PODCAST · religion
The One Thing
by Reach Australia
One solid, practical tip for gospel-centred ministry every week.Reach Australia is a network of churches - working together to seeing thousands of healthy, evangelistic, multiplying churches across Australia.
Episodes
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471 Deep and warm: how to make every Sunday feel like the gospel we preach (Part 1 of 2) (Toby Neal and Liv Chapman Leggett)
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,...
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470 Old man vs young man in planting (Tim Baldwin)
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...
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469 SEO tips to make your church findable on Google (Aaron Taylor)
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...
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468 Disagreement done right - how to deal with tension (Tim Dyer)
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…
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467 Theology in practice of pastoral transformation (Paul Grimmond)
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…
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466 Counterintuitive ministry lessons - surely this can't be right (Al Stewart)
Al Stewart shares 28 of the craziest, most counterintuitive lessons he has learnt from his time in ministry. There are gems of wisdom for all stages of ministry life. You won’t hear this stuff in a textbook! Al Stewart has worked with FIEC, City Bible Forum, Geneva Push and Katoomba Christian...
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465 What 40 years of leading people teaches you (Al Stewart)
A senior minister has an enormous influence on whether their team is healthy. After more than 40 years of ministry leadership, Al Stewart has learnt a few things the hard way. In this episode, Scott Sanders sits down with Al to unpack the lessons, mistakes and wisdom that only come from decades…
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464 What 15 years of church planting taught Al Stewart
New churches reach new people. So why is planting still such hard work? Scott Sanders catches up with Al Stewart to look back on 15 years of Geneva Push and Reach Australia: wins, mistakes and pushback. Why denominations can get in the way of planting The challenges of planting in established...
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463 The small groups troubleshooting guide (Part 3 of 3)
We finally tackle all the awkward small group questions we’ve been avoiding. In the final episode of this three-part series, Scott Sanders and Richard Sweatman, discuss the topics about small groups they avoided in the first two episodes. We explore: Unhealthy groups Low participation Finding...
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462 Your small groups are only as healthy as their leaders (Part 2 of 3)
Healthy small groups don’t happen by accident. Your small groups are only as strong as the leaders you’re raising. So how do you find the right people, prepare them well, and keep helping them grow once they’re leading? In part two of this three-part series, Scott Sanders talks with Richard...
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461 The hidden decisions behind every small groups ministry (Part 1 of 3)
Scott Sanders chats with Richard Sweatman, assistant pastor at Hunter Bible Church in Newcastle: They discuss these questions, and more: Are small groups primarily about Christian growth, relationships, fellowship, mission or serving? Can they realistically do everything? Should groups be…
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460 Creating a culture of everyday word ministry (Tony Payne)
If the preaching is faithful, why doesn't the conversation continue after the service? Tony Payne joins Scott Sanders to explore why every Christian is called to speak God's Word to one another. Discover how simple, everyday conversations can become one of God's primary ways of growing disciples...
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459 Quick wins to keep young adults connected
If your church is expecting 18-year-olds to connect the same way 32-year-olds do, you’ll lose them before they ever put down roots. In this episode, Scott Sanders is joined by Ray Copland and Holly Stewart from EV Church to unpack why young adults need a different approach to church life. Along...
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458 Room to grow: how and when to add another Sunday gathering
If your church is waiting until every seat is full before adding another service, are you waiting too long? In this episode, Derek Hanna talks with Ben Mansfield and Petrina Enchelmaier from Southside Presbyterian, Brisbane about why they started planning a second Sunday service four years before...
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457 Follow-up after your mission course - it's a mess (and that's okay)
Someone becomes a Christian. What happens next? Every church wants to help new Christians get established in the faith, but that's often easier said than done. One person might be a 21-year-old university student. Another might be a 50-year-old dad. They won't have the same questions, they'll…
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456 Cultivating the heart of a cheerful giver (Des Smith)
Why do some Christians give joyfully while others give reluctantly? Most of us know generosity is good. Yet many Christians still approach giving reluctantly, defensively, or simply as another bill to pay. Tish Maier talks with Des Smith about why that gap exists and how churches can help people...
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455 When giving is uncomfortable instead of cheerful in your church (Des Smith)
Your church may find it easier to avoid talking about money altogether. But Jesus didn’t. In this episode, Tish sits down with Des Smith, Senior Pastor of Trinity Church Lockleys Adelaide and author of The Cheerful Giver, to explore how churches can move beyond awkward fundraising conversations…
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454 How to Triage Newcomers Without Making It Awkward
At Kellyville Anglican in Sydney, newcomers sit down with Dave Keun, the senior pastor. Pete Hughes talks with Dave about “Newish”, a conversation designed to help newcomers understand church, ask questions and join. Dave explains how it fits into Kellyville’s wider welcoming pathway, the...
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453 The Case for Annual Reviews in Ministry
Is your church doing annual reviews right, or at all? In this episode, Scott Sanders and Jo Gibbs explore how annual reviews can move beyond corporate box-ticking to become a vital tool for encouraging, developing, and stewarding gospel workers well. We unpack how simple, structured conversations...
