In the April 2010 newsletter I encouraged readers to pick up Neal Cole's recent book, Church 3:0, Upgrades for the Futher of the Church.  Check out the book review:
http://www.ministryformation.com.au/component/content/article/31-book-reviews/166-church-30-upgrades-for-the-future-of-the-church.html

Cole goes on in chapter two of his book to describe our changing culture and how the post modern mind and values have and will continue to impact the church of the future.  In upcoming blogs I plan to reflect on how Cole describes these cultural shifts, and what this might mean for the future of the CRCA in particular, and the church in Australia in general.

The first postmodern value that Cole describes is relationship over mission.

When we lived in Canada, before we made our move to Australia in 2007, we enjoyed watching the many birds which visited our bird feeders:  a host of common Sparrows, several Gold Finches, and a few Blue Jays.  Now here in Queensland our bird feeders daily attract many Cockatoos, flocks of Lorrikeets, and the occasional King Parrot.  Now what do birds have to do with rethinking how you read the Bible?  Well, pick up a copy of Scot McKnight's book,  The Blue Parakeet (Zondervan: 2008). 

There has been some talk recently about the CRCA reaching a crisis point. And I would agree,

Alan Stewart gave the morning devotional, based on 2 Timothy 3, at the In The Chute church planting conference at Collaroy Conference Centre, Collaroy, NSW.  He highlighted a number of key ideas which will encourage believers and church leaders to keep going! He introduced this devotion by pointing out that while many people he knows have left the ministry, not one has left because of pressure from the non-Christian world.  They have left because of the...

Paul Dale planted Church by the Bridge in Kirribilli, NSW, in 2005.  He spoke at In the Chute Church Planting Conference hosted by The Geneva Push Network at Collaroy, NSW, 08 December 2009.  He gave 12 suggestions for building a healthy church plant: Build a team, don't do it soloHave clarity, not vagueness with what you plan to doWork on a sense of belonging in the church, not people who are just consumersBe fresh, don't be tired --...