All Episodes
The One Thing — 470 episodes
464 What 15 years of church planting taught Al Stewart
463 The small groups troubleshooting guide (Part 3 of 3)
462 Your small groups are only as healthy as their leaders (Part 2 of 3)
461 The hidden decisions behind every small groups ministry (Part 1 of 3)
460 Creating a culture of everyday word ministry (Tony Payne)
459 Quick wins to keep young adults connected
458 Room to grow: how and when to add another Sunday gathering
457 Follow-up after your mission course - it's a mess (and that's okay)
456 Cultivating the heart of a cheerful giver (Des Smith)
455 When giving is uncomfortable instead of cheerful in your church (Des Smith)
454 How to Triage Newcomers Without Making It Awkward
453 The Case for Annual Reviews in Ministry
452 Your awareness nudge - making yourself more findable as a church (Phill Morrow)
451 How your church space shapes welcome and connection
450 What are your Sunday gathering debriefs actually achieving?
449 Mapping the mess: the difference an org chart makes for your church
448 Great Monday staff meetings: lessons in leading teams
447 From 5 to 37: how one church reworked their evangelism course invitation
446 When church can’t function without you: breaking the always-needed cycle
445 What your bookshelf says about your ministry: reading as leadership formation (Rory Shiner)
444 What last year's church launches are teaching the rest of us
443 If you only preach on giving when you’re behind budget...
442 Beating burnout: why coaching matters
441 From brownies to belonging: the hidden power of morning tea
440 Welcoming: organised but not warm (that’s the problem!)
439 The 48 hours that matter - from welcome to relationship
438 You might be discipling a future planter
437 Getting Church Teams Started for the Year
436 Are rallies dead or will they reach Gen Z?
435 When someone decides to leave your church (exit interviews for members)
434 The spots in church life we think are fine … but are falling apart underneath
Replay: 388 Welcoming - where churches go wrong
Replay: 378 What Should Your Church be Tracking?
Replay: 310 How Do I Rest? Seven Types of Rest
433 What 84 churches taught us about evangelism
432 When church software becomes a ministry liability — and what to do about it
431 When governance becomes a growth barrier
430 What if you're the one without emotional intelligence?
429 What to do when your leader doesn’t lead
428 Nobody needs another mini-sermon: rethinking public prayer (Natalie Ray)
427 Are acronyms anti-gospel? (aka AAAG) (Dominic Steele)
426 Ministry teams suck (unless you get these 4 things right)
425 From nominal to all-in: the new face of faith (Stephen McApline)
424 The AI debate: what's a Christian to do?
423 The hidden weight of ministry: why coaching matters for pastors' wives (Cathie Heard)
422 Preaching to two audiences (Al Stewart)
421 Ditching the "couples bias" in church (Dani Treweek)
420 Church in the city: a different way to do small groups (Jess Ngo)
419 Are small groups a strategy—or just tradition in disguise? (Silas Thiem)
418 Measuring small group health: what actually matters? (Richard Sweatman)
417 Saving gospel spaces: why we can’t lose our church buildings
416 Getting the right people in the room (and the wrong people out)
415 The rich prayer life your ministry desperately needs (Peter Adam)
414 Evangelism for movie fans and married people
413 Why multiplication isn’t happening (even though we talk about it)
412 Doubling Christianity in Australia
411 Launch teams: the spiritual boot camp no one talks about (Carla and Corey Matthews)
410 Stretching not drowning: planting a multisite plant (Jade Hajj)
409 Overcoming obstacles for training people in apprenticeships
408 The influence of second chair leadership
407 Recruiting when the recruiting pool is shallow
406 Long weekends: Blessings or curses?
405 Church database nightmares and how to avoid them (Gavin Courtney)
404 Three dysfunctional types of teams and how to fix them
403 Live from the plant conference (RANC 2025)
402 Rethinking kids ministry with Quiz Worx (Matt Gorton and Scruff)
401 Burnout in kids ministry (Sandy Galea)
400 Why people don’t take kids ministry seriously (Sandy Galea)
399 How do you bring a problem to your leader? (Russ Smidt)
398 Live translation during church services (Chuhao Liu)
397 Mission in Action: Lighthouse Church (Jeremy Kidd)
396 Mapping out Mission: How to Plan your Church's Mission Calendar (Dave Jensen)
395 Gaps and Missed Opportunities: Mission Planning Fails (Dave Jensen)
394 Social Media for Church Teams Who Don't Like Social Media (Liz Fong)
393 Volunteer Team Leaders: Handing Them Responsibility (Dave Moore)
392 Term 2 Checklist: Finances, Hiring and Watching the Drift
391 10 Denominations, 60 Churches, 1 Report: Key Takeaways
390 How Muslim Outreach Works in the Peace Tent
389 Welcoming In Action: Live from Kellyville Anglican Church
What is the One Thing?
