teams, but not trained them to speak God’s word to one another?

It’s a challenge that reaches into some of our most fundamental assumptions about Christian ministry. 

We discuss prophecy, the ministry of women, the role of the pastor-teacher, preaching and discipleship, and what it would actually look like for the word of Christ to reverberate through a congregation rather than stopping at the pulpit.

To purchase: matthiasmedia.com.au/products/let-the-word-dwell-richly

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What’s going on? Is this a reaction against thin, seeker-friendly evangelicalism? Spiritual nostalgia? 

Across the Western church, some younger Christians seem to be searching for deeper roots: tradition, transcendence, beauty, liturgy, sacraments and a stronger sense of connection with the historic church.

Some evangelicals have become Roman Catholic or even Orthodox. Even a church formerly affiliated with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) in the UK has become Orthodox.

Orlando Saer, senior pastor of Christ Church Southampton, describes himself as something of a “spiritual mongrel”, shaped by Roman Catholic, high Anglican, low Anglican, independent Baptist and FIEC influences.

On sabbatical in Australia, Orlando has been thinking deeply about why Christians are longing for rootedness, transcendence and tradition, and how evangelical leaders should respond.

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Richard Leadbeater is the senior pastor of the influential Dundonald Church in London. He came to Australia for the Reach Australia Conference — 1450 pastors and leaders from across Australia, the UK, the US, South Africa and New Zealand — and left deeply moved.

Richard says he found himself in tears four times during the week. 

In a The Pastor’s Heart Friday special, Dominic Steele presses into Richard’s pastor’s heart, exploring each of those moments. 

We also talk about the joy and privileges of ministry — and why Richard is concerned that we can talk so much about how hard ministry is that we forget to commend the deep joy of being spent in the service of Christ.

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The loneliest person in church may be the one standing at the pulpit.

Pastors spend their lives surrounded by people, but ministry can make real friendship strangely difficult.

Confidentiality, responsibility, expectations, perceived favouritism and the pressure to “have answers but not needs” can leave church leaders profoundly alone.

Sheridan Voysey says pastors don’t just need supervision, systems or resilience strategies. They need real friends: people they can talk to, depend on, grow with and enjoy. People who know the weight they are carrying. People they can call at 2am when everything has gone wrong.

Sheridan helps us think pastorally and practically about the lonely pastor, the friendship Jesus modelled and how churches can give leaders permission to be human.

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The Reach Australia movement has matured into something broader: from a corrective voice into one of the most significant culture-shaping forces in Australian evangelicalism.

Reach Australia has often been heard as a corrective: a push for clearer pathways, better systems, output thinking and more intentional leadership in local churches.

Richard Coekin says that, as an outsider, last week’s conference felt less like the corrective it may have seemed in the past and more like a mature, holistic vision for church leadership: with preaching, spiritual transformation, gospel culture, prayerful dependence and pastoral warmth much more clearly front and centre, while still committed to principled pragmatism and organising churches to reach the lost.

Richard Coekin, former senior pastor of Dundonald Church in London and now leader of Reach UK, reflects on his fortnight at both the Reach UK conference in London and the Reach Australia conference, attended by 1450 leaders on the NSW Central Coast.

We discuss the maturing of Reach Australia and what UK evangelical churches might learn from Australia at this moment.

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Christ’s victory amidst discouragement, criticism, exhaustion, disappointment and sin.

We preach Christ’s victory as pastors. But we battle discouragement, criticism, exhaustion, disappointment and sin.

What does the victory of Christ actually mean for pastors whose ministries feel painfully ordinary? What does it mean for leaders carrying the slow weight of imperfect churches, spiritual warfare, unanswered prayers and years of costly ministry?

We speak with Phil Colgan and Adam Ch’ng how suffering shapes faithful ministry, and why Christ’s victory does not remove weakness — but gives hope, endurance and courage.

We explore sanctification, spiritual battle, pastoral perseverance and the future glory.

Phil Colgan is senior minister of St George North Anglican on the Central Coast; Adam Ch’ng is senior minister of Cross and Crown Melbourne.

They are speaking to around 1300 pastors and leaders at the Reach Australia National Conference on the Central Coast of New South Wales.

