Jack De Vries was hired on by the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia and began his work as Ministry Training Coordinator in January 2008. In 2012 this role shifted to that of Ministry Development Coach.
Jack came from Canada where he pastored three Christian Reformed churches: Alliston CRC, Alliston, Ontario(1983-87), a church plant:...
Jack De Vries was hired on by the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia and began his work as Ministry Training Coordinator in January 2008. In 2012 this role shifted to that of Ministry Development Coach.
Jack came from Canada where he pastored three Christian Reformed churches: Alliston CRC, Alliston, Ontario(1983-87), a church plant: New Life Community Church, Pickering, Ontario(1987-95), and Bethel CRC, Listowel, Ontario (1995-2007). Jack is a graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity - 1983) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry - 2003) Jack and his wife Jeannie currently live in Petrie, a northern suburb of Brisbane in Queensland. They attend and are members of Bray Park Community Church. They have four adult children and seven grandchildren living in the USA and Canada.
In Isaiah 58:11 we read: "The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Australia has seen times of drought and floods. There is another type of drought in Australia; there is a spiritual drought. But God promises to provide refreshing rain, a never ending supply of refreshing water. The water he provides will satisfy the needs of all Australians. As we take up the missional vision God has given us we extend the life changing invitation of Jesus: "Come! Whoever is thirsty, come, and take the free gift of the water of life!" (Revelation 22:17)
In the church, getting things done always takes longer than you think. Change takes time. This is because change comes so hard for so many. Change is difficult for various reasons. People are often more comfortable with old problems than with new solutions. With any change comes a degree of uncertainty, and people become insecure in the face of the unknown. Old routines are disrupted. Learning new habits for some is difficult. Generally, people like to...
We all make mistakes. The Bible is clear about this. In Romans we are told, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Earlier in this chapter, quoting various passages from the book of Psalms, the apostle Paul reminds his reader that "there is no one who does good, not even one." (Romans 3:12) This is true of every person. This is also true of every church leader. In this current...
I just finished a project with a 12 year old boy. Since he does not have a father in his life, when this young man was just 5 I began hanging out with him fortnightly to be a father figure and teach him some woodworking skills. This went on for quite a while until he moved away 2 hours north. But a couple of years ago we reconnected, and at least once a month, he and...
Many people live in the past. Including leaders. They dwell on past failures, what happened to them, or what could have happened. Their outlook in life is based on what they see in their rear view mirror. One of my favourite authors, Donald Miller, in his recent book, Hero on a Mission, shares the plan that led him to turn his life around. A key component of his plan is viewing what you are doing today...
There are many voices in our world today. Perhaps never before in the history of the world have there been so many voices. Everyday we are bombarded by a myriad of voices - on the radio and television, through social media and advertising, and the many people who speak into our lives. Family, friends, school-mates, neighbours. The issue with all these voices is that the messages we hear are not at all similar. Voices tug at...
