Forget the Channel

Recently, I had the joy of spending time with some ministers in an area of Sydney where Anglican churches are growing and thriving. Several of the ministers had participated in church consultations that used an outcomes-oriented framework based on solid gospel convictions and utilising organisational systems theory. The consultations had helped the ministry teams accurately measure their present situation and make concrete plans to achieve goals for reaching the lost. This had already led to substantial gospel growth and had given these ministers renewed optimism and Christ-centred confidence in ministry. I praise God for this. I believe there should be more of it. The positive power and potential of frameworks like this leads me to keep sounding a note of warning. I’m not trying to dampen enthusiasm for such frameworks. I’m trying to help make their implementation theologically robust for decades to come. As we employ these frameworks and witness their power, there’s something to “watch out” for. We need to have our eyes wide open. The warning I want to keep sounding arises from Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:10: “Let each one take care (or “watch out”) how he builds ….” This article, originally published in the Australian Church Record Synod Issue 2025, continues a conversation that began with my article in the ACR Easter edition 2024. I’m writing here primarily for members of the Synod of the Diocese of Sydney. But I’m hoping what I write will be relevant to anyone who has discovered the tremendous power of goal-driven thinking in gospel ministry and wants to reflect further on it. If you haven’t followed the prior conversation, don’t worry; I’ve written this article so you can read it as a standalone. It's also available in video format on YouTube, and in audio form via the podcast Iso-Chats: Theology or for direct listening and download at this website. From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Tensions are very high in our community at the moment. Take the illegal anti-lockdown protest on 23 July 2021 in Sydney. The protesters were expressing a fear and anger that’s clearly present amongst many. They were wrong to express it in this way. But you can feel it, can’t you? I know right now many of us are feeling the frustration. Some of us are in almost impossible situations: climbing the walls! And it’s hard. The catch-cry of the protest was freedom: freedom of movement, of work, of association. And while the protest itself was way out of line, freedom does matter, doesn’t it? It matters for us and our community. The Bible teaches us to live as humans among humans and human authorities, by helping us to see God’s heart for all humanity, as we pray. From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

"There was a widespread view expressed by participants that within [the church] culture there was an over-emphasis on sin and an under-emphasis on grace". The report describes how this grace problem permeated the culture. It affected membership commitment expectations, views of authority, pastoral care, and more. And yet, the thing is: Nobody would deny that this church believed in grace. They preached a conservative evangelical reformed doctrine of grace. But on the ground, in so many instances, grace was not a key feature of this church’s ministry and relationships—with disastrous results. Today I want us to grasp that in Christian ministry, grace can’t only be the content we preach. Grace also must permeate and transform everything about us personally. And I want to give some suggestions for things we can do even now in lockdown, to wage the warfare of grace. (a sermon) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

In gospel ministry and Bible teaching, if you’re not committed to the right goal, or if you have the wrong goal, it’s not just a matter of being ineffective: you’ll be downright dangerous. So what is that goal? What are you seeking to achieve in your gospel ministry and Bible teaching - now and in the future? And how would you know if you’d done it right? This passage in 1 Timothy 1:1–11 speaks to this issue of the goals of ministry and teaching. It challenges us to think about our own aims in teaching, and to see how important it is to get it right. A sermon preached at Moore College Men's Chapel on 14 July, 2021. From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

A one-hour audio seminar with principles and ideas for preaching the biblical books 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus ("Pastoral Epistles") From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

In this 3-part series, I speak with my colleague Chris Thomson, lecturer in Old Testament at Moore College, who has engaged in detailed research in this area as well as scholarly discussions with others, including N. T. Wright. We talk about what the terms mean, what other people are saying today about the terms, why righteousness is […] From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Martin Luther famously wrote about justification by faith: “if this article stands, the church stands; if this article collapses, the church collapses” (Luther’s Works 40/3.352.3). Justification matters. Why? Because it is caught up with our status before God, our assurance of eternal life, and our freedom to live the Christian life in love for others and […] From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

The figure of Jacob, in the pages of the Old Testament book of Genesis, is a fascinating character. The man who became known as “Israel” was in so many ways a scoundrel, yet he received God’s superabundant blessing, and through him and his descendant Jesus Christ, that blessing came to all the nations of the […] From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

What does the Bible have to say to a world in crisis? In my latest Iso-Chat, I speak to my friend and colleague George Athas about the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is about a crisis—a crisis involving disaster, despair and death. In the end, it is a theological crisis of confidence in God’s […] From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

I have a chat to Mark Earngey, Head of the Church History Department and lecturer in Christian Thought at Moore College, about his public online lecture “Protestants and Plagues”. Video This interview is also available as a video on YouTube. From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

The words of the angel on that first Easter Day, “He has risen! He is not here” (Mark 16:6) are full of comfort and hope. That is especially true as Christians celebrate Easter in 2020, under Covid-19 restrictions. As we are physically absent from one another, the angel’s words show us that there is a […] From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Principal of Moore College, Mark Thompson, talks about how the College is faring in this season of Covid-19 restrictions. Mark shares some encouraging stories of Christian love and mission amongst students and staff, describes how we have adapted our face-to-face learning to a temporary “online” mode, and asks us to pray for Moore in the […] From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

The serious problem of domestic abuse in our community is exacerbated by Covid-19 social isolation restrictions. While extra funding for shelters, helplines, counsellors, etc. is very important when it comes to providing help in these circumstances, Christian communities also have a significant role to play. I speak with Louise Cunningham from Emu Plains Anglican church, […] From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

The current global pandemic is prompting people throughout our world to think apocalyptic thoughts. Whether it’s a recent New York Times op ed piece seeking to find “moral meaning” and redemption stories in our suffering, or Christians seeking the signs of the end of the world, big picture thinking is everywhere. I speak to my […] From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

As measures to contain Covid-19 are put into effect, many of us find ourselves in stressful situations. Some need to live in close quarters with others for long periods of time; for others, social contact is almost exclusively online. As a result, the Christian virtue of gentleness is more important than ever. I have an […] From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

“Culture shock is what happens when you move from one culture to another, and all your ways of dealing with the world become compromised by the changes you’re going through… That’s complicated and it’s exhausting. And that’s what everyone is going through right now. We have new ways of greeting people, we have new languages, […] From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

We’re living in crazy, tumultuous times. Covid-19 is forcing us to make radical changes in our lives, changes which inevitably take an emotional toll on us. I had a chat to Paul Grimmond, Dean of Students at Moore College, about what he has been doing over the last few weeks here at Moore to help […] From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Recent measures to curb Covid-19 have had a deep impact on our churches. What is church when we can’t gather? From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

I spoke with my colleague at Moore College, Dan Wu, thinking about how Christians might display love towards others in an age of necessary isolation. From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor