If you have any questions or want more information about the Conference, accomodation or how to book your place, contact Liz on 03 6327 4538 or at liz@a2a.org.au and she will be happy to help.
I know that over recent years we have had a sense of anticipation that the next conference would be the best one yet, and we have never been disappointed. I firmly believe that the 2020 A2A National Conference will be the best one yet, and that it will be an important time for our movement as we meet together, soak in the Word of God and receive from the Spirit of God.

“Pastor’s Wife!”  Now there’s a phrase I’ve fought and hated for 25 years.
 
Name one other profession where the partner has this automatic tag line with a bucket load of expectation?
 
I can’t think of one other profession.
 
Nor can I think of one other profession where there is an expectation that the partner will give up their career, their interests, their spark to “follow,” “support” and enable a two for one deal.
 
There are couples who make decisions to work in the one business and where the business might lean more towards one partner’s wiring and interest.
Likewise, there are couples who facilitate or enable one another’s careers.
 
But in each of these instances they are decisions made between the couple for the couple’s interest.
 
In church world “pastor’s wife” is an expectation often placed on a woman by church culture and history.
 
 I have fought to be a pastor in my own right for 25 years.  I remember about 6 years after we church planted I applied to do my Masters and asked a very well known Christian leader if there was any way I could have my Social Work Degree and my experience as a church planter credited as part of the process.  I was told, “I couldn’t ride on the coat tails of my husband.  My husband had church planted not me.  I was simply his helper…the pastor’s wife.”  
 
Some may go well that was over 20 years ago things have changed.
 
I sat at a breakfast two years ago and every pastor at my table was acknowledged as being present and welcomed except for me.  Now I don't’ think I’m such an awful person that I’m not worth acknowledging and anyway Christians are meant to be warm, welcoming and caring, so the only reason I can think for the lack of acknowledgement was a refusal to see my role and position and to simply see me as a “pastor’s wife.”
 
I could go on…
 
I know in time and tradition it was once a highly respected title.
 
But as I look down through the corridor of time, I’m not sure that it is the best we can do.
 
There are women who are pastors in their own right. Their husband may be a pastor but so are they.  They are both equal, able to pastor in their own skill set and gift mix.
 
Then there are the job sharers.   Women who, like their counterparts in business want to job share the ever broadening and demanding role of pastor.
 
Limited funds often mean the church can only employ one not both.  
 
Rather than acknowledging the shared role fearing the financial implications we relegate the woman to “pastor’s wife.”  She’s not really working, she doesn’t really have a role but if she doesn’t perform or live up to the unspoken expectations of her job description then we will need to call an all-night prayer meeting for revival so she learns to be a good supportive wife.”  Expectations become blurred, unrealistic and often confusing for all.
 
Then there are women who know their role is not to job share or to be a pastor.
God has positioned them in other roles in other sacred spaces in our world.
These women have vital contributions to make to the world, to the church, to humanity in those spaces.
 
Unfortunately, many of these woman have felt no alternative but to give up on their own dreams and gifts, to follow their husband and to take up the role of pastor’s wife.  A role they are neither equipped for or gifted in.
 
So what do I want to see happen across A2A?
 

1. Acknowledge the women who have gone before us. Many women who have been pastors in their own right but who have only ever achieved the status of “pastor’s wife.” You know in your heart you have been a pastor.  You know God has seen you pastor and we say, ‘We see you, we acknowledge you and we salute you.”

 
I also want to acknowledge the women who gave up their dream, their gift, their career, their talent to serve the church and husband and who in doing so felt a bit of who they were died for the sake of everyone else.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
 

1. Have open honest discussions.

The 2 for 1 Deal.  The church may not be able to afford both of you as pastors and yet you are both pastors.  The church is getting a 2 for 1 deal.    Whilst financially the resource may not yet be there belief can always exist. Belief for many is sufficient. The acknowledgment liberates the soul. So let’s acknowledge and be honest. We have two pastors and they are both amazing and we’re getting a 2 for 1 deal.  How amazing!
 
Give appropriate titles and freedom. You don’t necessarily want an income but you want to help the church but you’re not a pastor.  You might be an administrator, or an accounts, or …. Whatever it is name it up for what it is.  But don’t just stick the label “Pastor’s wife” over it because we’re too lazy to come up with an appropriate name.  believe me no man would settle for “Pastor’s husband.”
 
