Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Online Course: Church Online Communications Comprehensive

Bulletins, newsletters, emails, websites, Facebook page - does your church communications leave you feeling overwhelmed and under accomplished?

Join Peter Frank, Senior Marketing Manager of Concordia Technology Solutions, as he leads you through this new 14-week training course titled Church Online Communications Comprehensive. 

Every week, Peter will share on an aspect of online communications with practical advice on how to implement a cohesive strategy for your church.

Topics will include: 

  • Church and Communication Goals
  • Determining and Assigning Personas
  • Content Mapping
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Social Media and Social Advertising
  • Campaign Planning and Templates

Sign up today for FREE and you'll receive the following:


  • Detailed blog posts on the weekly topic
  • Live videos on the CTS Facebook page
  • Access to the private Facebook group
  • Weekly downloads, including worksheets, templates, and checklists

Use this course to establish an online communications strategy for your church.

sign up here today

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Ebook: Why God made cities by Tim Keller

In this free ebook book Tim Keller (pastor and founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church) talks about why cities, why churches, and how global cities can be renewed. 
Contents

  • God invented the cities
  • The city redeems our greatest potential
  • The city is a place of refuge
  • The city compels us to Spiritual seeking
  • God sends us into the city

Gain your free copy of Why God made cities here

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Book: Martin Luther - A wild boar in the Lord's vineyard

Martin Luther: A Wild Boar in the Lord’s Vineyard by Rev Dr Mark Worthing tells the story of one of the most eventful and extraordinary lives of the late medieval period.
On 31 October 1517 an obscure German monk named Martin Luther posted 95 theses protesting the selling of indulgences. This single act brought him into inevitable conflict with both pope and emperor. The dispute that followed changed not only Luther’s life, but also the religious and political face of Europe. This book offers the modern reader a concise and accessible account of Luther’s remarkable life. It explores his passionate and fiery character, introduces us to a colourful cast of friends and enemies, and explains the complex politics of church and empire. Whether you love or hate Luther, agree or disagree with him, you will be left with little doubt that his life and thought have shaped the world in which we live – and in more ways than you may have thought.

What others are saying

Available from


Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Article/Essay: Preaching Matthew

Preaching Matthew by Jeffrey Gibb appears in the Fall 2016 issue of Concordia Journal. 
Rather than commenting on individual texts, it gives a longer view of preaching for the upcoming church year. 
Preaching Matthew covers:

  • Formal Considerations
  • Material Considerations
  • Matthew's Gospel language
  • Call to discipleship


Read the full article at http://concordiatheology.org/2016/11/preaching-matthew/

Small Group Study: D360 Nine conversations about whole-life discipleship

D360: Nine Conversations About Whole-life Discipleship is designed as a Bible-study resource for pastors, ministry leaders, teachers and mentors to use in helping young-adult Christians respond to Jesus' Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and develop as full-on, whole-life disciples of Jesus Christ. 
Author Greg Koenig keeps what he calls "churchy language" to a minimum and content can be read at a fairly brisk pace. Plenty of biblical citations are included for readers who enjoy stopping from time to time to study, exchange ideas, or reflect.

Each chapter of D360: Nine Conversations About Whole-life Discipleship is structured as a conversation and features a comprehension section titled Deal With It and a faith-in-action section titled Go and Do.

Although D360's design and structure are fine-tuned for use in a discipling relationship, it can also serve as a powerful tool for an individual who desires to go to the next level in his or her development as a disciple of Christ.

Conversation (i.e., chapter) titles in D360 include: 

  • In the Image; 
  • Discipleship: A Life of Response to the Work of the Holy Spirit; 
  • Christian Learning: Understanding God’s Word; 
  • Community: God, You and Others; 
  • Prayer: Your Direct Access to the God Who Listens; 
  • Worship: It Might Not Be What You Think. It’s More.; 
  • Stewardship: It’s NOT (All) About Money?; 
  • Disciple-building. And Witness. And Evangelism.; 
  • What It All Could Look Like.