388 Welcoming: Where Churches Get It Wrong (And How to Fix It)
387 How to Run a Meeting
386 The Seven Day Cycle: What It Is and How To Avoid It
385 Does Your Calendar Reflect Your Convictions?
384 Why Christian Life Is Full of Tensions (And That’s Okay)
383 'You're Better At This Than Me' and Other Phrases Build Teams
382 The Gospel at Work in Fractured Families at Christmas (Stephen McApline)
381 Why EQ is the Edge Every Leader Needs Part 2 (Pete Stedman)
380 Why EQ is the Edge Every Leader Needs Part 1 (Pete Stedman)
379 The Beauty of January For Gospel Workers: Stop, Reflect, Rest, Focus
378 What Should Your Church be Tracking?
377 Revitalisation vs. Planting: Which Should We Do?
376 Why Everyone Needs to Know About the Church Planter Questionnaire
375 Learning From Two New Churches That Launched In 2024 (Chris Mann and Rob Abboud)
374 Why Do I Need to Think About Term One Now?
373 The Crucial Link Between Global Mission and Reaching Australia for Jesus
372 Are Churches Making the Most of Missionaries on Home Assignment?
371 New Trends in Church Planting
370 Helping People Transition Churches
369 Helping Workers Transition to Retirement (Philip Hayes)
368 Helping Couples Transition to Families (Geoff and Wendy Lin)
367 Helping Youth Transition to Young Adults in Church (Karl Bonner)
366 Helping Kids Transition to Youth (Chris Jones and Annemarie Rivers)
365 Looking after the Mental Wellbeing of Others (Keith and Sarah Condie)
364 Looking after Our Mental Wellbeing as Gospel Workers (Keith and Sarah Condie)
363: Empathy vs. Compassion In Ministry (Matt Waldock)
362: What Do I Need to Think About in Term 4?
361: How to Read the Bible Well in Church (Simon Camilleri)
360: Discipleship Pathways (Daniel Im)
359: What Makes a Good Gospel Presentation? (Dave Jensen)
358: How Has Reach Australia's National Conference Helped Glasgow? (Josh Johnston)
357: Inheriting and Building Teams (Ray Galea)
356: Dealing With Grief and Loss in the Family (Nancy Guthrie)
355: Neurodiversity: Making Your Church Accessible (Bec Baines)
354: Making Your Church Accessible to People With Disabilities (Louise Gosbell)
353: Making the Most of Term Three
352: Evangelism That’s as Easy as 3,2,1 (Glen Scrivener)
351: Why Should I Taste and See?
350: Live From the Conference With Murray Capill (2024)
349: Live From the Conference (2024)
348: A Love Story to Give Away (Glen Scrivener)
Bonus: Should Every Christian Study Biblical Theology? (Nancy Guthrie)
347: Building Project Challenges (Kate Stace)
346: Building Management Principles (Kate Stace)
345: Why You Might Be Breaking the Law: Music Copyright For Churches
344: Does Australia Need Another Church Management Platform?
343: The Great Name Tag Debate
342: Short Evangelistic Books: Useful or Useless?
341: About Growth And Change By Andrew Heard
340: What St Faith's Changed To See People Converted
339: Personalising Feedback
338: Enhancing Your Team's Success With Rhythms of Feedback
337: How to Receive Feedback as a Gospel Worker
336: How to Give Effective Feedback
335: Silent Congregations: Exploring the Unspoken Barriers to Providing Feedback
334: Making Ministry More Effective With AI Innovations
333: How Should We Think About AI Helping Me In Ministry?
332: What Do I Need To Think About In Term 1
331: Why We Need To Talk More About Gender with Dr Patrica Weerakoon
330: Why We Need To Talk More About Forgiveness With Rory Shiner
Merry Christmas from The One Thing!
