Grow Resources
As CRCA churches we are better together than we are alone. Considering a repotting strategy is not an easy choice to
...Externally focused churches are internally strong, but are orientated
...Openhouse CRC in the Gold Coast area of Queenland is committed to reaching the lost for Christ. An essential step in their strategy to reach their community with
...Below are questions you might like to reflect on together as Classis, church pastors/elders/deacons, and/or churches having watch the video In Times Like
...What's at the core your church? Attached below you will find a tool you can use to measuring your church on the fundamentals. The first document is a simple one page questionnaire. The second document has the
...Maybe you are thinking, Why do we need to start new churches? Aren’t there enough churches already out there? Here I want
It is encouraging to know that 84% of CRCA congregational members would support the development of new initiatives in the ministry and mission of their local
...Before launching into the growth areas brought to light by your NCD Survey, it may be that what you or your leadership most need right now is some
...Moving Your Church Through Growth Barriers (5)
Christianity is not a spectator sport. Australians know what it means to be a spectator. And
...Moving Your Church Through Growth Barriers (4)
Balance in a church, just as it is in life, is a healthy condition! You might know of situations in life when you are
...Moving Your Church Through Growth Barriers (3)
We all like to be in charge, in control of our lives and even our own destiny. Desire for control is buried deep in the DNA
...Moving Your Church Through Growth Barriers (2)
We are creatures of habit and we all tend to gravitate to the comfortable pew in church. At least this has been my
...Moving Your Church Through Growth Barriers (1)
You probably heard it said, “Starting the job is half done.” Some might take issue with this maxim arguing that
...Moving Your Church through Growth Barriers – An Introduction
There are many times in life when we come to a fork in the road and we have to make a choice. Do we turn to left or to
...Jack De Vries speaks to the Launceston church, Riverbank Christian Church, on how churches can move through growth barriers. He discusses five choice points churches will face and six steps to move through growth barriers. Listen to the
...This four week guidebook is for pastors or mentors who are preparing young people or new converts to make public profession of faith. Through
...What does it mean to become a member of a church and get involved in a church's ministry? Here is a booklet prepared by
...Does your church know its neighbours? There are numerous sources of information available about your community – from demographic data to conversations with agency personnel, households, community members, and other church leaders.
...What does it look like when the whole church is focused on making disciples together? In
...Brian Vaatstra shares the Kingston experience of Church Planting, outlining the five stages leading up to the
...I have returned to Mackay after a five week Church Planting Intensive journey throughout four
...With the close of Trowel & Sword at the end of 2009, people have found it harder to stay
...By the time you receive this report it will have been 500 days since the floods that struck South East
...The Christian Reformed Churches in Australia are committed to growing healthy churches. As
...A simple tool is helping churches in Arvada, Colorado, know and love their
...Presenting Christ and His Compassion to our Community
PC3 is a young Church Plant
...Healthy churches are growing churches. For this reason one of the ministry priorities in
...As Christians we are called to be witnesses of Christ. In common usage, what
...What is the power and what are the advantages of a group of Christians as a witnessing
...Do we have a clear and common vision? Does your worship glorify God? Is God’s Word the
...Evaluation promotes ministry change. To get better at what we do as well as grow
...Brian Vaatstra of Kingston CRC, Tasmania, has overseen the planting of four churches in the
...Hans Kristensen interviews three church planters from varying backgrounds and states within
...More churches are pioneering a shift toward community service. Not only are they deploying their own
...Many churches successfully preach the gospel message, but they have very little
...A city of churches is a name given to various cities with many churches, including Adelaide in South
...A good cup of coffee, some good food, and a relaxed atmosphere are all part of the strategy to reach the
...Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their properties as the Brisbane River in SE
...Planning a Christian outreach event is generally geared toward providing educational and recreation
...After interviews with 50 leading missional leaders engaged in global outreach the following nine trends
...The Spiritual State of the World's Children research project was created to provide an
...A comprehensive look at what the Bible has to say about children, their
...The gospel is the Good News, the glorious news that God through Christ came to our
...Throughout the world today, pastors, mission leaders, and laymen are working towards the day when
...In the West for nearly 1,000 years, the relationship of (Anglo-European) Christian churches to the broader
...We need an Apgar score for the church. As Christians we care deeply about the health and
...Our purpose in gathering with God's people, be it on Sunday or some other day of the week, is not only to be
...How did Jesus intend for all lost people, from every tribe, language, people and nation, to
...What is discipleship? How do we make disciples as Jesus commanded us to do in Matthew
...Before migrants are given their boarding pass, and take their seats in the plane, they are looking for a
...by Jack De Vries
Recently there have been requests to begin a Reformed church in the Mackay area....by CRCA Church Planting Taskforce
There are opportunities all around us because most Australians know...by Peter Kossens
It was about 15 years ago that the Reformed Church of Brunswick Junction laid before the
...by Roy Pointer
God has given some Christians special gifts and abilities to share their faith and proclaim the Good...In December 2009 the Indonesian Reformed Church (IRC) began meeting in a new area of Sydney,...
