New Directions

I was in Tasmania last week. Spent some time with the good people at New Directions.

We debriefed their Natural Church Development profile. Celebrations all around. New Directions is one of the healthiest churches in Australia, and it shows.

I sat in their cafe and watched local high school students pass through on the way to mentoring and training in personal development.

I watched families from the community bring their children to celebrate their birthday parties in Kid's Paradise — choice of Pirate or Princess themes.

Thousands of people pass through every week.

I met with the leadership team. They love their church. I heard their stories of people coming to faith and growing in Christ.

With so much confusion about “What is the church?” and “What is mission?” and What is the gospel?“, it was nice to be in a place where they just got on with being the church and doing mission and proclaiming the gospel.

And planting churches.

New Directions is one of those instant successes that has taken a decade or more of hard work and faith to pull off. Well done guys.