329: What Is The Reach Australia Network Celebrating?
328: Celebrating as a Ministry Team
327: Under the Hood with Dubbo Presbyterian Church
326: Under the Hood with Southside Presbyterian Church
325: Under the Hood with Captivate Presbyterian Church
324: Walking With Unbelieving Family (Part 2)
323: Walking With Unbelieving Family (Part 1)
322: How Does the Ecosystem Work In A Multi-Ethnic Church?
321: How Can We Move From A Mono-Ethnic to Multi-Ethnic Church?
320: Why Migrants Are Good For Your Church
319: When Your Church Has 30 Different Cultures
318: The Next 5 Places Churches Need to Be Planted
317: The 5 Books Everyone Needs to Read About Church Planting
316: How Do I Create a Culture of Trust In My Team?
315: How Do I Organise My Preaching Program for the Year?
314: How Your Identity Issues Could Undermine Your Leadership
313: What Should I Be Thinking About In Term Four?
312: How Can I Get Helpful Professional Support For People Needing Care in My Church?
311: How Can My Help Get in The Way of Caring?
310: How Do I Rest? Seven Types of Rest
309: How Do I Rest? Three Myths About Rest and Ministry
308: Responding to Wisdom From Elders (Part 2)
307: Responding to Wisdom From Elders (Part 1)
306: How Do I Help Christians Think About Their Money Habits?
305: How Can My Church Raise More Money?
304: How Does Pastoral Care Make Disciples?
303: I'm Overwhelmed With Care Needs in My Church - What Can I Do?
302: How Do I Help People Come to Church Regularly? (Part 2)
301: How Do I Help People Come to Church Regularly? (Part 1)
300: 300 Episodes into the One Thing!
299: Raising Up More Gospel Workers
298: Live from Reach Australia's National Conference (Part 2)
297: Live from Reach Australia's National Conference (Part 1)
296: Peter Jensen on His New Book 'The Life of Faith'
295: Reel Dialogue with Russ Matthews
294: Ed Stetzer on Post COVID Church Planting and Everything Else
293: Why Does My Church's Sound Suck?
292: How Many Hours Should a Gospel Worker Work?
291: What Does My Church Need to Prepare For in Term 2?
290: The Importance of Clarity
289: Asking Hard Questions of Reach Australia
288: Analysing Australian Culture with Steve Mcalpine (Part 2)
287: Analysis Australian Culture with Steve McAlpine (Part 1)
286 (Mini): Silos and Pathways
285: What We’ve Noticed Through Church Consultations
284: Reignite Your Conversion Engine
283: When Not To Plant A Church
282: Mission: A New Written Resource
281: How Much Can I Expect The Church To Give In 2023?
280: Joining A New Team
Episode 279 – What’s Most Important In Term 1?
Episode 278 – What Should I Read Over Summer?
Episode 277 – What Is A Focus Pastor?
Episode 276 – What Songs Should We Sing For Christmas? (Greg Cooper and Curtis Smith)
Episode 275 – 9 Months Ago I Planted A Church in Adelaide (Part 2)
Episode 274 – 9 Months Ago I Planted A Church in Adelaide (Part 1)
Episode 273 – Do You Need An Executive Pastor?
Episode 272 – Livestreaming Experience vs Volunteer Burden (And other tech issues)
Episode 271 – Church Marketing (Especially Social Media)
Episode 270 – Online Mission (Wayne Connor)
Episode 269 – Theology of Digital Ministry
Episode 268 – Sermon Length
Episode 267 – One Year Ago I Planted A Church (Andrew West)
Episode 266 – Change Your Church’s Name?
Episode 265 – How Often Do People Attend Church?
