Life + Faith

Tag: Discipleship

  • The Joys and Challenges of Sending

    The Joys and Challenges of Sending

    When I think of partnership, my mind always drifts towards Paul’s words in Philippians 1:3-5, 

    “I thank my God every time I remember you… because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

    It’s a great line, isn’t it? It’s more than a thank you, it’s a picture of what it looks like when a local church embraces its role in God’s mission. It’s not just cheering others on from the sidelines, but it’s partnering meaningfully with those called to take the good news of Jesus across cultures and borders. 

    At our church here in Mooroolbark, we’ve had the privilege of sending people we know and love to serve cross-culturally. It’s not a long list, and we’re not a big church. Not that size is the measure anyway. But what’s mattered most is the posture we’ve taken. A posture of sending, of being open to God’s leading and being partners in the gospel together. 

    The Joys

    Watching someone within the life of the church respond to God’s call into mission is a beautiful thing. To see them grow in faith, serve in ministry, walk with others, and begin to sense God’s leading somewhere new is exciting. It’s exciting for them, and it’s exciting for the church. It doesn’t happen quickly–in fact, it can be awfully slow. But when that conviction settles and through discernment it is affirmed there is a great sense of God at work. You end up realising that this is why the Church exists.  

    We’ve had the joy of commissioning services, which are rich in meaning and prayer. The laying on of hands, the setting apart, and the committing those called to the Lord. These are services that energise the church as people rally around them, offering financial support, practical help, consistent prayer, and just good encouragement. 

    It’s also encouraging to see the impact that mission updates have on others. Whether it’s stories of discipleship, translation, medical work, or leadership development, it all reminds us that we’re part of something bigger. It lifts our eyes beyond the immediate and makes our hearts swell. 

    Then, perhaps not thought of as often as we should, is the encouragement of seeing the growth in those we send. There’s a deepening of faith, a maturing of character, and a greater sense of hope in God. The way God shapes those on the field is a sight to see. They don’t just go to give and serve, but they go and are formed, too. And this is a blessing for all involved. 

    The Challenges

    Of course, sending is not without its challenges. The hardest part is often saying goodbye. Those sent are usually not just any member of the church, they’re often those who are deeply involved in the life of the community. This is certainly true in my experience. They lead small groups, mentor others, serve in different capacities, and then suddenly there’s a gap. The church can’t help but feel it. 

    There is the challenge of distance too. Supporting people well from the other side of the world isn’t exactly a straightforward task. There’s the practical reality that we can’t always help in hands-on ways. We must be intentional to keep connection, to communicate regularly, and stay informed and prayerful as the needs arise. As the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind”, can be true in our churches as well as our personal lives. Wrestling with those questions of how partnership works, between the church, the missionaries, and the mission agencies, is key. How do we stay involved without overstepping? Who takes the lead in care, and in what ways? All these tensions are good and right, but tensions all the same. 

    And like many churches, we rely on a volunteer team to keep our missionary support active and present. They pray faithfully, with love and care, but as the needs of missionaries become more complex (especially around member care and logistics), there can be a stretch. There’s more to support than a few emails, an occasional gift, and financial contributions, but how do we do it well? It isn’t always obvious. 

    The Posture of Sending

    Through these things, the practicalities and the questions, we’re learning what it means to have a sending posture. This isn’t about an occasional project, it’s a long-term commitment that is shaped by the Great Commission, those words of Jesus himself in Matthew 28:19-20:

    “Go and make disciples of all nations… and surely I am with you always.”

    We want to respond to this call as a church, not only by going but by sending. We go into our neighbourhoods, schools, workplaces, sporting clubs, and families but we also go into the wider world. And we do so trusting that the Lord of the harvest is still calling, still sending, and still doing more than we could ask or imagine. 

    Sending missionaries isn’t easy. But it’s worth it. It reminds us that the gospel is good news for all people, everywhere. 

    And we get to be part of it.

  • Do You Do A Mid-Year Reflection? 

    Do You Do A Mid-Year Reflection? 

    It’s that time here in Melbourne where the days are cold and fresh and we come to the halfway mark of the year. 

    I’m not sure about you but I long to be somewhere warm about now. The kids have just gone on school holidays, there will be more family time and unstructured time in the home. Friends have disappeared up north to get a dose of sun for the week, and most of the regular life programming has taken a pause. It is usually the case that after our summer break we walk back into life with a pep in our step but we are far removed from January energy. As we mark the midpoint of the year that pep might have gone by the wayside and we are simply trying to put one foot in front of the other. 