For a free sample visit here

To buy D360 visit here

About the authour
Greg Koenig is a preacher’s kid, educator and writer who has dedicated a lot of his adult life to understanding and interpreting faith and the Christian experience from the perspective of someone unacquainted with churchspeak (often also called Christianese).
“The phrase image of God in this book is a good example,” says Greg. “Many of us insiders love to use the term imago Dei, which is the Latin equivalent of the Hebrew b'tzelem Elohim—image, or shadow, or likeness of God. There is an elegance and a mystique to the phrase imago Dei, but the elegance and mystique are not particularly helpful to someone
who is just learning to respond to the message ofthe Bible. That simple message from God needs to strike a chord and then resonate; the language we use must allow it to do that.”

Greg is the servant-leader of the Lutheran Campus Mission Association (GoLCMA.org), an organization dedicated to equipping leaders to reach out with the Gospel in college/university communities. He and his wife Deb live in St. Louis, Missouri; they have four children and (at last count) four grandchildren. 


RCL Lectionary Missionary Snippets June 2017

Mission Snippets are short statements for the church (ie.  all who believe in Jesus) to help us live out our calling to make disciples of all nations.   They are based on the Revised Common Lectionary readings for the week, with June 2017's being based on the Gospel Reading.  

Some thing to note in understanding the Mission Snippets, they are written from the perspective:


  • The Church is all Christians (not the building, the insitution, the legal identity, etc.)
  • That as God's Church we have received His Good News and know that our salvation is totally dependant on what God has done through Jesus Christ.
  • That having received God's Good News we are not called to keep it to ourselves, but God has called every Christian to be sharing His Good News.
  • They are what they are, snippets to encourage you to ask questions, to explore more, to discuss further....


June 4  Pentecost Sunday
John 20:19-23
Jesus brings peace even when there is fear
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”    John 20:19
What fears do you have in relation to your faith?
What fears might others have in relation to having faith in Jesus?
How does the presence of Jesus help overcome our fears?
How do we be in the presence of Jesus today?
How do we help others to be in the presence of Jesus?

Holy Spirit – the power for forgiveness
22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”   John 20:22-23
In Acts 10:44 we are told that the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message, how are you regularly hearing the Gospel and God’s Word so you are regularly receiving God's Spirit?
How are you helping and encouraging others to hear God’s Word so they can regularly receive the Holy Spirit?
What opportunities exist for you to bring God’s forgiveness, specifically, into the lives of others?
Why might you need the Holy Spirit to do this?

June 11  Trinity Sunday
Matthew 28:16-20
Being active despite doubts
When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.   Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.    
Matthew 28:16-17
What doubts do you have about Jesus?
What doubts do other Christians you know have about Jesus?
What does it mean for Jesus to say to you even though you may have doubts “all authority on heaven and earth has been given to me.  Therefore go……”?
How do we assist others who have doubts to be actively involved in making disciples for Jesus?

Making disciples – baptising, teaching, and being with Jesus
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 
How is your life centred on making disciples?
How are you leading people to baptism?
What are you teaching people about Jesus?
What are the blessings as disciplemakers we receive by always being with Jesus?

June 18 Proper 6
Matthew 9:35-10:8
Jesus ministry involves teaching, proclaiming the Good News and healing.
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.   Matthew 9:35 
How are you regularly receiving teaching from Jesus?
Explain the Good News in your own words.
What does healing from Jesus look like?
Who are the people you are going to meet who you can teach, proclaiming the Good News  and brining healing from Jesus to?

Jesus’ ministry involves having compassion for the majority
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Matthew 10:36 
Who or what do the crowds look like  in your life?
What is harassing them resulting in them being helpless?
What teaching do they need from Jesus?
How might you show Jesus’ compassion to the majority?