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Church music is one of the most formative and contested parts of local church life.

People join churches because of music. People leave churches because of music. But music is not a filler between the sermon and the prayers. The songs we sing put theology into people’s mouths and memories.

So how should we choose the songs we sing in church?

Mal York, the dean of students at Sydney’s Moore Theological College, joins us to talk about principles and pragmatics in choosing songs for church.

We discuss theological depth, singability, musical excellence, doctrinal drift, performance culture and what to do with songs from movements like Hillsong, Bethel and Elevation.

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Dominic Steele says 'There are no rocks being thrown from this corner.' 

Dominic Steele's Pastor's Heart for Sam Allberry.

I, like many Pastor’s Heart viewers, read online in the middle of the day on Monday that Sam Allberry had engaged in inappropriate relationship with a man in 2022 and that, as the statement said, while the relationship did not go as far as it could have, it was a serious breach of trust, and that Sam is currently disqualified from gospel ministry.

I immediately stopped and prayed for Sam and then wrote to him to say that I care for him, love him, have stopped to pray for him and that there are no rocks being thrown from this corner. 

Full Statement from Immanuel Church Nashville 

#thepastorsheart #samallberry

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In the UK there are serious signs of a narrowing pipeline into ministry recruitment and training. Fewer people are coming forward through some of the traditional routes. Traineeships are under pressure. Residential theological education is changing. 

And churches are asking: where will the next generation of pastors, evangelists, church planters and ministry leaders come from?

In Australia, it is not the same story, but there is a similar question. Geoff Folland has argued that the old model of the young, full-time, residential theological student is no longer the dominant reality. Colleges face rising compliance costs, changing student profiles and tighter finances. And, churches, apprenticeships, parachurch organisations and mission agencies are now doing more of the early work of formation.

So is this a Bible college problem? A local church problem? A recruitment problem? A funding problem? Or an ecosystem problem?

Orlando Saer is Senior Pastor of Christ Church Southampton, Chair of Trustees of 9:38 and part of the team behind the Yarnton Gospel Workers Trust launched last week — a new UK initiative seeking to remove blockages and multiply gospel workers for the harvest.

Yarnton Gospel Workers Trust Link

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How should Christians respond when voluntary assisted dying is publicly framed as dignified, compassionate and courageous?

James Valentine has been rightly honoured as a much-loved broadcaster in the wake of his death last week.  But alongside the tributes there’s been significant reflection on his choice to use voluntary assisted dying in the language of control, dignity, generosity and dying “his way”.

How do we honour and grieve a much-loved public figure, while still asking serious ethical and pastoral questions about voluntary assisted dying? Has the public conversation shifted from VAD as a last resort to VAD as a normal end-of-life choice?

As we think carefully about death, autonomy, compassion, medicine, conscience and Christian hope we are joined by:

• Dr Megan Best, senior researcher and professor of bioethics at the Institute of Ethics & Society at the University of Notre Dame Australia & Director of Ethicenter and 
• Emeritus Professor Michael Quinlan of the University of Notre Dame.  Michael is also on the board of Freedom for Faith and Ethical End of Life Care. 

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Not every funeral is great.  Sometimes they go too long, sometimes the gospel is not clear, sometimes the content overlaps. 

How do you create a funeral service that God would be pleased with, connects well with people, honours the deceased and serves the bereaved?

David Cook is former Principal of Sydney Missionary and Bible College,
Sandy Grant is dean of St Andrew’s Cathedral Sydney,
and Gary Coleman is former chaplain to the Motor Racing Industry. 

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How should Christians think about war? How does the Biblical Framework of Just War help us understand how we should react to what is happening in the Ukraine, Iran, Israel and south Lebanon.

We go back to first principles drawing on the work of Augustine of Hippo Thomas Aquinas - asking when is it right to go to war — and how must war be conducted? And how do those principles evaluate what’s happening in today’s conflicts?

Joining us are:

• John McClean, Vice Principal of Christ College Sydney, 
• Rob Smith, theologian and ethicist and 
• Grant Dibden, Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force. 

Together we explore how Just War thinking has shaped Western military ethics and whether it is quietly being sidelined.

