The One Thing

What does it look like for our Sunday gatherings to be both deep in gospel truth and warm in gospel love?
Pete Hughes chats with Liv Chapman and Toby Neal from Vine Church, Sydney about how the way we run our church services can better reflect the gospel we preach.
In the first of two episodes, they discuss:
What it means for a Sunday gathering to be deep and warm
The little things that can make our services feel cold or unwelcoming
How to bring warmth to Bible readings, singing, prayer and other parts of the service
Helping people who serve up front lead with confidence and warmth
Making church welcoming for people who aren't Christians
Toolbox: 
Deep and Warm workshop recording from Reach Australia Conference 2026
Credits: 
This episode was brought to you by MTS
The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠
To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠
For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠
Support Reach Australia's online library

What is the best age to plant a church? 
In this episode, Gus McCowatt chats with Tim Baldwin to explore the realities of church planting at different stages of life. Having planted in both his early 30s and again in his late 40s, Tim offers a rare perspective on the key differences of both "young man" and "old man" church planting.
How marriage and family dynamics shape church planting at different life stages
The unique challenge of leading older children through a church plant
Joys and hardships of uprooting a family for mission
Candid reflections from planting Anchor Church Coffs Harbour
Advantages and disadvantages of different ages
How churches can better support both younger and older church planting teams
Tim Baldwin is the Senior Pastor of Anchor Church in Coffs Harbour. 
Toolbox: 
Reach Australia’s Church Planting Assessment
Church Planter Questionnaire
Credits: 
This episode was brought to you by MTS
The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠
To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠
For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠
Support Reach Australia's online library

Most people looking for a church start with a Google search. But if someone searched for a church in your area, would they find yours?
You might not even know what SEO stands for, but it plays a significant role in helping people discover your church. In this episode, Pete Hughes sits down with search engine optimisation (SEO) specialist Aaron Taylor to unpack simple, practical ways churches can improve their visibility online. Because behind every search is a real person looking for answers. 
They discuss:
Why your church might be invisible on Google
Quick wins to help newcomers find your church online
What ChatGPT and AI mean for church outreach
Real stories of people finding church through Google and AI
Aaron Taylor is the General Manager at Prosperity Media, an Australian digital marketing agency specialising in SEO, GEO, and digital PR. 
Toolbox: 
How to help people find your church on Google article by Aaron Taylor
Episode 394: Social Media for Church Teams Who Don’t Like Social Media (Liz Fong)
Credits: 
This episode was brought to you by MTS
The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠
To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠
For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠
Support Reach Australia's online library

Tim Dyer joins Gus McCowatt to about what we do when tension surface in a ministry team, and how leaders can respond.
They discuss:
Why our assumptions about other people can fuel conflict
How poor behaviour can do more damage than the disagreement itself
Why relational repair needs to come before resolving the issue
How teams can get better at handling disagreement
What happens when conflict goes underground through gossip, triangulation or avoidance
When it’s time to bring in outside help
Tim Dyer trained in psychology at Melbourne and Monash Universities before researching and publishing on youth homelessness as a staff worker with Scripture Union Victoria. Besides mentoring pastors and leaders himself, Tim trains Christian leaders in mentoring and pastoral leadership, and consults with churches and denominations on processes which create and support leader and community health.
He also trains and supervises denominational church consultancy teams. He has been training mentors in 2 and 3 year non-accredited courses for John Mark Ministries since approximately 2008. He is a member of the Australian Christian Mentoring Network.
Toolbox: 
Tim presented a full workshop on this content at the Reach Annual Conference this year so if you missed getting along to that or want a refresher make sure to check it out:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOKWnMTrOLs
Covenant commitments for Christians in times of tension (a PDF tool on Tim’s website John Mark Extension)
John Mark Extension (Tim’s website)
Self-care and sustaining ministry course by Tim Dyer
Credits: 
This episode was brought to you by MTS
The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠
To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠
For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠
Support Reach Australia's online library

How do we know if people in our churches are truly growing?
In this episode, Paul Grimmond joins Gus McCowatt to explore what it means to pursue pastoral transformation in the messiness of life.
What to guard against to not become pastorally passive
Why information alone doesn’t transform us
How to pastor people through the complexity of real life
How to cultivate a culture of godliness in your church
Importance of personal reflection
Signs of healthy maturity
Paul Grimmond is the Vice Principal and Head of the Ministry Department at Moore Theological College. Before joining the faculty as Dean of Students he served as Senior Assistant Minister at Unichurch (UNSW), having previously been an editor for Matthias Media, Rector of Unichurch, and author.
Toolbox: 
Paul presented a full workshop on this content at the Reach Annual Conference this year so if you missed getting along to that or want a refresher make sure to check it out.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtKkv-yp_58&t=5s
Dangerous Calling by Paul David Tripp
Getting Over Yourself by Caroline Spencer with intentional reflection inside
Growing Yourself Up by Jenny Brown
Credits: 
This episode was brought to you by MTS
The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠
To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠
For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠
Support Reach Australia's online library