    In recent years, with all this in mind, I’ve taken time to intentionally reflect on the first half of the year. I love the book of Proverbs, and don’t dip into it nearly enough, but it has a couple of gems for us in terms of being reflective people. In Proverbs 4:26 we read, 

    “Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established.” 

    And then in Proverbs 14:8 is says, 

    “The sensible person’s wisdom is to consider his way, but the stupidity of fools deceives them.”

    Both these proverbs encourage us to be self-aware and reflective people, teaching us that it is discerning and wise to do so. 

    Becoming this kind of person doesn’t happen naturally either. It is not really in our nature to stop, think, be intentional, and reflective of our lives. More often than not we bumble along trying to keep up with whatever responsibilities we have before us, some simply day by day. And so being intentional in this way is a form of discipline. We discipline ourselves to stop, to think, to be reflective as to what is going on inside and around us. We do so in order to observe what God has been doing in our lives and where he might be leading us. 

    In seeking to do this in my life I work through 10 short questions, giving dot point answers to each of them, as an exercise in reflection. I’ve only just done it again for this year, and have found it really helpful. I share the questions below and pray they will be useful to you as well. 

    All the best, and my prayers are with you, as you consider the path of your feet and the way you have walked this year. May it be an encouragement to you. 

    Mid-Year Reflection Questions:

    1. What are the most important events that have happened to me, or in me, this past 6 months?
    2. What are the greatest breakthroughs in any category of my life this past 6 months (physically, emotionally, relationally, vocationally, spiritually, with other people, etc.)?
    3. What has been the greatest struggle in my life this past 6 months?
    4. What has been the greatest, and deepest, loss this past 6 months?
    5. What was the area that has consumed my thinking, attention, and focus this past 6 months (health, relationship, future, etc.)? 
    6. Where have I felt most vulnerable in my life?
    7. Where have I most experienced the presence of God this past 6 months and why?
    8. In the past six months, where have I experienced the greatest sense of consolation (peace, contentment, shalom, beauty, etc.)?
    9. In the past six months, what area of my life has given me the most desolation (pre-occupation, depression, anxiety, etc.)?             
    10. What is ONE word that would begin to sum up this past 6 months?
  • King Jesus: Place and Purpose

    King Jesus: Place and Purpose

    There must have been something deeply compelling about Jesus.

    When he calls his first disciples in Mark 1:16-20 his authority is already evident. We’re not told these disciples spent time thinking about whether they should follow, or talked to Jesus about what following him would mean, or negotiated terms and conditions. They simply left their nets and followed him.

    Mark 1:17-18 is what Jesus says to Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew, the first two disciples:

    17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

    Evidently the call of Jesus is not easily ignored.

    His call to follow him is powerful and with a purpose.

    Jesus doesn’t invite these guys for a short stroll along the shoreline and back again. You know, one of those walks you might have on a hot summers evening while walking the dog and talking to your spouse. Instead, Jesus is calling them to place him over their work, their family business, their security, their future plans, and whatever they’re thinking about to come and follow him. Jesus is calling for total allegiance. He’s calling them to follow him with their whole lives, their whole selves.

    Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “When Christ calls a man [or woman], he bids him come and die.” In this he means that discipleship involves dying to self and living for Christ. Just as Jesus himself says later in Mark, that whoever wants to follow him must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow (Mark 8:34–35).

    This call is life changing (as we’ve discussed previously).

    But it also comes with a purpose.

    Jesus tells them they will become fishers of people. (or fishers of ‘men’ in the humanity sense if you would prefer).

    They are drawn into mission. They are to participate in gathering others into the kingdom through the good news and calling them to repent and believe.

    This purpose still stands. It is still our purpose as followers of Jesus too.

    As followers of Jesus we are not only saved into his kingdom, but we are also sent into his mission. In our own settings, relationships, and practices we are part of his work in drawing people to himself.

    Where might Jesus be calling you to follow him more fully? Remember, he’s asking for your whole heart, your whole self. We are to place him at number one.

    What part of life might need to be more fully under his lead and into his purposes for the world?

    King Jesus: A Series in Mark’s Gospel
    Part 1: King Jesus: The Beginning of The Good News
    Part 2: King Jesus: The Messenger
    Part 3: King Jesus: The Love of God the Father
    Part 4: King Jesus: The Kingdom of God
    Part 5: King Jesus: The Calling of The Ordinary
    Part 6: King Jesus: Place and Purpose

  • The Ethics of AI: A Pastoral Reflection

    The Ethics of AI: A Pastoral Reflection

    AI is no longer just a buzzword or a new toy for those tech enthusiasts, is it? It’s here, beginning to expand its tentacles into our lives. Whether it’s at home, at work, our life admin, our church, and even our habits of thought and prayer, AI is making an impact. It’s fast. It’s smart (-ish). And if we’re honest, it can become slightly addictive. 

