Book: How to Talk about Jesus (Without Being That Guy): Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World

Most Christians know they should be trying to tell their friends and family about Jesus. But in a post-Christendom world, personal evangelism is viewed negatively--it's offensive, inappropriate, and insensitive. Recent studies confirm that the majority of Christians rarely evangelize, worried they might offend their family or lose their friends. In How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy), author Sam Chan equips everyday Christians who are reluctant and nervous to tell their friends about Jesus with practical, tested ways of sharing their faith in the least awkward ways possible.

Drawing from over two decades of experience as an evangelist, teacher, and pastor, Chan explains why personal evangelism feels so awkward today. And utilizing recent insights from communication theory, cross-cultural ministry, and apologetics, he helps you build confidence in sharing your faith, and teaches you how to evangelize your friends and family in socially appropriate ways.

Online Advent Calendar

 Use and visit an online Advent Calendar, with a Jesse Tree emphasis

Available https://sydney.lutheran.org.au/advent-calendar/ 

Training; Discipleship Training School

 Although not from a Lutheran Church, a number of Lutheran Churches are using and adapting the Discipleship Training School course material:

The course covers:

• What is a Disciple and Discipleship
• Why we should make disciples and why we don't
• Heart Values For Disciple makers
• Healthy Habits for Disciple makers
• Jesus - The Model of Discipleship
• The How of Discipleship / Disciple Making (Part 1)
• The How of Discipleship / Disciple Making (Part 2)
• Missional Communities & Conclusion

You can access the course and videos at https://www.eastgatebiblechurch.com/discipleship-training-school/

COVID RESPONSE: 7 Shifts the church needs to make

 Tony Morgan the author of Unstuck Church and pastor coach, suggests there are 7 shifts the church needs to make as a result of the CoronaVirus.  

Discover what these shifts are and how they may affect you and your congregation at https://tonymorganlive.com/2020/04/15/7-church-shifts-coronavirus/ 

Lutheran EBOOK Library

 Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry is a  non-profit publisher of Christian books. They offer ebooks and paperbacks. All Ebooks are provided without charge. Paperbacks are at cost. 

They seek to provide solid, encouraging material to strengthen you as a believer in Christ

Visit:  https://www.lutheranlibrary.org/ to view their selection

Report: The future of the church in Australia

 Mark McCrindle's social research agency has developed a recent report on the Future of the Church in Australia.

The report explores 

• 01 Cultural relevance
• 02 The future of the church 
• 03 Digital opportunities 
• 04 Going and growing 
• 05 Leadership pipeline 

The report is available free at City Infield  

Podcast: Sydney Lutheran Church Online

 Podcast of Sydney Lutheran Church Online with weekly sermons and Advent and Lent Devotions

Available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify

Book: Speaking Boldly - Sharing God's Word Every Day

Speaking Boldly

We are all called to speak God's Word with one another, yet this can be an extremely daunting task. We are afraid of saying the wrong thing, not having the right answers, or even coming across as judgmental.

Rev. Dr. Edward Grimenstein's work is here to help Lutherans gain confidence in speaking God's Law and Gospel with both boldness and love to those around us.

Learn how to teach the distinctly Lutheran teachings of Law and Gospel through each chapter, using information and theology from Luther's Small Catechism, Scriptures, and most importantly, God's Word for us all.

11 Commandments for Facebook (and Social Media users)

Facebook and other Social Media users can be a great blessing to others by following the 11 Commandments for Facebook and Social Media users....

Based on Luther's Small Catechism explanation to the 10 Commandments

Download the 11 Commandments for Facebook and Social Media users here

Book: The Virtual Body of Christ

The Virtual Body of Christ.....


We live in a wired world where 24/7 digital connectivity is increasingly the norm. Christian megachurch communities often embrace this reality wholeheartedly while more traditional churches often seem hesitant and overwhelmed by the need for an interactive website, a Facebook page and a twitter feed. This book accepts digital connectivity as our reality, but presents a vision of how faith communities can utilize technology to better be the body of Christ to those who are hurting while also helping followers of Christ think critically about the limits of our digital attachments.    

This book begins with a conversion story of a non-cell phone owning, non-Facebook using religion professor judgmental of the ability of digital tools to enhance relationships. A stage IV cancer diagnosis later, in the midst of being held up by virtual communities of support, a conversion occurs: this religion professor benefits in embodied ways from virtual sources and wants to convert others to the reality that the body of Christ can and does exist virtually and makes embodied difference in the lives of those who are hurting.


