I found myself In The Chute this past few days.   Not sure if the chute refers to a parachute or waterslide chute -- but in any case, there was lots of momentum.   Close to 150 men and women gathered in Melbourne for the National In The Chute church planting conference put on by The Geneva Push.  I was truly heartened by seeing so many young couples attending this conference.   Some came to be assessed as church planters.  Others came to explore where God is leading.

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"If I could have only one novel on a desert island, this book would give me family, faith, and hope."   So writes F. LaGard Smith, author of The Daily Bible.   I bought this novel some years back, but only a couple of weeks did I pick it up, to read it.   Well, I not only read this book, I devoured it.   It is such a great read.  

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The vision to grow numerically and multiply within Australia is becoming a reality.   The CRC churches have not seen its membership over 9000 members for 13 years.   But the decline is reversing.   This past year, according to CRCA statistics, the CRCA has grown by 4.8%.   Just imagine!  The CRCA has not seen growth like this for almost 50 years -- five decades!

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What makes a good sermon?   How do you know if you are effective as a preacher?   How can we raise the bar as ministers of the Word?  What can churches do to increase sermon effectiveness?  These kinds of questions were asked at the recent meeting of Classis Queensland.   If we are serious as pastors to increase the overall health of our churches, one of the very best places to begin is with the Word being preached.   Good sermons are not automatic;  it takes much effort on behalf of every servant of the Word.   And one way to improve sermon effectiveness is intentionally receiving listener feedback.

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In just over six months the Synod of the CRCA will meet.   The committees have been asked to write their reports.   Since Synod of 1996 the CRCA has been focused on a new missional initiative referred to as the Fourfold Task.   By God's grace and with the Spirit's aid and assistance we have made much progress in turning the tide of decline.   In every state we are witnessing the momentum of planting new churches.    The overall CRCA numbers of members are growing at a pace not seen since 1962 -- almost five decades.   As we move forward, what are the key elements for denominational effectiveness?

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