Release women into the market place. If women want to be in the marketplace because that is where God has called them then this is the best space for them to be in for everyone.  Celebrate what they do.  Acknowledge it.  Don't expect them to pick up an extra bucket load of work.
 
 

1.  We drop the tag line “Pastor’s wife” from our vocabulary.

I so want to see this tag line dropped.
It’s not us being our best.  Let’s give an amazing gift to the next generation of women coming up.  Let’s see who they are, what they are.  Let’s acknowledge the God given call on their life.
 
4. We drop the never clearly defined expectations which go with the label ‘Pastor’s wife.’
Let’s define the role. 
Is she a pastor in her own right who needs employing?
Is she job sharing with her husband?
Does she have a career all of her own which needs to be released and respected?

I'm wrapped that there is currently a resurgence of people around Australia asking how to plant a church that reaches people who don't go to church. 

This is an incredibly exciting time with so many men and women both young and not so young wanting to explore new ways of doing church and to discover new ways that they can reach their communities!

The good news is that we will soon be putting on a one day workshop that is available to all prospective church planters, irrespective of movement affiliation, denomination or style. The only thing we want to see in common is a desire to reach our country with the love and good news of Jesus by pioneering new works.

Oscar Muriu who has planted hundreds of churches around the world shared some incredible wisdom at the recent A2A National Conference when he spoke on 9 important keys to effectively planting churches. One of these keys was to plant rabbit churches that can be birthed and multiplied quickly rather than rhino churches that are slow to birth and have a high mortality rate.

Legendary church planter Ralph Moore seeded a rabbit church planting movement in the US where over 2,300 rabbit churches have been planted with some of these rabbits growing to be rhino churches of over 2,000 in size. 

Oscar and Ralph aren't saying that small rabbit churches are better, but they are advocates of planting simple rabbit churches that have the potential to become rhino churches.

The good news is that we will be running a 1 day Church Planting Workshop on Saturday 24 August at Our Church in Burleigh Heads, Queensland where we will be unpacking principles and practices that will help equip you to plant rabbit churches that have the potential to become rhino churches.

In the workshop we will be addressing a range of topics that include:

• who you need in your core team
• what the church you plant can look like
• how to reach the community
• how to put in place a disciple making strategy
• how to develop an effective launch strategy
• how to develop a financial model that will work
• how to pray in preparation to plant
• how you can get coaching to help ensure that your plant is successful.

If you are being stirred about the possibility of planting a church, make sure you book your place and come along. And definitely bring prospective team members to help them catch the vision and develop understanding of the steps involved in planting a new church.

Details for the workshop are:

• Where: Our Church in Burleigh Heads, Queensland
• When: Saturday 24 August 2019
• What Time: from 10:00am to 4:00pm (Registrations commence at 9:30am)
• Whats The Cost: $30 for registration and a light lunch
• RSVP: Using the Registration Form here

I'm excited that I see many across Australia being stirred at present to consider the call to church plant. If that's you, then this will be an invaluable workshop to help you understand key principles and work out the steps to take to embark on this exciting journey.

​If you have questions or want further information, call me on 0419582781 or email me at timo@a2a.org.au. 

Tim O'Neill,
President, A2A (the Acts 2 Alliance)

ps - if you are interested in having a workshop in your region that will help you to discover how you can plant a church, send me an email and we'll see what we can do.

As I get older, I am often asked to make a comment regarding the approach a Christian should have toward the celebration of Anzac Day. The question put simply is how should a Christian approach this national day?
 
Let me say from the top as an ex professional soldier who served during the Vietnam era and lost mates to the ravages of war, it should never be the intention of anyone to celebrate war, but a grim reminder that we cannot glorify war 
 
On Thursday the 25 April we will celebrate as a nation our most sacred day, Anzac Day
 
Anzac Day is important to us because it is widely accepted that the spirit of the nation was born on the blood-stained beaches of Gallipoli.

Australia is the only nation of the modern era not born in blood and there is credible thinking from scripture that unless there is the shedding of blood 
a covenant cannot be established. 