The book neither uncritically embraces nor rejects the constant digital connectivity present in our lives. Rather it calls on the church to 
a) recognize ways in which digital social networks already enact the virtual body of Christ; 
b) tap into and expand how Christ is being experienced virtually;
c) embrace thoughtfully the material effects of our new augmented reality, 
and d) influence utilization of technology that minimizes distraction and maximizes attentiveness toward God and the world God loves.

About the Author
Dr. Deanna A. Thompson is professor of Religion at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She teaches classes in African American Studies, Women's Studies, and Social Justice. During her almost twenty years at Hamline, in addition to being awarded Faculty of the year by faculty and students, she has also received awards for her advising. She is a respected scholar in the study of Martin Luther and feminist theology. Thompson is also an active member of the American Academy of Religion, where she served for eight years on the Board of Directors, six years as Director of the Upper Midwest Region, and six years as co-chair of the Martin Luther and Global Lutheran Traditions Program Unit.

Lutheran responses to Covid-19 including resources

As I have been busy transitioning my congregations from a physical presence to an online and remote presence so we can continue as God's church......continue worshipping God and continue being involved in His ministry.....unfortunately i have had limited time to place resources here.....

I will continue adding to the list as i have time.....

Check out my own congregation's web page:    www.stpaulssydney.org to view how we are worshipping and ministering during these times.....

Here is a letter I sent our congregations for 29 March 2020 

Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand resources 

Book: Pictures of the Passion

Pictures of the Passion - a visual journey to Calvary 

About Pictures of the Passion

Take a few moments to watch the video

Book: Making Sense of the Cross

The cross is central to Christianity.   Yet there is much to learn about its role for us.
This book draws us into a conversation between two people having an open and candid discussion about the cross. One assumes the role of teacher or coach, someone who has had the time and opportunity to study the faith in some depth. The other is curious, knows a little bit about the faith, and brings a lot of questions: 

• So what’s with the cross? 
• What does the cross say about God? 
• What’s the big deal? 
• Did Jesus have to die?

Book: The Intergenerational Church: Understanding Congregations from WWII to www.com

In The Intergenerational Church, Peter Menconi shows you why understanding today's generations is crucial for the survival and thrival of the local church. But understanding the generations is not enough. 

In this book you will learn how to: - Minimize generational tension. - Get all the generations moving in the same direction. - Develop leaders from all generations. - Deliver intergenerational preaching. - Cultivate intergenerational worship and community. - Stimulate intergenerational mission and outreach.

Main sections
Intergenerational Realities
Understanding today's generations
Toward an intergenerational church

Book: Faith for Exiles - 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon

Faith for Exiles focuses on helping people who live in a 2020 society where following Jesus can be challenging and even disheartening.

Some are experiencing Negative perceptions, Church dropouts, Prodigals and nomads. 
It's easy to get discouraged by all that's going wrong when it comes to Christianity and the emerging generation. 
Yet what's going right? 
In fact, signs of hope are springing up all around. In Faith for Exiles, the author of unChristian and You Lost Me unveils major new Barna research that uncovers what's working--five practices that contribute to resilience. Enter the world of resilient young adult Christians and learn how they are sustaining faith. Finally, you can find hope in all that God is doing among young disciples today.

In a world where always-connected smart devices and search algorithms educate and entertain, digital Babylon is the new context for discipleship. 
Faith for Exiles reveals findings from a groundbreaking three-year research study of young Christians whose faith remains resilient even in exile. Barna president David Kinnaman teams up with former executive director of Youth Specialties Mark Matlock to help you:
• Make sense of chaotic cultural changes and respond with compassion to the next generation of believers
• Recognize the biblical concept of exile as an essential framework for following Christ today
• Discover five research-based practices that cultivate faithfulness in digital Babylon
• Prepare young Christians to be on mission with Jesus in the world
• Empower Jesus followers of all ages to thrive in our current exile

Book: The Gospel Driven Church

Many evangelical churches face the problem of the open "back door"--even as new people arrive, older members are leaving, looking for something else. Combined with this problem is the discipleship deficit, the difficult truth that most evangelicals are not reaching the unchurched at the rates they think they are. In fact, many of the metrics that we often "count" in the church to highlight success really don't tell us the full story of a church's spiritual state. Things like attendance, decisions, dollars, and experiences can tell us something about a church, but not everything.

To cultivate a spiritually healthy church we need a shift in our metrics--a "grace-shift" that prioritizes the work of God in the lives of people over numbers and dollars. 
Are people growing in their esteem for Jesus? 
Is there a dogged devotion to the Bible as the ultimate authority for life? 
Is there a growing interest in theology and doctrine? 
A discernible spirit of repentance? 
And perhaps most importantly, is there evident love for God and for our neighbours in the congregation?

