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Choosing Sermon Series and Preachers at Goodlife · Goodlife Church Formation Podcast

• Jack: ⁓ well, welcome back. Another episode of the Good Life Formation Podcast. Pastor Dave, welcome. Where in the world are you? Dave Connett: I am overlooking Parshmore Oval at Wickham. I'm in my car. ⁓ now that the church has got like the mother's rooms out, my office is now taken. My office is not the kind of place that I can do a podcast in. So I've jumped in the car, driven off to the oval, right next to the church offices. I'm looking at the oval. It's a grand, grand, grand place here, Jack. Jack: Mm, all right. W well I mean, for those who maybe haven't been around the building for a little while, what what give us a building update? Dave Connett: ⁓ well there's two projects on the go. One has just finished, which is ⁓ we needed to make more room for people. So growth, especially in our morning service, ⁓ has meant that we've had to give more room to ⁓ to to people coming in. So there's a there's a bunch of things that are going on with that. We've had we've we've ⁓ so we've opened up the mother's room to now be auditorium space. ⁓ we've put in the ⁓ the The bathroom for those with a disability, which also helps those, the parents that need to take the little ones to the toilet. ⁓ because ⁓ maybe there's a little bit more of an urgency when that's happening. and then also we've created my office with that little cupboard ⁓ storage room in front of it. And about half of the middle office, which was essentially the photocopy room, is now the mother's room. ⁓ Alison now ⁓ inhabits the Back office there with her juggle of ⁓ time on the job and also how much she can do at home. That she's got that little office so she can go between me and Bex. I've got Allison's old office, Bex remains. Nat's over the front, she's ⁓ activator and pastor-in-chief, isn't always at the office though. So ⁓ essentially on the on the office days, that's what's going on there. ⁓ so yeah, it's all been about how do we facilitate that growth right there and how do we spend as little amount as money on a building that we may be possibly who knows what if we're going to be able to develop that property right there, which would mean is that is that building being leveled in the next couple of years? So that's the second project where we've gone, can we build what can we develop on that site to maximize the potential for our future? And so the only way that we could possibly develop more than two stories on that property is by remedying the undermining, the historical undermining, which the mine was shut in 1894. So a very long time ago, 132 years ago. And so they've had to do the the undermine, they've had to do the boreholes to find out what's under and to see what kind of remedying that would take. Like what actually is the the the engineering possibility. So If we can get through a development approval, we would be going through ⁓ state government, not local government, with the zoning that we've got and the opportunities that we've got. ⁓ so we would look at what we can develop. It starts with a development approval process, which means then ⁓ look, if we can get a DA through, ⁓ the valuation ⁓ will go up significantly. Just how much, don't know. ⁓ but yes, so the people that I've talked to that are in the game have talked about large numbers and Maybe not quite so large, but definitely well worth what we're doing. So the digging gives us engineering reports to be able to head towards a DA. ⁓ and then which means possibly this building is going to be level. We don't actually know whether we sell this property as is with a DA or whether we actually do some form of partnership and look with our building team, with ⁓ the committee of management and with INC's ⁓ National Executive and Operations Boards to see what we can possibly build. Does that mean we end up with a church and daycare and school? Who knows what we could get? ⁓ with ⁓ us really getting the most out of this current ⁓ venue that we have. So all of those things are a bit of a juggle, Jack, but ⁓ I'm so glad that we have really ⁓ brilliant, studious, generous, diligent teams around me in the community management and the and the building team so we can actually take steps forward and ⁓ do it wisely. And the generosity of good life is alongside of that just makes it awesome. Jack: There you go. Dave Connett: There you go. There's the building programs. Jack: Hmm. There you go. And they're mostly wrapped up now. ⁓ so f for the the interruption that we've had for effectively the last couple of months, the ⁓ the facility is fairly calm and peaceful now. Dave Connett: Yes. Yeah, look, ⁓ I ⁓ you're hoping that it solves things. ⁓ and ⁓ if we were to probably there there will be pinch points as we grow. Look, we're in winter with record numbers, Jack. Record numbers of good lifers at services and ⁓ winter is usually the dip season, whereas we're heading into spring, then summer, then autumn, which is just it's a growth on a growth zone. Historically, that's what we do. ⁓ and it's very that's very normal in church circles that there would be growth seasons usually around those. ⁓ so we're looking to see and we've kind of got contingencies for what we do, ⁓ pinch points we're thinking in regards to parking and what we do to address that to make that easier. ⁓ bathrooms. ⁓ the ⁓ the interesting thing is ⁓ is that ⁓ you know, I know a guy that ⁓ hires bathrooms ⁓ who could probab who probably do mates rates for good life, I reckon, probably. Joking. ⁓ I wouldn't do mates rates at all. baby Jack, you should actually cover my jokes and actually tell the truth of what that would look like. ⁓ so it doesn't look like I'm doing the wrong thing. But ⁓ also, so it's bathrooms, it's ⁓ car parking, and it's going to be kids' spaces. So we have contingencies to grow towards the possibility of ⁓ building the team capacity and size so that we could possibly do. Jack: Yeah. Dave Connett: ⁓ double morning services. So it would look like a triple service on a Sunday, which we'd need to be very diligent in regards to how we ⁓ how we build teams before we get there and how we build teams as we give more room and opportunity. As soon as you give more room and opportunity for services and people who choose, pardon me, the the church will grow again. It's guarante it's it's it's all but guaranteed. It's pretty standard issue. So we've got to get ourselves ready ⁓ to facilitate current growth towards And this is great because we're living in the days we prayed for, Jack. It does create problems, but out of all the problems I'll take in church, I've had lots of problems over the years. ⁓ some I've created, some you've created, many we've tried to solve. But I will take these problems in church life every day of the week. Jack: Mm. Very interesting. Okay. Good times. Good times. So Dave Connett: It's it's I'm Jack, I look ⁓ I mean, A, you might just want to cover off that deal where I joked about the yeah, I mean obviously I'm not gonna make money off Good Life Church with my bathrooms. ⁓ so so that I suppose the diligence in the way that we take care of stuff, please please shut that door and be be the guy that covers my ⁓ my jokes right there. But I mean, you are on ⁓ eldership committee management, you're on the operations board for INC, which is our family of churches. ⁓ give us how about you give us your ⁓ I don't know, is it is it going well? Is it healthy? Are we are we Jack: Yeah, look look, I as most good lifers would know, I spend a lot of my time in front of microphones explaining your jokes and sermon titles. And so I will have to explain that Dave was joking there and we will do the right thing with the bathrooms. ⁓ yeah. Yeah. I mean, we I get to see on an INC level, ⁓ across the whole spectrum of our churches and yeah, churches do go through seasons as you described, and and good life is in a purple patch, which is so cool to see. that we've we've got resource and we've got vision. It's not ⁓ it it's not full of vision without the resource, nor are we sitting on piles of cash but don't have a passion to do anything with it. So it it's wonderful to see that mix and the and the stewardship Dave Connett: I w I wouldn't I wouldn't say no to piles of cash jack. Jack: Well, no, but I I think we'll find a way to invest those for the kingdom ⁓ fairly quickly. The piles of cash don't stick around long. And Dave Connett: Yes. No, we want to invest it for the right things. That's that's why we raise it. Jack: And I think Goodlaff does a great job of ⁓ ticking off all of our, I say, ⁓ organizational responsibilities ⁓ in having an eldership in place and a committee of management in place. we're not led and governed by committees. ⁓ we're very clear that we as a church and therefore we as movement do things ⁓ you know according to the fivefold ministry described in Ephesians, and that we're apostolically led and undergirded by good governance ⁓ from a financial committee management stewardship perspective and from an eldership spiritual governance perspective, we have you have, you know, pastors and oversight in place. For you, that that's not my role as an elder or a committee of management treasury. I'm not your oversight. I'm here to to say yes and how can we do things in a biblically sound way? And so ⁓ I think we we straddle the balance of good governance. and passionate apostolic leadership really well. Dave Connett: So your job's to say yes and how? At what point should someone like you say no? Jack: Well, if the how doesn't make sense. And and rarely will I say no. It's it's more a question of well, how can we, or is there another way, or what are we missing here, or there's a there's a challenge if we go down option A, but what is option B and C? Have we thought about this? So it's I'd say it's less my job to say yes or no as a gatekeeper, but more of my responsibility to add consideration to the conversation, to add an external perspective. Dave Connett: Surely surely tragedies happen in churches where people in your seat don't say no at the right time though. Jack: Well, sure there are some very clear black and white cases where I'll need to say no. ⁓ but I particularly around child protection and ⁓ mandatory reporting and and very clear biblical conduct, those things are very, very clear, hard black lines that shall not be crossed on my watch. But outside that, everything else is a question and a consideration. Dave Connett: So legal. yeah, anyone's we're doing the wrong thing with finances. ⁓ behaviour, lifestyle of yummy. Like are we actually following Christ in the way that we live? Jack: Yeah, wrong thing legally or or the wrong thing morally or scripturally. Dave Connett: So you would that's that's where you jump in and go, This is a no. So the Jack: Yeah, particular w well on the lifestyle piece, particularly where it's clear and black and white in scripture. Right? So there's there's nothing in scripture to say you can or cannot smoke cigarettes, ⁓ that I'm aware of. cigarettes of any kind. Well, it's not my job to tell you whether you can or can't smoke, Dave. ⁓ but pastorally people are saying your breath stinks. And if you could have more more gum on hand, well, I'm saying you should consider stopping. Dave Connett: What are you saying? What are you saying? Are you saying I should stop? Jack: If you haven't already considered stopping. but but particularly it'd be around ⁓ you know, being the man of one wife and being faithful to your wife and not being drunk. ⁓ it's not my place to say you should or shouldn't drink. If we have a leadership standard, then that's one thing, but it but scripturally it's that you would not be given to wine. And so if you were to be found to be given to wine, I will very quickly make sure that's