Tag Archives: Year of Living the Gospel

Lending a helping hand is not only part of Australian culture, it’s central to what makes the Uniting Church what it is. Scott Guyatt writes about how churches can help one another. Queensland is a big place. Every now and then it’s worth reminding ourselves just how big Queensland is, and just how diverse its communities and contexts. To drive ...

Paul’s counsel to Timothy to atune ourselves to the mind and heart of Christ is a wake-up call for ministry formation, writes Sean Gilbert. “Train yourself in godliness, for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way … ” (1 Timothy 4:7b-8a) Paul’s encouragement to Timothy has nothing to do with sanctimonious practices of faith ...

University chaplain and evangelism trainer Rev Dr Ian Robinson reminds us that evangelism is about demonstrating a real faith in a real God in the real world. Jesus was loved by the people for the way he evangelised. In faith-sharing, we offer seven beautiful gifts to another person. Time The single most precious gift we can give is the time ...

For a community of faith to grow, it needs to make room for people who have never been to church before. Rev David MacGregor explores a variety of ways newcomers can feel at home in a new place. In our worshipping communities we struggle to make inclusion real in our life together, especially with those who have never previously belonged ...

Past success shouldn’t rule out innovation in the future. North Queensland Presbytery minister Rev Garry Hardingham encourages the Uniting Church to continue to be a pioneer in faith and service. One of the problems of viewing the world through a rear-view mirror is not being able to focus on what’s in front of you. In April, my fellow ex-flying patrol ...

We often talk about God and our souls, but what about our bodies? Dr Janice McRandal explores how God’s threeness subverts our expectations of the world and frees us to be different. In the world of contemporary theology, there seems no riskier notion than that of the body—what we do with our bodies and how we identity with them. It’s ...

The problems facing the Uniting Church are common to many denominations around the world, and there is much we can learn from how they are responding, writes Rev Orrell Battersby. At the 31st Synod we received some sobering statistics—attendance in the Uniting Church across Australia is in sharp decline. The prediction: continued decline. The problem: failure to attract young families. ...

As the conversation about mission, membership and the future of the Uniting Church continues, Rev Peter Lockhart encourages us to discover the possibility that we are being invited by Jesus to share in his work in the world. In his analysis of possible future scenarios for the Uniting Church Dr Keith Suter suggests that the paradox of Uniting Church membership ...