Episode 264 – Healthy Relationships Between Men and Women in Ministry (Part 2)
Episode 263 – Healthy Relationships Between Men and Women in Ministry (Part 1)
Episode 262 – What should I focus on in term 4? (part 2 – Christmas)
Episode 261 – What should I focus on in term 4? (part 1 – mission)
Episode 260 – Stepping Down A Volunteer
Episode 259 – Church Planting Assessment
Episode 258 – Courageous Leadership (with Ray Galea)
Episode 257 – Creativity vs Organisation
Episode 256 – Small Group Leaders For 2023
Episode 255 – Church Admin Blocks and Fuels Gospel Proclamation
Episode 254 – Student Ministers
Episode 253 – Preaching
Episode 252 – Recruiting Trainees
(Mini) Episode 251 – When A Congregation Member Suggests A Song
Episode 250 – New Songs For Your Church
Episode 249 – Pathways Into Church Life
Episode 248 – Term 3 Focus (July-September)
Episode 247 – Youth Ministry (Pre Shunmugan and Josie Seto from MBM Church)
Episode 246 – How will you get there? (Reset series)
Episode 245 – Where do you want to go? (Reset series)
Episode 244 – Where are you now? (Reset Series)
Episode 243 – The Full Talk From Pete Stedman
Episode 242 – What I’ve Learnt In Leadership (Pete Stedman)
Episode 241 – Teams In Church (Part 2)
Episode 240 – Teams In Church (Part 1)
Episode 239 – Crawl, Walk, Run: Writing Achievable Role Descriptions
Episode 238 – Caring For The Poor (Compassion)
Episode 237 – A New Church In Dubbo (Part 2)
Episode 236 – A New Church In Dubbo (Part 1)
(Mini) Episode 235 – Paid To Pray? Timetabling Prayer?
Episode 234 – Creating A Culture Of Prayer In Your Church
Episode 233 – What Should I Read Next? (Adam Ch’ng, Mikey Lynch, Gary Eastment)
Episode 232 – You Need Friends In Ministry
Episode 231 – Evangelistic Courses (Part 2)
Episode 230 – Evangelistic Courses (Part 1)
Episode 229 – Should Pastors Even Be On Social Media?
Episode 228 – Closing Down Ineffective Ministries
Episode 227 – Church With An Eye To The Outsider
(Mini) Episode 226 – Four Moments To Discuss Finances In Church
Episode 225 – Run A Vision/Giving Series
Episode 224 – My Church Is Behind Budget
Episode 223 – Inspiring Generosity In Your Church
Episode 222 – Regional Ministry
(Mini) Episode 221 – Gospel Ambition
Episode 220 – The Last 2 Years As A Pastor
Episode 219 – Spacemakers
Episode 218 – The Great Return (50% Attendance at Church)
Episode 217 – Seven Scenarios For Ecosystem Thinking (Part 2)
Episode 216 – Seven Scenarios For Ecosystem Thinking (Part 1 – edited)
Episode 215 – A Decade of Learnings
Episode 214 – Sustainable Ministry
Episode 212 – A Five Part Framework For Ministry
Episode 211 – Christmas Services + Songs
(Mini) Episode 210 – Kids Ministry Planning Using Now, Where, How
(Mini) Episode 209 – Mission Planning Using Now, Where, How
Episode 208 – Now, Where, How (A Planning Tool for 2022)
Episode 207 – Church Planting In Perth (Part 2)
Episode 206 – Church Planting In Perth (Part 1)
Episode 205 – Church Calendars
Episode 204 – Pastoring: Leadership and Taking Heed
Episode 203 – Church Planting In Adelaide
Episode 202 – Church Planting In Sydney
Episode 201 – Difficult Conversations Between A Church Leader and Staff Member
Episode 200 – 200 More Church Plants
Bonus: Underperforming Staff (Part 2)
Episode 199 – Underperforming Staff (Part 1)
Bonus: Making The Most Of The End Of 2021 (with Andrew Heard)
Episode 198 – Meet One-To-One With Key Leaders
Episode 197 – Org Charts
Episode 196 – Small Resources, Big Impact
Our Podcast Mates
195: Better Leadership Development
Episode 194 – Offsites (including Online Offsites)
Episode 193 – Burnout (Part 4) Running Hard vs The Marathon Of Ministry
Bonus: Practical Advice On Burnout
Episode 192 – Burnout (Part 3) The Tension Created By The Desire For Church Growth
Episode 191 – Burnout (Part 2) Three Connections
Episode 190 – Burnout (Part 1)
Episode 189 – Listening Carefully To The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill
Episode 188 – Bible Nudism
A Quick Heads Up
Episode 187 – Better Church Announcements
Episode 186 – 5 Inputs For Small Groups
Episode 185 – Dangers In God Responsiveness
Episode 184 – Church Growth Barriers
Episode 183 – Coaching For Church Leaders
Episode 182 – Your Church’s First Hire
Episode 181 – Entrepreneurship In Church Leadership
Episode 180 – Does Your Church Need a Women’s Minister?