It was not a new idea. Planting a church in the Cherrybrook/Hills District on the...
Source: Trowel and Sword December 2009
It is not the year church planter Geoff...
St Marys CRC in NSW took their ministry to the streets. This...
To immigrate takes guts. You have got to be tough. It...
At Redlands CRC (Queensland) recent 10th Anniversary celebration, three stones were...
by Jack De Vries, with Rod McWilliams.
...
Over the past couple of years the Dandenong CRC had the opportunity to support a group of local...
by Lois Swagerty
Leading ones church in a missional direction may be easier said than done.
Every church wants to be known as a church that cares. And most congregations...
The CRCA Synod will be meeting 10 - 16 May in Wonga Park, Victoria. Under God’s grace as a denomination we now have a
...Used by permission
Many churches do not have a vision for church planting...
The Afrikaners in Australia, attending CRCA churches, are undergoing change in almost...
There is an immense need out in the country regions of Australia, where the call of...
When the early Dutch migrant families came to Australia 50 years ago, they brought with...
By Charles Ridley
(How to Select Church Planters, Fuller Evangelistic Association, 1988) Church planting is a unique and challenging ministry. Assessment interviews help church planter candidates clarify
...
How to Share Your Faith
- Go. For the most part, people are not going to come to us. We can have the most effective seeker-sensitive, gospel-enriched, inoffensive Christian activities, yet apart from deep relationships in which we go across boundaries, most people will not go to God. The gospel message has an inherent call: go.
- Stay. Going is hard. Staying is harder. We have a few friendships with nonbelievers and go to some of the places they go, but as soon as things get a little uncomfortable, we leave. The type of love Jesus calls us to necessitates that we stay in relationship even when discomfort sets in. Once we get over the need to be comfortable, we can start being people who stay. We see people through the good and the bad. We learn to enjoy them and care for them. It is these long-haul relationships that afford the most room for the gospel to articulate all of its grace and truth.
- Bless. We can’t bless people in mysterious, weird, religious ways that we alone understand. People need and want to see tangible things. Like the Good Samaritan, we have the means to bless people in practical, obvious ways. As people hear the good news from our lips, they should see the good news in our lives.
- Tell. If you have lived faithfully with your friends, there will be room to tell your stories. They know by how you live that you are a Christian. Once you have these types of relationships, you can speak about Jesus to non-Christians in the same way that you speak to Christians. You don’t have to look for opportunities or manipulate conversations; simply let people know what God has done and is doing in your life. Use language that they can understand. If you are concerned that people might feel uncomfortable, most likely they won’t be; it is those who are not concerned about people’s comfort who make them uncomfortable.
- What non-Christian is God calling you to spend more time with? What prevents you from doing that?
- Is a relationship with a non-Christian difficult for you to maintain right now? What do you need from God to continue that relationship?
- List some ways you can bless a non-Christian in your life. What resources do you have that can be used to serve him or her?
A Repotting Strategy
As CRCA churches we are better together than we are alone. Considering a repotting strategy is not an easy choice to make. It is even more difficult to face the realities of a seriously declining church, to let go, and give oneself to the process of rebirth. But as churches we are not alone. Jesus has promised that he will build (rebuild) his church (Matthew 16:18). As churches we are all part of a regional Classis which provides support, encouragement, and prayer. The CPT, particularly through Ministry Formation and the MDC, are also well equipped to walk alongside churches to guide them in this journey to rebirth and a future of growth and gospel impact. The CPT and the MDC welcome contact from any seriously declining church to explore options to consider and partner together toward a better future. The MDC can also partner with the church and provide consultation through the repotting strategy.
For full details of what a repotting strategy involves, download the document below.
A Repotting Strategy |
The Externally Focused Church
Externally focused churches are internally strong, but are orientated externally. Their external focus is reflected in those things for which they staff and budget. Because they engage their communities with the good works and good news of Jesus Christ, their communities are better places in which to live. These churches look for ways to be useful to their communities, to be part of their hopes and dreams. They build brings to their communities instead of walls around themselves. (p. 17)
This a short description of externally focused churches that Rich Rusaw and Eric Swanson write about in their book. For further description of what is meant by externally focused churches, check out the reading notes below.
The Externally Focused Church - Reading Notes |
Community Survey
Openhouse CRC in the Gold Coast area of Queenland is committed to reaching the lost for Christ. An essential step in their strategy to reach their community with the gospel was getting to know the people in their community. To do this they went door to door doing a survey of their neighbourhood. They introduced this survey by saying:
We are currently doing a community survey to listen to the things that are important to those around us. We have been in the local area for 15 years and want to make Nerang, Gaven and Pacific Pines a better place. We are not going to ask you to join something or ask for money. Our promise is to listen respectfully and we hope that you could give us a few minutes to tell us about yourself. Your answers are strictly confidential and will remain anonymous. Thank you for your time!
Below is a link to their survey to give you an idea of how to create your own survey.
Nerang Community Survey |