    Beyond the speed and fascination I’ve found myself asking some of those deeper questions about AI. Not about what it can do, but what it’s doing to me, to us. I’ve moved on from the question about whether it is right or wrong, and beginning to think through the way it forms me and my faith. What kind of person am I being shaped into, and is this coherent with the way of Jesus? 

    This is certainly not a how-to article on AI. Nor is it a listicle full of tips about the best apps or top tips in ethical AI use. Rather, it’s a reflection, a pastoral reflection seeking to bring to the top that question of, “Who am I becoming as I use this tech?”

    The reality is that tools don’t just serve us, they shape us. And AI, more than any other since the creation of the smartphone, is beginning to reach into parts of life where formation may already be fragile. 

    Worship Is Where Ethics Begins

    The starting point for Christian ethics is worship.

    Romans 12 doesn’t begin with behaviour. It begins with a posture drawn from the well of God. It says, 

    “In view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices…”

    In other words, ethics isn’t just about what we do. It’s about how we live before God and who we are becoming because of God. It’s not just doing the ‘right’ things, it’s about the ‘who’ things. And so perhaps the first questions to ask ourselves is, “Is this helping me to live and worship and trust in God”? 

    This is where the hammer hits the nail for me. 

    AI, in all its cleverness, doesn’t only help me perform tasks. It makes me more efficient. It removes uncomfortable thinking, and sometimes thinking all together! And if I’m not careful it pushes me forward into a way of life that looks like a worldly hustle rather than the unhurried pace of the Spirit of God. 

    I’m not here to cry foul of all of AI, nor even say it is inherently wrong. I use it regularly. But I am saying we need to stop and reflect on how we are using it. I’m saying it’s worth watching closely its impact in not just our lives but in our hearts. If I don’t walk in the mercy of God, and stay firm in that foundation and identity, then I will find myself using these AI tools to keep producing and performing more and more. And I know if I walk that path then I’ll slowly but surely become less present to God, to others, and to myself. 

    The Promise and the Pushback

    A little while ago Kenny Jahng wrote an article called Beyond Binary Morality: How AI Challenges Traditional Christian Ethical Frameworks. It’s certainly worth your time to go and read. Kenny argues that AI reveals the limits of simple “right/wrong” categories. Algorithms, after all, aren’t choosing between good and evil by they’re weighing trade-offs, running probabilities, and calculating complexity.

    And in many ways, I agree with him. Wisdom in our time requires nuance (as it always has, no doubt). Neat moral boxes are beginning to be stretched for us, there is complexity and complication when thinking through Christian ethics of AI. 

    Where I found myself gently pushing back on this article, however, was the idea that AI might be the solution to pastoral overwhelm. As Kenny writes, many pastors feel burdened by tasks that don’t require their spiritual gifts—like creating policy and guidelines, doing administration, or making decisions on future projects and ministries without experience. Some of these aren’t soul-shaping tasks but just the cost of managing and navigating church life in the modern day. 

    AI, he argues, can be a relief valve.

    And he’s right, it can. It has been for me, in some areas of ministry. I’ve used it to help structure content, bring creativity to my thinking about ministry areas, and provide clearer communication to the church. This has meant I’ve had more time to focus on people, to be creative, and I’ve even found more time for prayer. But I do acknowledge there is another side to this. 

    That other side, the shadow side, is the fact that AI doesn’t remove the overwhelm, it can accelerate it. 

    If I don’t deal with what’s happening in my heart, the time I’ve saved won’t go to the priorities of prayer and preaching and other elements of what I call ‘Wordwork’, it’ll go to more output. More tasks. More tweaks. More production. More performance.

    This is why I keep coming back to remember that ethics begins with worship. When my use of AI is grounded in worship of God then the posture I hold is one of submission, surrender, and obedience. When it flows out of a need to produce, to prove myself, or to perform in front of others then it becomes something else. 

    Something that promises rest but quietly feeds the restlessness.

    Babel and the Illusion of Control

    That story from Genesis 11 is one that lives rent free in my mind at the moment. 

    “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves…”

    The Tower of Babel is a story about autonomy. It’s about humans using their creativity not in response to God, but in competition with him.

    And I think it’s an image that speaks into our age of AI. Not because AI is evil, but because it tempts us to think like Babel: I can control more. I can create more. I can become more. 