Episode 179 – The State Of Australian Christianity (with Karl Faase)
Episode 178 – Better Welcoming (Part 2)
Episode 177 – Better Welcoming (Part 1)
Episode 176 – 7 Things About Inputs and Outputs For Church
Geneva Push Network Dinner 17 May 2021
Episode 175 – Anzac Day 2021
Episode 174 – Kids Church to Youth Group to Main Church Meetings
Episode 173 – Reach ALL of Australia (Cross Cultural)
Episode 172 – Rented Venues and Schools For Church
Episode 171 – Confessions of a Failed Church Planter (Part 2)
Episode 170 – Confessions of a Failed Church Planter (Part 1)
Episode 169 – Church Weekend Aways
Episode 168 – Revitalise A Church of 150
Episode 167 – Refresh Your Staff Meetings (Part 2)
Episode 166 – Refresh Your Staff Meetings (Part 1)
Episode 165 – Kids Ministry
Episode 164 – Measure What Matters
Episode 163 – Easter 2021
Episode 162 – More Salvations In Your Church
Episode 161 – Processing Big Life Moments
Episode 160 – Launching Small Groups for 2021
Episode 159 – Overwork and Underwork
Episode 158 – 5 New Year’s Resolutions For Ministry Workers
Episode 157 – 3 Christmas Stocking Fillers
Episode 156 – 1 Year Ago I Planted A Church (Rick Zylstra)
Episode 155 – 5 Years Ago I Planted a Church: Part 2 (Matt Sparks and Tim Clemens)
Episode 154 – 5 Years Ago I Planted A Church: Part 1 (Matt Sparks and Tim Clemens)
Episode 153 – 10 Years Ago I Planted A Church (Toby Neal, Vine Church)
Episode 152 – Avoid Hiring The Wrong Person
Episode 151 – Should I Do A 360 Review?
Episode 150 – Pitfalls For Existing Churches
Episode 149 – Pitfalls For New Churches
Episode 148 – Christmas 2020 Part 2
Episode 147 – Christmas 2020 Part 1
Episode 146 – New: Church Planter Assessment Tool
Episode 145 – Timeless Church Staffing Rules (Part 2)
Episode 144 – Timeless Church Staffing Rules (Part 1)
Episode 143 – Church Staffing For 2021
Episode 142 – Read With Me
Episode 141 – Decision Fatigue
Episode 140 – The Generosity Project
Episode 139 – Five Minutes on Prayer
Episode 138 – When Ministry Doesn’t Work
Episode 137 – We Must Do Better
Episode 136 – Grow Big Or Plant?
Episode 135 – Revitalise An Existing Church
Episode 134 – Bivocational
Episode 133 – Church In Hard Places
Episode 132 – Campus Church Planting
Episode 131 – Network Church Planting
Episode 130 – Mother-Daughter Church Planting
Episode 129 – Church planting models Parachute
Episode 128 – Church Plant Models Introduction
Episode 127 – 8 Steps To Leading Change
Episode 126 – Your church’s evangelism in 2021
Episode 125 – The Enduring Implications of COVID On Your Church With Sam Chan
Episode 124 – Entry Points for Evangelistic Conversations With Sam Chan
Episode 123 – New Zealand church coming back Part 2
Episode 122 – New Zealand church coming back Part 1
Episode 121 – The Impact of COVID on Church-Planter Wives
Episode 120 – Restarting Church’s Serving Teams (Theology & Theory)
119: Restarting Your Church’s Serving Teams (Practical)
Episode 118 – Run Better (Online) Meetings
Episode 117 – 2 Churches’ Approaches To Relaunching
Episode 116 – 7 Possible Church Trends Emerging From COVID-19
Episode 115 – Relaunch your church post-COVID
Episode #114- Does Your Church Need Online Training?