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452 Your awareness nudge - making yourself more findable as a church (Phill Morrow)
If someone in your suburb wanted to find a church this Sunday… could they actually find yours? In this episode, Pete Hughes chats with Phill Morrow, from ChristLife Presbyterian in West Toowoomba, about how to ensure your church is findable. Sometimes it’s the simple things that actually really...
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451 How your church space shapes welcome and connection
Church buildings and meeting spaces communicate long before anyone hears the sermon. A confusing entrance, poor signage, or awkward gathering areas create unnecessary barriers, while thoughtful spaces can help people feel more relaxed, welcomed, and ready to connect. In this episode: Why physical...
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450 What are your Sunday gathering debriefs actually achieving?
In this episode, Derek Hanna is joined by Paul Young (planter of Providence Church Bayswater, Perth) to think about how church teams reflect on Sundays, and whether those debrief conversations are actually helping the church grow in mission, or just recycling obvious feedback. They explore how...
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449 Mapping the mess: the difference an org chart makes for your church
Church life can get messy quickly. In this episode, Scott Sanders chats with Chris Rooleht about why having a simple serve chart can help bring clarity to ministry, showing who’s doing what, where responsibilities sit, and where people might be carrying too much. They discuss how serve charts can...
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448 Great Monday staff meetings: lessons in leading teams
Most staff meetings feel like a drain. Too long, unclear, and full of talk that changes nothing. But what if your weekly meeting could actually strengthen your team, sharpen your culture, and leave people encouraged? In this episode, Andrew Mitchell (Executive Pastor at EV Church on NSW's Central...
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447 From 5 to 37: how one church reworked their evangelism course invitation
The Point Community Church in Port Macquarie, NSW was growing at 10% a year, but not many people were coming to faith. When they benchmarked themselves against other churches, the gap was noticeable: other churches were seeing 5-7x more non-Christians come through their evangelistic courses. They...
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446 When church can’t function without you: breaking the always-needed cycle
If you stepped away for a month, would your church stall? The hero complex in ministry rarely announces itself. It feels like diligence. Responsibility. Sacrifice. But underneath can sit something more dangerous — the quiet belief that everything depends on us. In this episode, we explore: What…
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445 What your bookshelf says about your ministry: reading as leadership formation (Rory Shiner)
You can usually tell what’s going on in a pastor’s ministry by what’s on their bedside table. Not the books they recommend, but the ones they are actually reading, half-reading, or quietly avoiding. Rory Shiner opens up his own reading habits and presses the question most of us avoid: are we…
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444 What last year's church launches are teaching the rest of us
Church planting is often treated as something only large churches can do. The latest Growth and Change report suggests otherwise. Across the Reach Australia network, smaller churches and unlikely partnerships are launching new congregations and reaching people who were never going to walk into an...
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443 If you only preach on giving when you’re behind budget...
When was the last time we preached on generosity — and it wasn’t because the budget was tight? Money is one of the clearest windows into our trust, our fears, and our worship. Yet many of us only speak about it at the AGM or when pressure rises. In this episode, we reflect on generosity not as...
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442 Beating burnout: why coaching matters
What do you do when ministry starts to feel heavy and you cannot quite name why? Burnout is not always dramatic. Often it is a slow disconnect between your gospel convictions and your emotional capacity. In this episode, we explore why that drift happens and how coaching can provide a space to…
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441 From brownies to belonging: the hidden power of morning tea
Morning tea is traditionally done through a roster of people bringing food. But what happens when churches cast a bigger vision for morning tea and supper? Derek Hanna and Scott Sanders discuss what it looks like to create a team whose mission is to foster an environment where people feel loved,...
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440 Welcoming: organised but not warm (that’s the problem!)
Over the last few years, churches have become very good at welcoming systems - name tags, check-in flows, connection cards, follow-up processes. But here’s the uncomfortable question: Have we become organised… but not warm? Today we’re talking about welcoming teams, and why relationships - not...
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439 The 48 hours that matter - from welcome to relationship
The foundations you have for follow up at church matter more than you think - how do we move people from a welcome, to a relationship? Derek Hanna sits down with Dan Gorton (Cross & Crown Gold Coast) to talk about follow-up - not as admin, not as a system, but as love, names & relationships. As...
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438 You might be discipling a future planter
There might be someone in your Bible study who keeps asking uncomfortable questions about church. - Why aren’t more people being reached? - Why do we keep doing church this way? And you might be tempted to shut them down. In this episode, Scott Sanders and Derek Hanna talk about the early signs…
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437 Getting Church Teams Started for the Year
The first meeting of the year does more than set rosters. It shapes how a team understands why they serve. Scott Sanders and Derek Hanna walk through what to do when a volunteer team gathers for the first time: reconnect people, set the church’s gospel direction in front of them again, and show…
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436 Are rallies dead or will they reach Gen Z?