Plus we examine what the Just War doctrine says about individuals conduct in war, in light of the controversy surrounding Australian Soldier Ben Roberts-Smith? 

And how should Christians respond when the emotional weight of real-world conflict hits close

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Tinkering or transformation?

How do you change a church, like really change, not just tweak a program or update a roster, but challenge the whole model? 

Kodak missed the shift to digital photography. We’ve seen huge changes in industries impacting newspapers, landline telephones, taxis, bank branches, travel agents, street directories, encyclopedias. For each the world moved on.

But have churches missed a revolution too, and if so, what is it?

Archie Poulos from Moore College’s Centre for Ministry Development says we’ve been tinkering around the edges, changing tactics without changing the operating model, especially when our structures were built for a village world while many relationships today are affinity based. 

Kirsty Bucknell outlines a change framework to help us bring people with us. 

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‘Authority’ and ‘care’-  the two big words New Testament lecturer Peter Orr says belong together at the heart of real shepherding. 

Lecturer at Sydney’s Moore Theological College, Peter Orr, has told the Nexus Conference, that one of the great confusions of our moment is confusion about the role of the pastor. 

He asks whether in circles like ours, with a strong and right emphasis on every-member ministry, we accidentally downplayed the distinctiveness of the pastor? 

What does it mean to say that a pastor has real authority, but that it is derived, limited and for care? How to avoid harshness, being too soft and lazy. 

See also 

• ‘Fight for your pastor’ by Peter Orr 
• The War Zone of The Pastor’s Heart with Peter Orr 

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We tackle one of the most sensitive issues facing the global church — sexuality. 

Vaughan Roberts, senior minister of St Ebbe’s Oxford, speaks as both pastor and theologian. In this interview he reflects on deeply personal pastoral encounters — Christians struggling with pornography, same-sex attraction, gender incongruence, and the pain of confusing messages from churches.

In Abuaja, Nigeria, Vaughan Roberts, distributed his new book Full of Grace and Truth: The Gospel and Sexuality in the Global Church to more than 470 bishops, clergy and lay leaders of the Global Anglican Communion.

At the heart of Roberts’ argument is the argument: God is for sex. Sex is for marriage. Marriage is for life. And ultimately life is for Christ. 

Roberts’ challenge cuts in two directions. He cautions revisionist Christians not to abandon biblical truth, while also urging conservatives to move beyond moralism to the transforming beauty of the gospel.

Order online

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What does the reordering of the Anglican Communion actually mean for Christians in the Australian Church? 

Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel on what it means for Anglican churches, clergy and church members in Australia.

We explore what ‘principled disengagement’ from the Canterbury Instruments will mean for Australian leaders and other Global Anglican Communion leaders. 

Plus an update on implementing the Sydney Diocean goal of seeing five percent saved through conversion growth each year.  

And Archbishop Raffel responds to criticism over his comments on Pauline Hanson, ‘We must reject hateful words and threats of violence.’ 

Gafcon Communique:
https://gafcon.org/communique-updates/the-abuja-affirmation/

A short clip to show in church where Archbishop Raffel outlines the significance of the reordering for members of Australian Anglican Churches:
https://vimeo.com/1174575894?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci 

 
Archbishop Raffel news release on Pauline Hanson: ‘We must reject hateful words and threats of violence’:
https://sydneyanglicans.net/mediareleases/we-must-reject-hateful-words-and-threats-of-violence

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A refugee boy who walked barefoot from Rwanda to Burundi now leads the Global Anglican Communion. 

In this special episode of The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele speaks with Archbishop Laurent Mbanda of Rwanda, newly appointed chair of the council guiding newly inaugurated the Global Anglican Communion.

Speaking from Abuja, Nigeria, just days after the historic gathering that launched the new communion, 

Archbishop Mbanda reflects on the extraordinary journey that brought him from displacement and poverty to global church leadership.

He shares the emotion and conviction behind the moment — why many Anglicans believe a new structure was necessary, why unity must be theological rather than geographical, and why the authority of Scripture remains central.

Archbishop Mbanda also responds to narratives circulating in the media — that the new movement is about women bishops or opposition to LGBT people — arguing instead that the central issue is the authority of Scripture and faithfulness to biblical teaching.

