Strategic Support & Regional Development Group
Grae McWhirter / Associate Director - Strategic Support & Regional Development
Strategic Support and Regional Development Group Teams & Team Leaders:
- Communications and Events – Aaron Veart
- Kiah Ridge – Lorna Harper
- Ministry Standards – Jonathan Bradford
- Regional Ministries – Regional Ministers
Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:3-6)
The Strategic Support and Regional Development Group focusses on supporting pastors, leaders, churches and regions in strategic partnerships toward our Gen1K goal of seeing 1000 healthy churches in a generation.
2024 was the midpoint of the Association’s 3 year strategic plan. One of our regional goals is to see pastors networks established right across the movement so that, by the end of 2025, every pastor will have the opportunity to be supported by one if they chose. So by the end of 2024 we established new or relaunched networks in Sydney South West, Sydney North, the Northern Beaches, the Cumberland / Parramatta are and in the heart of the geographic centre of Greater Sydney. Plans were also put in place to complete the final stages of network coverage in this coming year: for a new Sydney CBD and inner west network under the Transform Southern Sydney umbrella, and with relaunched networks in the Far South Coast and New England regions.
Meanwhile our existing regional ministers and their teams all discerned their local strategies for 2024 aligned with our shared Gen1K goal. It was great this past year to see ministry specialists support regional teams and local churches in collaborative partnerships equipping leaders and energising ministries from border to border and ocean to outback. The 2024 Regional Teams Summit in July at Kiah Ridge was again a highlight as regional teams from across NSW and ACT joined together to share stories, be encouraged, and challenged in the three core streams: developing local leaders in regions, encouraging church health in regions, and multiplying disciples and congregations across regions. This year at the Summit, for the first time, Sarah Alarcon joined the crew and started a youth and young adults stream for key leaders in that area across our regions. God is doing so much in and through our regions. Each regional minister has shared what has been happening in their own region in this report – make sure you take time to read their stories and give thanks and pray for them.
In 2024 Lorna Harper continued in her role as Centre Director at Kiah Ridge Christian Conference Centre. We grateful for all those churches who participated in retreats and conferences at Kiah Ridge in 2024, for the pastors and leaders who attended Association events for equipping and encouragement at Kiah Ridge and for all the schools who, during the week, are blessed by Kiah Ridge in their programs and getaways. Lorna and the team continue to develop the ministry of excellence in hospitality, service and support of God’s work across our movement. This is indeed a strategic partnership. Check out her report here.
Jonathan Bradford and the Ministry Standards team continues to service our churches and leaders in incredible ways through times of equipping and other times of challenging circumstances. They are skilled and provide incredible strategic partnerships as together we continue to develop a movement of healthy, safe church communities. You’ll find Jonathan’s report here too.
We are always grateful to Aaron Veart and the Association’s Communications and Events team. They strategically support the BMC teams and our churches to effectively be connected and equipped to move ahead in mission and ministry. Their work in keeping us informed, supporting the running of key events (like the two Gatherings each year), helps to provide spaces and pathways for strategic partnerships to grow and flourish. We thank them for their service in 2024.
We’re grateful for what God has done and therefore confident that he will continue to do good things. And we’re thankful for the people in our teams whom He inspires and equips to make it happen. We’re looking forward to more of all this in 2025 and beyond.
Kiah Ridge
Lorna Harper / Kiah Ridge Centre Manager
Kiah Ridge has continued to enjoy sustained success despite the ongoing challenges around us from the cost of living crisis. All glory to God.
We saw a 10% increase on our annual revenue and held our booking rates across all ministry types and schools. Two new income streams were created with a vacant accommodation building being let to ministry family tenants to produce rental income and the establishing of an investment account for available funds.
Despite pressures on households, the majority of our booking groups are reporting that their guests are prioritizing their community retreats over other leisure activities, which further demonstrates the value of community in our day to day lives. Schools also continue to be committed to their annual student retreats.