Don’t be overwhelmed, rely on God and be part of God’s solution
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.   Matthew 9:37-10:1
What resources do you believe are needed to do God’s work in your environment?
What is God calling you to pray about and for?
How might Jesus be calling you to be part of his ministry solution?

Freely you have received freely give
As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’   Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.   Matthew 10:7-8
What is it that you have received from God?
What does it mean for you to give it freely to others?
How does this affect how you give?


June 25 Proper 7
Matthew 10:24-39
Being like God
“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters.  Matthew 10:24-25 
What activities and situations are helpful in shaping you to learn from God to be like God?
What does it mean for you to be like God?
How are you helping others be like God?

Fearing God who cares,  more than fearing other things, ideas and people
28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.  32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.     Matthew 10:28-33
What or who are you fearful of and why?
Why is it more important to fear God than anyone or anything else?
What does it mean to practically acknowledge God before others?
How we can help people with their fears that affect their relationship with God?

Godly peace over worldly peace
34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—  36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’    Matthew 10:34-36
What is the difference between Godly peace and worldly peace?
Why is it important to understand the difference between Godly peace and worldly peace?
How do we help people have Godly peace when their life is not peaceful?

Losing our lives to live
39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.   Matthew 10:39
Have you ever encountered someone who appears to live this out, what does it look like?
Why do you think Jesus wants us to lose our life, and what does this mean?
How would you explain this verse to someone exploring God, Jesus and Christianity, in the light of our salvation comes through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus?

Feel free to use these snippets for ministry and mission work in your own life and congregational life.

Prepared by Pastor Richard Schwedes richardschwedes@gmail.com

Friday, May 19, 2017

Article: Will you be a contemporary or historic Lutheran?

Rev. Michael W. Newman Mission & Ministry Facilitator, with Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Texas District challenges us to consider whether we will be an historic or contemporary, but don't answer too quickly!!
visit https://txlcms.org/will-you-be-a-historic-or-contemporary-lutheran/ to read the full article

You are not alone - a prayer book for victims of domestic violence

You Are Not Alone: A Prayer Book for Victims of Domestic Violence, is the newest resource from the LCMS Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Task Force.  It is free of charge.

This devotional prayer book will help victims give voice to their heavenly Father in the midst of heartache and despair. As the author shares: This little booklet is a beginning, a first step on a long road. It provides written prayers for victims to use in dif­ferent occasions, when they may not be able to identify what they’re feeling or what they need.

To download or preview a copy visit here

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Book: Biblical authority after Babel

How the five solas can renew Biblical interpretation!!!

In recent years, notable scholars have argued that the Protestant Reformation unleashed interpretive anarchy on the church. Is it time to consider the Reformation to be a 500-year experiment gone wrong?

World-renowned evangelical theologian Kevin Vanhoozer thinks not. While he sees recent critiques as legitimate, he argues that retrieving the Reformation's core principles offers an answer to critics of Protestant biblical interpretation. Vanhoozer explores how a proper reappropriation of the five solas--sola gratia (grace alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola scriptura (Scripture alone), solus Christus (in Christ alone), and sola Deo gloria (for the glory of God alone)--offers the tools to constrain biblical interpretation and establish interpretive authority. He offers a positive assessment of the Reformation, showing how a retrieval of "mere Protestant Christianity" has the potential to reform contemporary Christian belief and practice.

This provocative response and statement from a top theologian is accessibly written for pastors, church leaders, and students.



Contents

  • Introduction: Should the Church Repent or Retrieve the Reformation? Secularism, Skepticism, and Schism--Oh My!
  • "By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them": Assessing a Revolution
  • Narrating the Story of Protestantism
  • Repenting the (Unintended) Iniquities of Our Reformation Fathers
  • Fine-Tuning the Problem; Deepening the Dilemma
  • Always Retrieving? "Ressourcing" the Debate about Interpretive Authority
  • Why Mere Protestant Christianity Matters

1. Grace Alone: The Mere Protestant Ontology, Economy, and Teleology of the Gospel
Sola Gratia: What the Reformers Meant
Nature and/or Grace: Other Views
Triune Ontology and the Economy of Salvation
Sola Gratia for Bible, Church, and Interpretive Authority

2. Faith Alone: The Mere Protestant Principle of Authority
Sola Fide: What the Reformers Meant
Faith and/or Criticism: Other Views
The Principle of Authority
Sola Fide for Bible, Church, and Interpretive Authority

3. Scripture Alone: The Mere Protestant Pattern of Interpretive Authority
Sola Scriptura: What the Reformers Meant
Scripture and/or Tradition: Other Views
The Pattern of Authority
Sola Scriptura for Bible, Church, and Interpretive Authority

4. In Christ Alone: The Royal Priesthood of All Believers
Solus Christus: What the Reformers Meant
Christology and Ecclesiology: Other Views
The Royal Priesthood
Solus Christus for Bible, Church, and Interpretive Authority

5. For the Glory of God Alone: The Wealth of Holy Nations
Soli Deo Gloria: The Lord's Supper as a Test of Christian Unity
Church Unity: Other Views
Communion in the Church (and between Churches)
Soli Deo Gloria for Bible, Church, and Interpretive Authority

Conclusion: From Catholic Protestantism to Protestant Evangelicalism
"And in the Morning, It Was Leah!"
Protestant Evangelicalism: A Marriage Made in Heaven?
After Babel, Pentecost: The Households of God and the Spirit of Mere Protestant Christianity
The Gospel Alone: The Solas in the Pattern of Protestant Evangelical Interpretive Authority
Indexes

What others are saying
"In a season of Reformation remembrances, here comes a fresh appraisal of the core principles of historic Protestant Christianity. Written with conviction, nuance, and wisdom, this is Kevin Vanhoozer at his best--a treasure."
Timothy George, founding dean, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University; general editor, Reformation Commentary on Scripture

"The Reformation was about countering what was wrong in Catholicism, but its central principles, the five solas, are not only negations. Reformational Protestantism is also about being for something. The solas are therefore principles for shaping a robust theology. It is this constructive task that Vanhoozer has undertaken in this book, and he has done so with rigor, vigor, and an infectious enthusiasm."
David F. Wells, Distinguished Senior Research Professor, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

"More than a rousing three cheers for the Reformation--though it is that--Kevin Vanhoozer's new book is a sparkling proposal for Protestant unity based on the five solas and also based on a differentiation between central gospel truths that are absolutely required and areas where disagreement should not divide Protestants denominationally. This is a constructive proposal for the next 500 years, rooted in an appreciation of the past 500. Catholic theologians like myself, seeking paths for deeper ecumenical dialogue, need to listen to Vanhoozer's rigorous, gracious, and erudite defense of the truth of Protestant Christianity."
Matthew Levering, James N. and Mary D. Perry Jr. Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

"I've been waiting years for this book! In a theological landscape in which it's all too trendy to dismiss Protestantism, Vanhoozer takes a harder, braver route. He offers the church a compelling 'mere Protestantism' strong enough to give us hope going forward as we continue to seek, together with the tradition, faithfulness to God's good revelation to us in Scripture."
Beth Felker Jones, professor of theology, Wheaton College

"Kevin Vanhoozer properly calls for a Protestant ressourcement, encouraging us to rediscover some of the best wisdom from the early Reformers (think solas taken together) even as he challenges us to disentangle ourselves from some of the deeply problematic misunderstandings and outcomes that later arose in Protestant circles. He accomplishes what he sets out to do: look back creatively in order to move forward faithfully. If you are a Protestant and you love Scripture and the church, please read this book!"
Kelly M. Kapic, professor of theology, Covenant College

"Are rumors of Protestantism's demise greatly exaggerated? May it actually be the case that the authority, unity, and mission of the whole church could be served precisely by reengaging with the Reformation solas rather than running from them? While wrestling frankly with the Reformation's unintended consequences, Vanhoozer makes a penetrating argument that must be taken seriously."
Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Theology, Westminster Seminary California