    But we’re not created in God’s image to view our lives and all that it entails in this way. We’re not given such responsibility. We’re made to receive the mercy and grace of God. We’re made to live in communion with God, not as optimised beings. 

    As we explore AI’s possibilities it’s worth asking ourselves the question, “Are we building a life with God or are we building a life for ourselves? 

    The Way of Jesus

    The more I use AI, the more I feel the invitation to slow down.

    It’s one thing to use a tool. It’s another to let it use you. And I don’t want to become the person who outsources the very parts of life and ministry that form and shape me as a child of God. 

    Sermons aren’t just written, they’re lived. 

    Pastoral care isn’t just organised, it’s personal and relational. 

    Discipleship isn’t just explanation and knowledge, it’s years-long formation under God and his people. 

    The way of Jesus is still slow. It’s relational. It’s incarnational. It requires presence. And if AI helps me serve others better, I’ll use it. But if it pulls me away from the kind of person Jesus is shaping me to be then it might be time to put it down.

    If you’re interested to explore this further you can also listen to our church podcast where we are beginning to explore AI in the church. You can grab the episodes here or on YouTube.

    AI and Ministry
    The Ethics of AI: A Pastoral Reflection
    Related: AI, Ministry, and the Shape of Discipleship

  • AI, Ministry, and the Shape of Discipleship

    AI, Ministry, and the Shape of Discipleship

    There’s something particularly human about opening the Bible and seeking to make sense of it for others. For pastors, that moment of sermon preparation isn’t just about information or knowledge transfer, it’s about formation, for the preacher and the people who hear it. Now, however, we need to deal with AI. It’s fast. It’s helpful. And, it’s kind of fun too! 

    But, it also raises deeper questions about our pastoral and ministerial calling, especially when it comes to the slow and patient work of preaching and shepherding others in the way of Jesus. 

    Recently, I’ve listened to two podcast episodes (here and here) from the team at the Expositors Collective (who I’d recommend you follow) and been reflecting on AI, sermon preparation, and its wider use in church ministry. 

    Tools or Crutches

    Tools abound for pastors and ministry leaders of churches. Whether it’s Bible software, commentaries, whiteboards, Canva, or various books and study guides, there’s plenty out there. AI fits into this category. A tool. It can structure meetings, summarise transcripts, brainstorm sermon series, and tidy up emails. It’s like a digital intern who doesn’t need smoke-o. 

    But there is a tipping point. And for some that might be further down the track than others. Nevertheless, the tipping point is when the tool becomes a crutch, something that ends up doing the deep work that is part of the calling of gospel ministry–the exegesis, illustration, sermon outlining, the writing, even. This tipping point comes when we trade formation for efficiency. And it is a poor trade. We may well save time, but what we risk is the personal formation of our soul and a disservice to our people.

    Sermons are lived, they are to be ‘in’ us, they are to be lifted up in prayer, and spoken through the Spirit by a person, not a prompt. 

    Presence Over Productivity

    Of course, AI promises productivity. And it’s a performance trap for us too. In some areas, like admin, research, and note-making, it’s certainly very helpful. But ministry isn’t measured by these things, nor is it measured by performance and efficiency. It’s measured in faithfulness, presence, and love for others. Those in the church who are dealing with challenge, hardship, grief, health concerns, financial difficulty, or a dark night of the soul don’t need a TED Talk crafted message, they need a pastor who has sat with the text, prayed through the text, and then communicates through the work of the Spirit. 

    And don’t get me wrong, I’m not some Luddite with anti-tech sensibilities. I’m engaging with AI tools in many areas of life, including church ministry. But we’ve got to remind ourselves that our calling is to shepherd not to massage content in ChatGPT. 

    I suppose, the danger isn’t really AI itself, it’s what it might slowly be doing to our hearts as we build faster content but remain less formed and wise in the process. 

    Discernment In Discipleship

    My point is that we’re not here to create fear or hype about AI. Every generation is already using it to some degree, and those digital natives among us are well beyond this being ‘new’. Our job is more about wisdom and discernment than it is to give some moral judgement on these technologies. It’s to help people realise that following Jesus may not be the road of shortcuts and speed.

    We need to help our churches, our people, see the difference between information and wisdom. To be able to sit in the deep with God, and let him do the work within us over a long period of time. Outsourcing formation won’t get us very far, but embracing slow discipleship, the unhurried way of Jesus will. 

    So, yes, we use these tools. But we realise that this is what they are. The question of challenge is whether I am shaping this tool or is it shaping me?

    AI and Ministry
    AI, Ministry, and the Shape of Discipleship
    Related: The Ethics of AI: A Pastoral Reflection