1 Jan 1901 was a peaceful day around the colonies, they came together in exuberant celebration to form the new nation of Australia. There was no blood on the streets and things continued much as before. Once the parties were over, numerous newspaper reports stated that the overwhelming feeling in the community was, "nothing much has changed". 
 
The 25 April 1915 was a dreadful day of human carnage and the blood of young Australian's was everywhere. Everything changed for Australia that day and the nation has never been the same since. 
 
The spirit of our nation was born at Gallipoli, but we can take heart that a spirit of war was not born at Gallipoli.
 
Young Australians went ignorantly to the adventure of seeing new places and experiencing what, to that time, they could only read about. They had no idea they would be thrown into a four-year struggle commanded by a foreign power that had little regard for human life.

There is some research that suggests Australians are more resistant to settling disputes with arms than many of the nations we are allied with. It is truly a last resort for us, but as member of a community of nations there are times when we do go to war.
 
Here are a few musings about war for consideration.
 
What is the cause of war ???
 
The bible says it is selfishness and pride
 
James 4 v 1 -2 says….
Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? They come about because you want your own way and fight for it. Deep inside yourself you want what is not yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
 
Is it ever right to fight?
 
Ecc 3 v 8 and 11 says….
There is a time for war and a time for peace, 
and everything is beautiful in its time.
 
Many of the heroes of faith were military men. There are numerous examples of war being the means that God used to work out his purpose.
Jesus honoured the station in life of the Roman Centurion. 
Jesus himself used force to remove the money changes from the temple.
 
Will the world ever have permanent peace?
 
There is a day coming, but not until Jesus comes back.
 
​Jesus said in Matt 24 v 6….
There will always be wars until the prince of peace comes back.
 
We will not see peace in our lifetime.
 
We do not celebrate war on Anzac Day. You will never hear a veteran talk about the glory of war, but you will hear over and over again, I hope no one ever has to suffer the pain of battle again. I hope our young men and women never have to experience what we experienced. 

We will never celebrate war on Anzac Day but what we will honour again this Anzac day are the sacrifices that men and women of our nation have made. 
 
We will never celebrate war and project it as the acceptable way to settle the differences we have with each other, so what do we do?

1. We can pray

The bible says….
Pray for kings and all others in authority

1. We can put our trust in God

The bible says….
The Lord is my light and my salvation 
whom shall I fear? Though an army besieges me 
and war breaks out against me, even then I will be confident.

1. We can seek peace

The bible says….
Turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it

It's been an absolute privilege catching a glimpse of so many great things happening across A2A churches as we recently conducted Leaders Together (LT) days in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
​
Building A Discipling Culture

One of the hi lights of the days was having Tim Piesse from “Building A Discipling Culture” (BDC) with us at all four events. Many thanks to Tim and BDC for coming along and giving such great input. It’s encouraging to hear that quite a few A2A churches have already or will soon be in contact with Tim exploring how BDC can help their churches be more effective at reaching and making disciples.
​

​Unstoppable Forces
Jesus cast the vision for what the church was to be when He said that the not even the gates of hell would be able to hold back the church. It was to be  prevailing church, or in the words of Erwin McManus, an “unstoppable force”.

Just think about that for a moment; an unstoppable force. That’s what the church is to be when the people of God, empowered by the Spirit of God, are led to walk in the love of God, as they follow the teachings of the Son of God and take His good news to a world that doesn’t know Him. Powerful isn’t it!

I want to make special mention of two A2A churches and their leaders that are doing great things.

In Brisbane we were hosted by Sean and Annette Woods at The Rock Christian Church. They had only just moved into their new building the week before. The vision that they and their team has shown and what they have accomplished with their new building  has been outstanding.

In South Australia, I was a guest at Fleurieu Family Church (formerly Covenant Family Church) in Port Elliot. The joy and vibrancy that I experienced there was amazing. 

Michael and Kathy Ridley have only been leading the church a short time, but what hey have done with the assistance of their team has been incredible.

​​As I look at these two churches I catch glimpses of the unstoppable forces that Jesus calls His church to be, and it’s exciting! Especially when we look around the movement and see other churches in the five states we are represented in also doing great things.

Vision and Direction
The National Leadership Team (NLT) met together for a few days Retreat to once again seek the Spirit’s leading for the movement and to conduct our board meeting.