Rallies feel outdated to some, but Dave Jensen thinks the problem was never the rally itself. With Gen Z more open than expected, he’s convinced large, clear gospel events might be overdue for a rethink. Why rallies may be working again, and why bad execution killed them last time Targeting…
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435 When someone decides to leave your church (exit interviews for members)
Church members leave for all sorts of reasons, and how you respond can shape both their next steps and your church community. This episode explores what a thoughtful exit process looks like, even when departures are hard or messy. Key Why churches often don’t track why members leave and how to...
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434 The spots in church life we think are fine … but are falling apart underneath
Every church has a pathway. It might not be written down or planned, but it’s shaping how people move through our churches. Derek Hanna and Scott Sanders talk about how to identify the weak spots in your church’s pathway — where people are getting stuck, and how leaders can bring clarity without...
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Replay: 388 Welcoming - where churches go wrong
This is a replay of one of your favourite episodes: one you have to get right as we begin the new year. First impressions matter, and churches often underestimate how much. Peter Blanch and Scott Sanders discuss how small changes can make a big impact in helping people feel seen, valued, and…
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Replay: 378 What Should Your Church be Tracking?
A replay from one of your favourite episodes. One you need to think about as we head into the new year. Data is just a tool, but it’s an important tool. Its real purpose? Loving and serving your people better. A snapshot of data can give you an idea of your church health. What we discuss Average...
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Replay: 310 How Do I Rest? Seven Types of Rest
A replay from your favourite episodes and coming at a timely part of the year: Derek and Scott look at the work of Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith on different types of rest. 1. Physical Rest Giving your body a rest. 2. Mental Rest It could be that you need to give your mind a rest. 3. Emotional Rest We...
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433 What 84 churches taught us about evangelism
We unpack findings from a recent survey of 84 churches across 10 denominations. The data is more encouraging than many expect — but it also exposes where momentum slows and why some churches see more people come to faith than others. We explore what’s genuinely helping people meet Jesus, what…
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432 When church software becomes a ministry liability — and what to do about it
Choosing a Church Management System (CMS) is a ministry decision, not just a technical one. In this episode, Toby Neal (Lead Pastor of Vine Church, Sydney) shares what he learned while evaluating and changing CMS platforms in a real church context. We talk about how systems shape workflows, staff...
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431 When governance becomes a growth barrier
Nobody signs up for ministry to get excited about governance, but ignore it and you'll end up running in circles. In this episode we dive into the practical side of governance in ministry, why it matters for healthy churches, and how to navigate common roadblocks. How governance and ecclesiology...
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430 What if you're the one without emotional intelligence?
If the emotional side of ministry keeps catching you off guard, it’s worth paying attention to what that might reveal about your own emotional intelligence. Scott Sanders and Jo Gibbs look at the practical side of emotional intelligence, why it matters for everyday ministry, and what gets in the...
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429 What to do when your leader doesn’t lead
When your senior pastor isn’t leading — or at least, not leading well — what should you actually do? Today we drill into that tension without sugarcoating it. It’s not just about calling someone out, but about understanding yourself, your role, and how to navigate tricky dynamics without blowing...
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428 Nobody needs another mini-sermon: rethinking public prayer (Natalie Ray)
Public prayer often gets treated like a warm-up act in church. But what if it’s one of the most spiritually potent moments in the whole service? Natalie Ray wants us to stop coasting and start leading prayers that actually lead. Why public prayer is often flat — and how to fix it What changes…
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427 Are acronyms anti-gospel? (aka AAAG) (Dominic Steele)
Acronyms might save time, but are they costing us people? Dominic Steele wants pastors to rethink their acronym addiction — not just because it’s annoying, but because it is anti-gospel. Why church leaders cling to acronyms that no one understand Biblical principles that challenge coded language...
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426 Ministry teams suck (unless you get these 4 things right)
Most ministry teams don’t fall apart because of conflict. They often drift because people stop showing up — in body, heart, or prayer. In this episode, Dave Moore talks about what helps teams become healthy, dependable, and deeply Christian. He unpacks the four things that make a team worth being...
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425 From nominal to all-in: the new face of faith (Stephen McApline)
Young men are trickling back into churches, but are they here to stay — and are we ready for them? Steve McAlpine joins to unpack the subtle but significant shifts in cultural currents and what churches must rethink to disciple a new kind of Christian convert. Key points: Why Google searches for...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
One solid, practical tip for gospel-centred ministry every week.Reach Australia is a network of churches - working together to seeing thousands of healthy, evangelistic, multiplying churches across Australia.
HOSTED BY
Reach Australia
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The One Thing have?
The One Thing currently has 452 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The One Thing about?
One solid, practical tip for gospel-centred ministry every week.Reach Australia is a network of churches - working together to seeing thousands of healthy, evangelistic, multiplying churches across Australia.
How often does The One Thing release new episodes?
The One Thing publishes regularly with 452 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The One Thing?
You can listen to The One Thing on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The One Thing?
The One Thing is created and hosted by Reach Australia.
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