Along the way, Mbanda warmly commends Vaughan Roberts’ Lausanne Conference address and new book Full of Grace and Truth, urging churches to hold together biblical conviction and Christ-like grace in their response to questions of sexuality.

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The announcement of the new Global Anglican Communion has triggered an extraordinary wave of reaction from evangelical Anglican leaders gathered in Abuja this week. For many delegates, the moment was deeply emotional. One leader described it as “the privilege of crossing the river and entering the promised land,” capturing the sense that years of theological tension and debate have now led to a decisive new chapter for Anglicans committed to the authority of Scripture.

Inside the conference hall the mood was striking. African bishops began dancing in praise on the platform and in the aisles — a spontaneous expression of joy and thanksgiving to God.

The atmosphere was markedly different from the gathering three years ago in Kigali, where the tone was sombre and reflective as leaders lamented the direction of parts of the Anglican world. In Abuja the feeling was relief, gratitude and renewed confidence about the future.

In this special episode of The Pastor’s Heart, we bring together reactions from senior Anglican leaders across the global church following the release of the Abuja statement and the establishment of the new Global Anglican Council. The conversation explores why many leaders believe communion must be defined confessionally around the Jerusalem Declaration, and why there is now a call for principled disengagement from the historic Canterbury structures.

You’ll hear reflections from Miguel Uchoa, Michael Stead, Julian Dobbs, Alfred Olwa, Emmanuel Egbunu, Vaughan Roberts, John Dunnett, Glenn Davies, Darryl Parker and Richard Condie as they respond to what this moment means for their provinces and for the global Anglican movement. The discussion was recorded for Advent Cable Network Nigeria, where host Promise Njoko-Adebe invited Dominic to co-host the panel.

This episode is brought to you by Anglican Aid.

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In his first interview after being elected chair of the new Global Anglican Council, Archbishop of Rwanda Laurent Mbanda has outlined how leadership will work in the emerging Global Anglican Communion 

The GAFCON Primates have dissolved the GAFCON Primates Council — the body that has guided the movement since 2008 — and in its place established a new Global Anglican Council to help lead what is the emerging Global Anglican Communion.

The Primates have chosen to broaden authority. The new council will include primates alongside bishops, clergy, and lay leaders, all with full voting privileges. 

The structure signals a shift toward a more conciliar model of leadership, reflecting the conviction that the existing Instruments of Communion no longer adequately serve the majority of Anglicans worldwide.
 
Rwandan Primate, Archbishop Laurent Mbunda has been elected to chair the Council, until the Athens Conference in 2028.

In this Pastor’s Heart special from Abuja, Dominic Steele speaks with:

* The newly elected chairman of the Global Anglican Council, Rwanda’s Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, 

* Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel, 

* Former Archbishop of North America and Former Chair of Gafcon, Bishop Foley Beach, 

* John Dunnett from the Church of England Evangelical Council.

Mbunda, Raffel and Beach discuss the reasoning behind the new structures, what they mean for Anglican leadership globally, and how this moment emerged from nearly two decades of GAFCON’s development.

We expore why the Primates have chosen to share authority more widely, how the new council will function, and what the leaders involved hope it will mean for the future of Anglican mission, doctrine, and fellowship across the world.
 

Plus The launch of the New Global Anglican Communion Fund with Anglican AID CEO Tim Swan. 

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The future shape of the Anglican Communion is being debated this week in Abuja, Nigeria.

At the GAFCON conference, more than 400 bishops and global leaders are working through the logic of the proposal that could lead to a new Global Anglican Communion — a fellowship grounded in the authority of Scripture and historic Anglican doctrine.

On Day 2 of the conference, Dominic Steele speaks with key leaders including Vaughan Roberts (Oxford), Julian Dobbs (ACNA), and Richard Condie (Tasmania), along with presenters from Uganda, Brazil and Nigeria.

They discuss:
 • The implications of the Church of England’s current trajectory
 • The logic behind a reordered global communion
 • The mission opportunity for global Anglicans
 • What this could mean for churches in the UK, North America and Australia

This episode is part of The Pastor’s Heart special coverage of GAFCON 2026 in Abuja.

