Greater - Discipleship

Our final project area for Commitment Day 2026, is Greater Discipleship.

We have a growing desire to deeply imprint on the hearts of young people the truths of the Gospel, that we might equip them for a life faithfully following Jesus.

For 80 years, the records state that the church in Australia has been in decline, with the steepest drop happening in the 2010’s.

There has been a growing sense of indifference and caution around religion.

That isn’t the story of our recent experience however. Across the world, there is an increasing curiosity about faith and an openness toward the spiritual and supernatural. The NCLS most recently reported that 40% of Australians would attend a church if invited.

Since COVID, the church in Australia hasbucked the trend. There has been an increase in church attendance, prayer, reading the bible, serving and giving.

At the forefront of this trend, is the emerging generation- Gen Z. The data says that this generation is the most curious and open generation we have seen for decades and the fastest growing demographic in the reemerging church.

They’re also the generation with the least amount of christian inheritance- most don’t have christian parents or grandparents, most have never attended a church or read the bible.

What’s clear is that there is a cultural moment of God stirring in the hearts of young people. A generation is rising which is casting down the secular gods and promised progressive utopia, looking for something greater than themselves.

What an opportunity for God’s Church to bridge the gap and reach the curious with the truth.

Our first project is the Christian Religous Instruction Network.

CRI in the Ipswich region is present in 42 schools. There are 18 schools, however, where CRI is not present.

These 18 schools represent over 2000 students who have opted into CRI classes, but no classes happen as there are not enough teachers.

CRI, in partnership with SU, have put together an Internship training program, targeted at Gen Z.

The heart is to equip young people with skills to effectively teach the bible to young people, bridging the gap to see every interested student provided the opportunity to go to a CRI class, to hear about Jesus and learn the Bible.

We shared at the start of the campaign the stories of Grace and Zach, who both had the opportunity to do the internship this year.

They not only had the opportunity to teach CRI in multiple schools but feel increasingly confident to teach the bible in the opportunites God presents to them into the future.

A goal to raise $15,000.00 dollars will fund an additional internship for 2027, but also help fund the teaching resources used by all of the CRI teachers on our region.

Our last project for 2026, is funding for Camp Sponsorships.

I remember all of my youth camps. I remember the late nights in prayer, the singing around camp fires and the extraordinarily, absurd games.

These are core memories which have formed the foundation of my Christian faith and own journey into Pastoral Ministry.

Infact, my very first experience leading in ministry was a Kids Camp on the Sunshine Coast when I was 15 years old.

For years now, we have sought to send as many young people along to camps. These weeks allow students to interact with the Gospel, discuss and ask questions in an immersive Christian environment, surrounded by peers and trusted leaders.

These camps also provide key moments of training and building up leaders, discipling them to follow after Jesus and how to bring others with them.

For every young person who attends, we are laying the foundation for decades of faithful following of Jesus and service in His Kingdom.

A total of $15,000.00 will enable us to send over forty young people to future camps.

God’s Word instructs us to equip our young people with His Word, trained in His ways- so they will not depart from it.

The poet Asaph writes in the Psalms that children are like arrows in your quiver, which the archer fires into a future he’ll never see.

Our prayer is that we will do for this emerging generation, a greater work of equipping them for the Christian life.

That we’d join in with Jesus, who said to His disciples that they’d do greater things than He ever did.

Would we do what we can, to ensure this generation would do greater things for the Kingdom of God and the Australian Church than we ever did or saw.

All for the glory of Christ Jesus, in all generations, in all palces, forever and ever. Amen.