Ministry - Australian Church Record

Children in the gathering: Why the church needs its youngest members

March 23, 2026 by Bex Purdue

The ACR hears from Bex Purdue, children’s minster at St Matthias Anglican. She shares with us one of the greatest joys of her role: seeing the church embrace children as equal and valued members of the body. As Anglicans, we wholeheartedly believe…

Watching a heart soften

March 13, 2026 by Grant Retief

The ACR heard from Grant Retief, Senior Minister at Christ Church Stellenbosch in South Africa. Christ Church has a thriving student ministry which has experienced exceptional growth in recent years, with three services geared towards students.…

Children’s Bibles are helpful—but they’re not enough

February 24, 2026 by Leah

When I ask parents if they read the Bible with their children, they’ll often respond enthusiastically and say something like, “Yes! We read them a chapter from a children’s Bible before bed every night!” And that’s so encouraging to hear!…

Authentic Anglicanism: Interview with Ed Loane

January 31, 2026 by Ed Loane

ACR: Ed, thanks for chatting with the ACR in your role as a member of the Sydney Diocesan Doctrine Commission. In his presidential address to the Brisbane Synod on the 25 June 2022, Archbishop Philip Aspinall made comments that…

Where we complementarians can get it wrong with preaching

January 25, 2026 by Mal York

The problem Over my past 26 years of ministry, I have become increasingly aware of a problem in the way complementarians teach about who should be allowed to preach. Let me be clear—I am a complementarian, and I believe that a faithful application…

Why 20 percent better is not good enough

December 9, 2025 by Phil Colgan

Over recent years a lot of ink has been spilt considering the implications for Christians of the seismic changes in Australian society over the past 50 years. The reality is that we have seen a massive shift as our culture has moved further and…

Renewal at St Alban’s Leura

November 17, 2025 by Kirsten McKinlay

The ACR spoke to James Delanty, rector of St Alban’s Leura, about how God has brought renewal and joy to this historic Blue Mountains parish—and how a vision centred on being “overflowing with joy in Jesus” is shaping both church life and community…