"The authority of Scripture in the life of the church is a perennial theme of debate. In this book, Kevin Vanhoozer links the subject to the five solas of the Reformation era, explaining the part that each one of them plays in our interpretation and application of the Bible today. Half a millennium later, he shows how there is still life in these classical formulations and why they should be recovered by the church today. Biblical Authority after Babel will be a stimulating discussion starter and will help to shape the evolution of Protestant hermeneutics in the years ahead."
Gerald Bray, research professor of divinity, Samford University

"At a time when the terms 'evangelical' and 'catholic' both face bewildering internal and external pressures, Kevin Vanhoozer helps to shine Scripture's light on an authentically Protestant path forward. Amid newfound interest in the Reformation solas, this book's distinctive contribution lies in discerning their hermeneutical import. This approach challenged me to think afresh about the gospel, Scripture, and the church at several points."
Daniel J. Treier, Blanchard Professor of Theology, Wheaton College Graduate School

"Protestants in general, and evangelicals in particular, are often challenged to manifest a robust grasp of the catholicity of the church. The difficulty of such a task can be compounded by (mis)understandings of sola scriptura, as well as of the authority of--and authority in--the church. In Biblical Authority after Babel, Kevin Vanhoozer summons evangelical Protestants to squarely face these and related issues in their particular stream of Christianity, and he proposes a way forward by both faithfully and creatively drawing upon the five solas of the Reformation. This is an astute and constructively thought-provoking book."
W. David Buschart, professor of theology and historical studies, Denver Seminary

"Protestantism has been charged with many schisms and with spawning modern secularism and its varied ills. While some have sought solace in other folds, Kevin Vanhoozer responds not by looking elsewhere for another defense but by doubling down through retrieval of basic principles of Protestant theology. Further, he shows that those reformational solas were themselves retrievals of earlier biblical faith and practice. Readers of Vanhoozer have learned to expect to be charitably guided and imaginatively provoked, and this book delivers similar wisdom and provocation."
Michael Allen, associate professor of systematic and historical theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando

To buy the Biblical authority after Babel visit here

Book: Intrusive God, disruptive Gospel - Encountering the divine in the book of Acts

This engaging book guides readers through one of the most colorful books of the Bible, illuminating passages from Acts that show the Christian gospel expressing itself through the lives, speech, struggles, and adventures of Jesus's followers. 
The book emphasizes the disruptive character of the Christian gospel and shows how Acts repeatedly describes God as upsetting the status quo by changing people's lives, society's conventions, and our basic expectations of what's possible. 
Suited for individual and group study, this book by a New Testament scholar with a gift for popular communication asks serious questions and eschews pat answers, bringing Acts alive for contemporary reflection on the character of God, the challenges of faith, and the church.



Contents
Road Map: As You Read This Book
Acts 1:1-11: Waiting to Go
Acts 2:1-21: Making Sense of Things
Acts 2:22-41: Keeping an Old Promise
Road Map: Emerging Realities
Acts 3:11-26 and 4:5-12: The Ultimate Disruption
Acts 4:32-5:11: Communal Harmony as a Matter of Life or Death
Acts 6:1-7: Growth Brings Change--and Surprise
Acts 7:54-60: Using Violence to Keep God under Control
Road Map: Expansions
Acts 8:4-25: Spiritual Power, Spiritual Gift, and Spiritual Greed
Acts 8:26-40: Absurdly Good News
Acts 9:1-30: Seeing a Different Reality
Acts 9:32-43: The Work, Pain, and Tenderness of Christian Service
Acts 10:1-11:18: Old Boundaries Obliterated
Acts 12:1-19: Coming to Our Senses
Road Map: God Is Still Speaking
Acts 13:1-4: Called and Commissioned
Acts 14:8-20: Learning to Recognize God
Acts 15:1-35: Discerning God
Road Map: Very Public Disturbances
Acts 16:9-40: Battle of the Gods
Acts 17:16-34: The Gospel in the Flesh
Acts 18:1-17: When the Good News Escapes Attention
Acts 18:24-19:20: There's Power in the Name
Acts 19:21-41: Far-Reaching Disruptions
Road Map: The Witness Goes to Rome
Acts 21:1-6: Spirit-Led Disagreement
Acts 22:30-23:11: How to Be a Hero
Acts 25:1-12: The Gospel and the Empire

