mgpcpastor's blog

Moderator-General David Cook is currently in the UK, likes what he sees in ‘Gospel Partnerships’ and suggests that though population scales and distances are different in Australia there is value in pursuing the model.
Read on.

Pastoral Letter (Posted 13 March 2014)

I am in the UK for three months (February to April) participating in the four yearly “Passion for Life” campaign.
Throughout the UK regional gospel partnerships of like-minded churches have been formed, these usually meet at least bi-annually and then co-operate in this evangelistic campaign across the nation, every four years.
The mission of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney was the inspiration for this endeavor which has been taken up with such relish in the UK.

Think, if you divided your state into regions (England, Northern Ireland and Wales are divided into 20 groups) and gathered like-minded Evangelicals from the churches throughout your region, what blessing could flow. (www.gospelpartnerships.org.uk)
The biannual meetings of pastors usually consists of a focus day or days with a special speaker. An example is the South East Gospel Partnership. From 31 Jan – 1 Feb they are having a conference with Kevin De Young on the mission of the church; 11 -13 March the Inner London Gospel Partnership are hosting a conference on Expository and Evangelistic Preaching.
The Passion for Life campaign consists of each church having local outreach events, sharing speakers and resources and also having some regional, big group, evangelistic meetings.

The disadvantage in Australia is that the country is so large that the regions would be large in area. However, our own denomination is ideally suited to be the catalyst for introducing these groups. We are both nationwide and by God’s grace, consistently evangelical.
In my own State of New South Wales, the breakup might be:
Inner Sydney (CBD, inner north, south, west and eastern suburbs)
Outer North (Castle Hill)
Outer West (Penrith)
Outer South (Miranda)
Northern (Lismore)
North Western (Tamworth)
Western (Dubbo)
South Western (Wagga Wagga)
Mid Northern (Maitland)
Southern (Nowra)
That’s 10 regions.

Where can this start?
Why not your region? Why not meet up with a small group of Pastors, uniformly evangelical and multi-denominational, and let us pray for the blessing of our churches and our nation.
Where there is a will, there is a way.

Over to you dear reader.

David Cook, Moderator General, PCA