Sponsored by Anglican Aid https://anglicanaid.org

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The atmosphere was electric in the cathedral in Abuja, Nigeria as the the Word of God from 2 Corinthians rang out with unmistakable clarity: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers… Come out from them and be separate… Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates.”

The preacher was the Archbishop of Nigeria, Henry Ndukuba, and his message landed with force. Many of the Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, Clergy and Laity from across the Anglican world would have preached on that passage in the past, but the Holy Spirit pressed it home in a remarkable way. 

In this episode of The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele speaks with Glenn Davies — former Archbishop of Sydney and now Bishop of the GAFCON Authorised Diocese of the Southern Cross. 

Together they reflect on the emotional and spiritual tone of the conference as it begins, the shift since the sober mood of GAFCON 2023 in Kigali, and the key questions now facing global Anglican leaders — including the future structure of the communion, the role of the Global South, and the difficult realities for churches seeking faithfulness while still legally tied to Canterbury.

Plus

• Bishop of South Sydney Michael Stead outlines the way the conference statement will be formed from the ground up. 
• Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Network in Europe Andy Lines speaks on how the Church of England has failed to repent, despite the clarion call of the Gafcon23 conference. 
• Mwita Akiri is former Bishop of Tarmi in Tanzania and co-ordinator of Gafcon for Tanzania. 

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Dominic Steele reports from Abuja, Nigeria, as nearly 500 Anglican leaders gather for GAFCON 2026 in what many believe could prove a decisive moment in the reshaping of the Anglican Communion. 
Delegates have arrived from across Africa, the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australasia, despite significant travel disruption caused by the US–Iran conflict and Middle Eastern airspace closures. For many Australians, flights were cancelled only hours before departure. 

This preview episode of The Pastor’s Heart sets out what is expected in the coming days: proposals for the structure and operation of a new Global Anglican Communion, distinct from Canterbury. 
The story stretches back through the Jerusalem Declaration of 2008 and the strong Kigali statement of 2023, in which leaders representing the majority of the Communion expressed no confidence in the existing Instruments of Communion. This week, foundations for a renewed and confessionally orthodox global fellowship are anticipated to be agreed.

Steele outlines the program for the week, including plenary sessions, presentations and votes on doctrine, fellowship and leadership structures. Particular attention will be given to the biblical basis of communion, the failures of current Canterbury-centred mechanisms and how future alignment will be defined. Questions around governance, canonical relationships and financial partnerships are also expected to be addressed.

Over the next five days, The Pastor’s Heart will release daily 30-minute reports with interviews from primates and key leaders, alongside full-length conversations on YouTube. Coverage is brought in partnership with Anglican Aid. This episode provides essential background to what may become a defining chapter in modern Anglican history.

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For many of us, Easter is the highest attention moment of the year. But how do we turn that attention into genuine Gospel impact? How do we help people attend in the first place, how do we move from visitor to believer, and how do we run follow up that actually happens?

How to engage the neighbourhood, welcome deliberately, lead hearts to love Jesus in the gathering and preaching, and leading well into followup courses. 

We cover what to prioritise, what not to do, whether evening events are worth it, how to serve families well, and simple next steps that help guests come back.

Featuring three Sydney mission pastors: Brayden Lucas (Christ Church Gladesville), Peter Blake (St Stephen’s Normanhurst) and Pip Witheridge (St Paul’s Carlingford).

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Well, we give it a serious go in 30 minutes.

What is the “righteousness of God”?
Is it faith in Christ or the faithfulness of Christ?
Who is the “I” in Romans 7?
What exactly is Paul saying about Israel and the Law?
How does Romans use the Old Testament?
And is the gospel mainly about individual salvation or shaping a new community?

Ridley College’s Brian Rosner has just released a major theological overview of Romans ‘Strengthened by the Gospel’ — and along the way he thoughtfully engages nearly every major scholarly controversy.

If you’ve ever taught Romans, struggled with Romans, or simply wanted to understand Romans more deeply you will enjoy this fast moving discussion through the controversies of Romans. 

To purchase Strengthened by the gospel: https://reformers.com.au/products/9781433572555-strengthened-by-the-gospel-a-theology-of-romans-brian-rosner

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We’re just three weeks away from what may prove to be one of the most significant gatherings of Anglican leaders in a generation — as bishops, clergy and lay representatives from across the world meet in Abuja to chart the future of global Anglicanism.