Acts 27-28: Open Horizons

What others are saying about Intrusive God, disruptive Gospel
"Matthew Skinner probes the book of Acts in an impressively effective way. He successfully negotiates the vexed issue of history and theology and offers a concise, accessible theological twist to every text he considers. His study shows the way in which the narrative text of Acts continues to be compelling for the church's self-understanding and mission."
Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary

"The book of Acts tells an exciting story that warrants the sort of engagement it is afforded here. Skinner takes us beyond the pedantic concerns of academia to experience the power of the story itself, to participate in its transformations and discoveries. Anyone who is spiritual and/or religious will benefit from this disruptive encounter with 'absurdly good news.'"
Mark Allan Powell, professor of New Testament, Trinity Lutheran Seminary

"There is no doubt that Acts is an entertaining read, full of the stuff of legend and tall tales. But what is a twenty-first-century Christian to do with such an unusual collection of stories about the early years of our faith? Enter Matthew Skinner, an internationally renowned scholar of Acts who has, for decades now, immersed himself in Acts--studying, writing, teaching, and preaching it. In this book, Skinner grips our attention, all of it, as he honestly, artfully, judiciously, concisely, and consistently connects our experience with the book of Acts. Chapter by chapter, Skinner teaches us, raises crucial questions--the raw, complex questions that we real readers have--and then offers bold conclusions born from his observations as both a scholar and a Christian."
Jaime Clark-Soles, associate professor of New Testament, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

To buy Intrusive God, disruptive Gospel visit here

Report: Faith and belief in Australia by McCrindle

The Faith and Belief in Australia Report has been released by McCrindle and it shows that religion is not dead

Two in three identify with a religion or spirituality 
More than two in three Australians (68%) follow a religion or have spiritual beliefs. Of those that do, almost half (47%) remain committed to the religion of their upbringing. The number of Australians who do not identify with a religion or spiritual belief, however, is on the rise with almost one in three (32%) not identifying with a religion. This study replicated the ABS Census question, but added in an option for ‘spiritual but not religious’. This had a response rate of 14% among Australians nationally, and the Christianity grouping was 45% (down from 61% in the 2011 Census).

More than half of Australians (52%) are open to changing their religious views given the right circumstances and evidence. Younger Australians are more open to changing their current religious views than older generations.

Religion and spirituality a popular topic of conversation 
When gathering with friends, more than half of Australians (55%) often or occasionally talk about religion or spirituality. Generation Z (65%) are the most comfortable talking the topic, while the Baby Boomers are the least with 51% never talking about it with their friends.

A genuine faith the greatest attraction to a religion or spirituality
Observing people with genuine faith is the greatest attraction to investigating spirituality. Second is experiencing personal trauma or a significant life change. On the inverse, the top repellent to Australians investigating is public figures or celebrities who are examples of that faith. This is followed by miraculous stories of healings or supernatural occurrences.

Perceptions of Christianity 
Australians most value Christian organisations for their work with those in need, specifically looking after people who are homeless, offering financial assistance/food relief programs and providing disaster relief (74%, 72% and 69% respectively).  8% of Australian adults (1.5 million) do not know any Christians, while for Generation Y this is almost one in ten. One in 29 Australians have never heard of Jesus.
To download the entire report visit http://mccrindle.com.au/the-mccrindle-blog/faith-and-belief-in-australia