Episode #113- What I’d Do Differently (Part 2 with Adam Ch’ng)
Episode #112- What I’d Do Differently (Part 1 with Paul Webb)
Episode #111- Self Care
Episode #110- New Staff Rhythms For Churches
Episode #109- Singleness During Covid
Episode #108- Mission During Covid Part 2 (feat. Luther Symons)
Episode #107- Mission during Covid (feat. Dave Jensen)
Episode #106- Preaching Easter Online
Episode #105- If you had 48 hours until lock down
Episode #104- Church Finances during Coronavirus
Episode #103- Leadership that leads to hope
Episode #102- Sunday Online Gathering
Episode #101- Being the theologian-in-chief in a Crisis
Episode #100- Is The Tide Rising on Australian Christianity?
Episode #99- The Importance of Building Confidence
Episode #98- Marriage and Ministry
Episode #97- Communicating to your supporters
Episode #96 – Maturing in Christ
Episode #95 – Creating a Culture of Traineeships 2
Episode #94 – Creating a Culture of Traineeships
Episode #93 – Church on the edge of Australia
Episode #92 – How to do church food well.
Episode #91 – Should your church reflect your community?
Episode #90 – Working well with volunteer leaders
Episode #89 – Planting 2043
Episode #88 – Trends in church planting
Episode #87 – Student Ministry
Episode #86 – Reaching Millennials
Episode #85 – Mission planning
Episode #84 – Healthy Masculinity
Episode #83 – Toxic Masculinity
Episode #82 – Cross-cultural discipleship
Episode #81 – Recruiting Asians
Episode #80 – Do we need to defend the Bible?
Episode #79 – Questions people are asking
Episode #78 – Self-awareness
Episode #77 – Gospel resilience
Episode #76 – Casting a bigger vision
Episode #75 – Creating a beachhead for planting
Episode #74 – Beating burnout
Episode #73 – What women want preachers to know
Episode #72 – The joys and challenges of running a campus
Episode #71 – Handing off ministries
Episode #70 – Knowing when to say goodbye
Episode #69 – Growth Barriers 200
Episode #68 – Growth Barriers 125
Episode #67 – Growth Barriers 75
Episode #66 – Growth Barriers 35
Special – Live from Multiply and Reach Australia
Episode #65 – “Brothers, we are not professionals…”
Episode #64 – Maturing believers
Episode #63 – Ministry resilience
Episode #62 – Your first hire
Episode #61 – Marriage and ministry
Episode #60 – The Leadership Quotient
Episode #59 – You need to change!
Episode #58 – Developing female leaders
Episode #57 – Pastoral care
Episode #56 – Church announcements
Episode #55 – Church bulletins
Episode #54 – Growth barriers
Episode #53 – Mobilising the Denomination for Mission
Episode #52 – The Sending Church
Episode #51 – Corporate Prayer
Episode #50 – The Word One To One
Episode #49 – Small Group Essentials – The BONUS edition!
Episode #48 – Small Group Essentials
Episode #47 – Effective integration
Episode #46 – Starting a second service
Episode #45 – Creating space for failure
Episode #44 – Finances 101
Episode #43 – Religion in 2019
Episode #42 – Learning from your last BBQ
Episode #41 – Best practice church administration
Episode #40 – Understanding your church members
Episode #39 – How to break down your community
Episode #38 – 2018 New Year’s Show
Episode #37 – Healthy Church Culture
Episode #36 – Christianity Courses
Episode #35 – Personal Evangelism
Episode #34 – Doing Asian ministry in an Anglo context
Episode #33 – Learning from setbacks
Episode #32 – Country evangelism
Episode #31 – Small scale music
Episode #30 – Good to great graphics
Episode #29 – Regional church planting
Episode #28 – Grow your own church planter
Episode #27 – How to use social media for your church
Episode #26 – Succession
Episode #25 – The US Church Report Card
Episode #24 – Making your mission calendar
Episode #23 – Delegation not abdication
22: Recruiting Volunteers
Episode #21 – The life-cycle of the team
Episode #20 – Talking Religion with ‘No Religion’s – The Bonus Edition!
Episode #19 – When the media calls
18: Talking Religion With People Who Identify As ‘No Religion’
Episode #17 – Small groups
16: Role Descriptions
Episode #15 – Getting your meeting rhythms down
Episode #14 – Ministry Dashboards
Episode #13 – Proclaiming and Persuading
Episode #12 – The Good Life
Episode #11 – What should I be doing now?
Episode #10 – The top three apprentice issues
Episode #9 – The apprentice pipeline
Episode #8 – You get the audience you preach for
Episode #7 – Location! Location! Location!