The network, called Geneva Push, kicked off with 80 people. We began with 12 planter families preparing to start new churches. Our aim was to raise the temperature for church planting and connect church planters with each other. The network invested in three areas:
Under God, the network supported the launching of over 100 church plants.
The network kicked off in 2009 with a small conference at Collaroy, NSW of 80 people.
The vision was to see the lost reached across Australia – church plants ‘evangelised into existence.’ A key part of this was the annual conference, Multiply, that helped raise the temperature for church planting, connect planters (and potential planters) with each other, and drive forward the vision.
The goal was seeing healthy, sustainable, evangelistic plants, led by healthy leaders.
To reach the country it was clear that not only did the planting of new churches need to continue but established churches across the country need to become healthier, more evangelistically urgent, spiritually vibrant, and practically skilled.
We joined with Oilstone, EV Team Pastoring and VineGrowers to develop a two-year Leadership Development Program for church leaders, including intensives, coaching, and church consultations.
We became a network of churches with the vision of seeing thousands of healthy, evangelistic, multiplying churches (new plants and established churches) across Australia.
Leaders have been increasingly equipped with a bigger vision for sharing the gospel and stronger leadership skills to support change and growth.
With the support of generous partners giving and praying for them, pastors are humbly and confidently stepping out to make change.
Ultimately, the biggest fruit has been lives won to Jesus. Through the 450+ churches in the network, there have been thousands of new converts and maturing disciples through the revitalisation of churches across Australia.
There continues to be a great need for church planting in Australia. New churches are needed in places where there aren’t churches, but also in places where there are churches for there are so many people to reach.
There is also great need for existing churches to grow in health and effectiveness. Reach Australia is committed to working to support existing churches in becoming more effective at reaching the lost.
The aim is to see many leaders each year regularly engaging with personal leadership development and coaching with the hope of seeing evangelistic growth through the churches they have the enormous privilege of serving.
Let’s pray to see thousands of people brought from death to life through their local church.
Rory Shiner
Providence Church Perth
The planting support you get through Reach Australia has been amazing. It’s a network of planters who have done it, who understand the difficulties. The coaching we’ve had access to has been fantastic. My coach has been really strategic and we talk a lot about what to prepare for. My wife’s coach has been wonderful emotional support for her. You can’t put a price on that. It’s been awesome.
As our church has grown, I have probably inhibited our growth. I've often been the blockage because sometimes I've been too slow to see that I can't be everyone's personal pastor. I think sometimes that's been pride - too slow to see we need better systems and that we need better structures to help us. That's one of the reasons being involved in Reach Australia has been a help and a joy.
We weren't trained at Bible College to be able to manage a church and think deep into leadership, teams and HR.
It’s been an eye-opening opportunity to have Reach Australia look at how we're going as a church, to see that there are many more options than what we could have come up with ourselves.
The network has been so supportive. Knowing that there is this wealth of wisdom, and that there is a desire for that wisdom to be shared. Knowing that there's people who share the same heart that I have. To be able to work together in that - I think that's fantastic.
It's hard to imagine life without Reach Australia. The network has helped us to not make so many mistakes church planting, and when we have to be quick to identify them, to diagnose the issue well and actually clearly know what to do about it.
Without Reach Australia we couldn't have planted. Our denomination didn't have enough experience. At times we feel like we don't know what we're doing, but I can speak to my coach and other planters and be encouraged to persevere.
My elders knew we were entering a season at church that required a lot more development of myself. We were heading into uncharted territory and I saw that I had hit a ceiling. I needed to be exposed to much more. The Leadership Development Program has been invaluable.
After eight years from when we first planted, I’ve been recently feeling stuck in how to best lead our church in moving forward. The Leadership Development Program has been so helpful in just giving me the space to consider how to better lead myself, dissect who I am and my values, and assess what’s best next for our church.
I am truly grateful for all that it has taught me. It’s really helped me understand myself better, my people better and the work that God has entrusted to all of us better.
I had no idea of the extent to which I would benefit from the Leadership Development Program. It’s hasn’t just been good for me organisationally, it’s also kept me fresh spiritually. We’ve been nurtured and cared for.
ABN: 92 139 724 806
Copyright 2024 Reach Australia
All rights reserved
Privacy policy