From doing this, we reaffirmed the Mission of A2A as “raising enduring leaders who will build prevailing churches.” This is a continual and ongoing theme of critical importance that we seek to sew into. At the LT days we spent time on “Leadership Pathways” in a workshop put together by Marcy Paynter.

After 10 years, we have revisited and revised our Vision Statement, which is now to be:

• an alliance of innovative missional churches transforming Australian lives.

This is reflected in our Playbook Strategic Plan which we have revised so that the single most important focus for us as a movement over the next period of time is to help “grow missional churches”. 

We have a number of strategies that we will be working on to be able to implement to help A2A churches grow as missional churches. 

Taking from Ed Stetzer, we regard a missional church as being one that is lovingly engaged with their local community whilst holding a high view of the teachings of Jesus and adhering to them, and thats what we want to help A2A churches become.

In line with this at the Retreat the NLT spent time considering the main issues that churches in Australia faced that prevented them from becoming all that God calls them to be. Ultimately we want to be able to assist A2A churches in this regard and bring even greater clarity to who and how we can assist. 

Mentoring Leaders
We are delighted at the high uptake amongst senior leaders of entering into mentoring relationships. To bring a little structure to the mentoring relationship, we have produced a 1 page Mentoring Agreement where you can specify the frequency of mentoring, any financial arrangement and the duration of the agreement.

A copy of the agreement is can be downloaded here. Alternatively email Liz Jesson and we will send you a copy. We would like all mentoring arrangements to have an agreement such as this in place.

Emerging Leaders Initiative.
Great feedback continues to come in from the ELI participants. One aspect of ELI is that the candidates visit different churches to gain different ministry insights. You can watch feedback they gave after visiting Tailrace in November here.

This year we will be taking a mid year intake into ELI, so if you are an emerging leader, or if you have potential emerging leaders in your church, contact Mark Ansell at Gateway and he will be able to provide more details.

2019 Conference
If you haven’t already seen it, the short video of our keynote speaker, Oscar Muriu from Nairobi Chapel in Kenya is really worth watching.

Seven weeks out and we are delighted at how registrations have been pouring in. Last year we had 200 registrants. This year we are hoping for 250, and are half way there already. If you haven’t registered yet, you can do so here. More information about the 2019 National Conference can be found here.

Here’s a video promoting the 2019 A2A National Conference that you are welcome to show in your church.

Pastors in Transition
There are currently a number of A2A churches where transition to a new senior leader has or is taking place. And there are a number of churches where pastors approaching retirement are looking for possible successors.

We are always looking out for men and women who are open to exploring a call to ministry. Perhaps you may be a good fit for one of the churches where the current pastor would like to pass on the baton? If you would like to explore this as a possibility, talk to one of the NLT members or contact me.

What are You Reading?
As John Maxwell says, “leaders are learners”. Here are 3 books I’ve found particularly helpful over the last few months:

• “Memoirs of a Pastor” by Eugene Peterson. This book helps rekindle the love of being a pastor, a shepherd to a flock of people.
• “Irresistible: Reclaiming The New That Jesus Unleashed To The World” by Andy Stanley. A great book ultimately pointing to the new commandment of Jesus and what that looks like in todays world.
• “Building A Story Brand” by Donald Miller. A fantastic book in helping understand why clarity of what we do is important, and how to gain that clarity so we can easily and effectively tell others about it.

I love how new and different input helps stimulate new ideas and  helps keep ministry fresh!

Back to the Book of Acts
When you read this, Sharon and I will be heading to, or already in Asia with Empart. I love these trips! They are like going back to the book of Acts and seeing the Holy Spirit moving with people being healed and saved, leaders raised, churches planted and communities transformed.

Every time I come back, I have fresh hope for Australia and fresh hope that A2A will truly become an alliance of innovative missional churches transforming Australian lives.

Carl Mutzelburg at Catalyst will be acting President in my absence should you need urgent support. I will be returning to Australia at the end of March.

Please pray that the Holy Spirit moves in our country, that our churches grow as healthy missional churches and that many young men and women are raised as workers for the harvest.
​
Blessings,


Tim O’Neill
President, A2A
The Acts 2 Alliance.