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)
As Christ followers "we know that we cannot make a difference if we are not taking action." That comment from Steve Saccone's book Protege really hits the mark when we think about being a church on mission. He goes on to write: "We spend lots of time thinking about mission. We may even feel guilty for not doing it well enough, if we even do it at all. The reality is the church is more know...
"There is one who scatters, yet increases more. And there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty." Proverbs 11:24 Overflowing We need to remember, all we have belongs rightly to God.Give with a generous spirit as you place your dependence on Him.We gain the right perspective on our earthly possessions...When we learn to give back a portion to God! God blesses those who give freely what He has given.Not just...
The theme was 'URGENT' - establishing a gospel priority for your church. Over 25 CRCA pastors, church members, and leaders gathered at the Geneva Push Multiply conference in Melbourne 14-16 May. The main speakers were Greg Lee, lead pastor at Hunter Bible Church, and Sam Chan from the City Bible Forum Sydney. There were people from over 100 churches in Australia, including many CRCA churches. As a denomination we recognise the urgency of evangelism and outreach....
It was G.K. Chesterton who said "How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it." But such wisdom is not new nor did it orginate with G.K. Chesterton. This is the heart of God! It was Jesus who said, "Whoever wants to become great among you must become your servant." (Mark 10:34) On another occasion Jesus taught: "... he who is least among you all--he is the...
When I was ordained into fulltime Christian ministry 35 years ago I posted on my study wall the words of Paul in Ephesians 4:1-16. I was captivated by this vision Paul gives of the mature church: a church attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, becoming like Jesus in every way. That was the church I wanted to be part of and I committed myself to living out these verses in a lifetime...