We preview the conference being led by Global Anglican Futures Conference (GAFCON), and explore how its proposed “reordering” of the Anglican Communion compares with the approach of the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans.

With the centre of Anglican Christianity now firmly in the majority world, the conference in Abjua, Nigeria brings together a broad representative cross-section of the global church.

Our guests are Paul Donison, General Secretary of the GAFCON movement, and Gafcon Operations Manager Jodie McNeill, who is helping coordinate the gathering. 

The Pastor’s Heart coverage of the Global Anglians Abuja conference is brought to you by Anglican Aid.

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For many pastors, the AGM is something to be survived — not led.

A governance headache. A compliance exercise.

And for some, the meeting where old tensions resurface and trust quietly erodes.

But what if we’ve misunderstood the AGM?

What if, instead of just doing compliance, we aimed to build confidence?

What if the AGM could be a leadership moment — one that strengthens, not damages, your church?

Jo Gibbs (Reach Australia) and Dave Moore (Hunter Bible Church) on how to plan and lead an excellent church AGM.

• Why good AGM preparation is actually pastoral care
• How to move from enduring the AGM to envisioning it
• Why “no surprises” is kindness, not bureaucracy
• What faithful impact and financial reporting really look like
• And what a genuinely Jesus-honouring AGM would feel like

Further reading: https://reachaustralia.com.au/its-agm-time-again/ 

http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/rethinking-the-annual-general-meeting

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Wisdom for pastors seeking to preach and lead well in a post-Christian age.

So much of our culture judges events in isolation — a single moment, a single failure, a single decision — detached from what led to it and what flows from it. But history doesn’t work like that. Events emerge from long trajectories, and they reshape the future in ways no one fully controls or intends.

We’re joined by Archie Poulos, Head of the Ministry Department at Moore Theological College, to reflect on Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West by Andrew Wilson. 

Wilson’s argument isn’t that everything changed overnight in 1776, but that the events clustered around that year give us a window into the forces that have shaped the WEIRDER world we now inhabit — Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic, Ex-Christian and Romantic.

We explore why reading history as an ecosystem rather than isolated episodes matters, why Romanticism isn’t just a past movement but our present operating system, and how Christian faith — offers a deeper, more hopeful way to understand our moment.

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A roller-coaster week for religious freedom in Australia.

In just days, sweeping Australian national legislation moved from deeply alarming to not great, but not terrible — after intense pressure from faith leaders across the country.

In this special bonus episode of The Pastor’s Heart, we speak with Michael Stead, Bishop of South Sydney and director of Freedom for Faith, who had a front-row seat as the law was debated, amended, and finally passed late at night in Parliament.

What was originally proposed? Why did faith leaders unite in an extraordinary last-minute letter to the Prime Minister?  Which parts of the bill remain concerning — and which dangers were narrowly avoided?

We walk through how the law was actually made — and what it now means for preaching, Bible teaching, protest, and free speech in Australia.

Read the Faith Leaders letter. https://bit.ly/faith-leaders-letter

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How should Christians react to news one of our heroes has engaged in an eight year sinful affair with a married woman?

• How should churches respond when leaders fall? 
• Why do accountability structures fail? 
• How do we speak of grace without minimising harm? 
• What does faithfulness look like for pastors, churches and ordinary believers in moments like this?

Philip Yancey’s confession of an eight-year adulterous affair has shocked the evangelical world. His writing shaped a generation. His failure has caused deep harm.

We begin by hearing from a woman (name withheld) who has walked a similar path — the former wife of a senior ministry leader — as she reflects on betrayal, theology under trauma and the long fallout for families.

Keith Condie, is from Anglican Deaconess Ministries’ Mental Health and Pastoral Care Institute. Veronica Hoyt is Director of the Priscilla and Aquila Centre at Sydney’s Moore Theological College. Chris Edwards is the Anglican, Bishop of North Sydney.

Link: Keith and Sarah Condie's marriage course. 

Correction: It was mistakenly said in this episode that Yancey has Alzheimers.  This was a mistake and should have been Parkinsons.  Apologies.

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