Leading a church culture to shift from numerical success to the metrics of grace can be costly, but leaders who have conviction, courage, and commitment can lead while avoiding some of the landmines that often destroy churches. Wilson includes diagnostic questions that will help leaders measure--and lead team transparency in measuring as a group--the relative spiritual health of their church, as well as a practical prescriptive plan for implementing this metric-measuring strategy without becoming legalistic.

Most attractional church models can lean heavily on making changes to the weekend worship gatherings. And while some of these changes can be good, thriving grace-focused churches are driven by a commitment to the gospel, allowing the gospel to inform and shape the worship service and the various ministries of the church.

Contents
Chapter 1: The Dilemma
Chapter 2: The Metrics That Don’t Tell Us Everything
Chapter 3: The 5 Metrics That Keep Us On Mission
i. A growing esteem for Jesus.
ii. A dogged devotion to the Bible.
iii. An interest in theology and doctrine.
iv. A discernible spirit of repentance 
v. An evident love for God and neighbour
Chapter 4: Putting the Gospel in the Driver’s Seat
Chapter 5: Steering from the Stage
Chapter 6: Building Your Service Around Beholding
Chapter 7:  Press the Gospel reset of the church community
Chapter 8:  Moving toward mission
Chapter 9:  The three things you will need
Chapter 10:  Leading change in a graceful way

Worship Planning Spreadsheet for 2019-2020 Year A

This Excel spreadsheet  assists with Worship Planning, using readings from the Revised Common Lectionary (Thematic).

Current fields include:  

• Date 
• Liturgical Day
• Liturgical Colour
• Old Testament Reading
• Psalm
• New Testament Reading 
• Gospel Reading 
• Alternative or off lectionary readings Reading
• Worship Order

• WORSHIP ELEMENTS
• Musicians:  
• Musicians:  
• Invocation/Call to Worship
• Confession
• CREED
• LORD'S Prayer
• Holy Communion
• Worship Activity
• Guests

• Music
• Opening Song
• Praise Song after forgiveness
• Kids Song
• Post Sermon Song/Offering Song
• Sending Song

You can add fields for your specific ministry

Developed originally for Sydney Lutheran Parish

You can download the spreadsheet at  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UzTWIvZKz3aTf61zFzSOjNvfk5PbseA_/view?usp=sharing

Devotion Book 2020: Time Out for Reflection

This book provides Christian devotions, by Australian writers, for each day of the calendar year.
In our time-poor society, each meditation is a ‘time-out’ of three to five minutes, and consists of a Bible reading, some thoughts on the passage, a ‘faith talk’ question to challenge you, and a short prayer. The writers’ thoughts are life-related and centred on the message of God’s love for people shown in Jesus Christ, and how we might reflect that love. They are suitable for individuals, families or groups.

Available from Australian Christian Resources 

Podcast for Young Adults: Revive

Revive is a Young Adult  ministry of Community Church of Hope West Des Moines (a Lutheran Church)
You can access their podcasts at: 
For Apple -  https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/revive-hope-west-des-moines/id1343889071
For Android - https://player.fm/series/revive-hope-west-des-moines

Revised Common Lectionary Year A 2019-2020 Calendar Poster free

Sola Publisher offers a free colour calendar for based on the Revised Common Lectionary Readings

This is available for download at https://www.solapublishing.com/free-worship-resources/273.html

Book: Word of Life - Introducing Lutheran Hermeneutics

Renowned Reformation scholar Timothy J. Wengert explores the genesis of Lutheran biblical interpretation by tracing the early work of Martin Luther, Melanchthon, and other Wittenberg exegetes. Their new approach led them to view Scripture in terms of "law and gospel," to read and translate the Greek and Hebrew text, and to focus on a theology of the cross and justification by faith. Luther and his colleagues found God working in the last place anyone would reasonably look: on the cross, in weakness and foolishness. Wengert demonstrates how these key historical and theological perspectives can be demonstrated in preaching, reflection, and teaching today. Using brief examples of preaching The Seven Last Word of Christ and reflecting on Luther's work on a variety of Psalms, the author provides a path for students and pastors alike to plumb the depth of Lutheran hermeneutics in their preaching and teaching.

Revitalising the church: January 2020

Each month we will have a serious of resources related to revitalising the church and congregations

Article:   Renewing Your Church: The Power of Revitalization

Book:      The seven pillars of church revitalisation and renewal

Podcast:  The Church revitalisation podcast

Course:   Renewing your church

Youtube: An introduction to church revitalisation

A story of church revitalisation