Our community groups have shown some modest reduction in guest numbers during the year or attendance at only one retreat during the year, rather than multiple stays with us. Whilst these groups are secular, it is evident that for their guests these retreats serve as an essential part of physical and mental wellness. Our service to these groups offers us an opportunity to extend the love of Jesus in communities that perhaps might otherwise never encounter the Gospel. As a valued ministry for us, we have therefore worked with our booking coordinators to adjust the inclusions in their stay and food service to enable us to then extend more favourable pricing to them which has successfully restored guest booking numbers. This is a testament to the importance of establishing and maintaining relationships with our booking coordinators.
Our Association booking groups returned again this year including another fantastic cohort attending State Kids Camp, as well as increased numbers for the Church Health events and Regional Ministers Summit. We also have a notable number of new Baptist Association church plants reaching out to us for pastors and small group retreats which has been a great way for Kiah Ridge to be able to practically support these new faith communities.
Our operational teams were increased in Catering and Facilities which has provided some greater flexibility and resource for our teams.
Around the venue, after another flooding event in April, our lower entrance driveway was resurfaced to ensure a smoother arrival into the main gates. The Main Centre veranda project was completed and guests enjoyed our fully renovated spaces, with new outdoor furniture and after-dark sensor lighting. Two bottle fill water stations were installed in the Main Centre veranda, dispensing filtered chilled water. Bathroom windows were upgraded in each of the Pines rooms and the Waratah building got a new coat of paint. Everyone can look forward to either a cooler or warmer arrival, depending on the season, into the Main Centre with the installation of air conditioning to our entrance foyer. And of course, all of the usual work to keep our special place looking at its best all year round.
Behind the scenes, the freezer and cool room project was also completed which has been a game changer for our catering team with opportunities for better purchasing and greater preparation capabilities. Our commercial kitchen was refreshed with new paint and internal doors, as well as a new dedicated entrance direct into our stores from the delivery deck and an upgraded extraction system to keep us code compliant.
Another very busy year, but where else would we want to be busy than here, in His place.
Ministry Standards
Jonathan Bradford / Team Leader - Ministry Standards
The Ministry Standards Team is grateful for the opportunity to serve and resource churches in building a safe church culture. We believe this work is crucial for mission and evangelism, to achieve our Gen1K goal of a thousand healthy churches in a generation, as well as to fulfil government regulations and legal obligations.
In 2024 we hosted 130 Creating Safe Spaces training workshops in person or via Zoom with nearly 4000 participants in NSW/ACT. We are deeply encouraged to now have 5 other state denominations using our training resources including Churches of Christ NSW/ACT, Uniting Church – Synod of NSW & ACT, Baptist Union of Victoria, Baptist Churches of Western Australia and Tasmanian Baptists. In 2024 we completed a major update of our training materials and we have recently updated Korean and Mandarin language translations. More information and bookings are available here: www.creatingsafespaces.org.au
Meeting the Child Safe Standards has been mandatory for churches in NSW since 2022 (and in the ACT since August 2024). We continue to work hard to support and encourage affiliated churches to complete the Safe Church Health Check audit tool which allows local churches to demonstrate their compliance with the Child Safe Standards. We celebrate that 32% of our affiliated churches have now fully satisfied the requirements of the Safe Church Health Check, and an additional 15% of churches have submitted an application which is still progressing. During 2024 we piloted a Safe Church Coaching project and reviewed how we can best resource and support churches in this area.
Since 2019 we have supported churches who have received 67 claims via the National Redress Scheme, and 45 common law legal claims. In total approximately 35% of our affiliated churches have had to respond to a historic claim in recent years. We continue to assist churches with the Persons of Concern risk management process for known sex offenders who wish to attend local churches. These sensitive matters are challenging for all involved and we appreciate your prayers that church leaders can offer justice, wisdom, and compassion.
Our Safe Church Team Network Evening in May 2024 had a focus on responding to domestic and family violence. This focus aligned with expanded provisions in the NSW Crimes Act which created a new offence of “coercive control.” We were grateful to receive input from NSW Police and experts in this area. A video recording of this session is available on our Creating Safe Spaces webpage.
All church leaders have a spiritual responsibility and legal obligation to prioritise a safe church culture. May God sustain and resource all of us in this important task so that God’s name may be honoured and his Kingdom expanded.