a sit down conversation. Dave Connett: Radio. Well, look, on the wife thing, I'm like I'm I'm I am fully occupied with one. I don't need any more. ⁓ and I'm also very happy with one. ⁓ look, I do I do know of situations where I know of pastors that I probably go, geez, it looks like you're giving to wine. What what would you do? What would you do if if if if l if Bex, let's it's Bex. No, okay. Don't say it's Bex. It's me. It's me. You think, geez, yeah. This this is un this is unhealthy. Jack: Mm-hmm. No. Mm-hmm. Dave Connett: It's not where the podcast was meant to go, Jack, but I'm having fun grilling you for once. Jack: Yeah. Well the the standard's obviously been given to wine, which is a little bit grey. And then the the second standard that comes to mind for me is above reproach. And so how does that look from a reputational perspective? ⁓ how I would then approach that is how it's described in Matthew. I'd sit down one on one. ⁓ and if it's Bex we're talking about, I'd be sitting down with you as well as her husband and ⁓ would be asking questions. That's what I'd be seeking to understand. I'd be like, hey, this is what I've observed. Can you talk me through just am I missing anything? I care about you. I care about your standing with Christ. I care about your reputation as our pastors. ⁓ this is what I'm seeing. Am I missing anything? Or can you talk me through this situation? Or or do we need to ⁓ yeah, do we need to get help? Or yeah, what else do I need to know? Dave Connett: Yeah. Look, f for those playing on at home, the the the the quick answer to all of this is ⁓ you're gonna build something great in the kingdom of God if there's high loyalty. We're here for one another. But churches that where loyalty is a higher ethic than truth get into a lot of trouble. And therefore, you don't have an ability to be able to approach. Now, David would say of Saul, who was in a bad space and doing things wrong, I won't touch God's anointed. ⁓ but you you are you do have to bring it up. You do have to bring up to your brother, and you have to say that. And so truth needs to be highlighted. We do need to bring those things up. And also when it comes down to it, what we dig into is what's the matters that are primary in scripture, what are secondary, what are tertiary, what are the things that are just style. So ⁓ the the the conversation about given in that case, given to much wine, ⁓ would be the conversation. Is this to the point where what I've seen is now given too much wine? We're talking through the scriptures to let the scriptures guide us because truth is the higher ethic than loyalty. Loyalty has got to be high. In the kingdom of God. We're going to be serving God alongside of each other. We do this together in teams, in partnerships, in friendships, in brotherhood. ⁓ your role, Jack, in a lot of different ways is as an armor bearer ⁓ for Bex and I. And we trust you and Christina and a bunch of other people because there's a there's a the maturity, there's a loyalty, but also truth is a higher ethic. The first thing is we're serving Jesus together, not because we don't want things to be covered that should be actually. given sunlight so that we can actually bring healing to stuff. We've got to live that way. Jack: And and very quickly, but I guess the s hypothetical scenario we're describing here is you and I. it's not my role to be your pastor either. And so I'd be very quickly ensuring the the public ⁓ pastoral oversight that you've spoken about would be involved in the conversation. Dave Connett: Yes. So if you don't get the right response, then you'd from that point bring another. You'd bring in pr you know from that point you'd say bring in eldership, which would be ⁓ the tailors ⁓ that join join us in eldership. And then if that's not responded well, then here's ⁓ here's Tim McDonald and Chas Gullo's phone numbers. Let's walk this through. ⁓ 'cause if if if we're not responding to scripture accordingly, then we want we we you'd need to go to our pastors who are gonna actually lead and guide us through. Yeah, I I love those healthy boundaries and I love that whole deal of we can lead apostolically, we can lead scripturally, ⁓ with clarity and confidence, and the teams are there that we can do this well, and that blind spots or mistakes or bad habits are dealt with appropriately. Yeah, it's good. Good, good. Jack: Yeah. It's good. It's good. Okay. Well, the segue then speaking about team and leadership, talk me through we're in the we're in a series about Romans, ⁓ It Changes Everything wiz is the sermon series title, which didn't take very much explanation this time, which is a a pleasant change. ⁓ so thank you for that. And good the whole of good life, thanks you for a clear sermon series. Dave Connett: Yeah. Yeah. No, no, no. Just a certain subsection of your friends actually thanked me. Jack: Yeah, well that's what they say publicly at least. And so Dave Connett: ⁓ I'll keep you on your toe. Don't you worry. I'm not gonna get boring just because you're boring, Jack. Jack: Boring is profitable. anyway, that that's a different cliche. Hey, so talk us through how rather than we get in the weeds of this week's particular sermon, talk us through how you choose particular series, and then maybe we can talk about who gets to preach which weeks. But but on the series theme thematic, you know, vision for the year, how do you go about that? Dave Connett: Chops. Yeah. ⁓ yeah, look, ⁓ that it's this is a whole this is this is three weeks of ⁓ good life leadership college. ⁓ I can try to encapsulate it very quickly. ⁓ we don't have three weeks nor yeah, three hours right now. ⁓ the way that it works is that there's always a an overarching vision, and that overarching vision has had different language to it, but it's stayed very similar of what who we are and what we what we believe. We're an INC church. Therefore, doctrines, beliefs, direction, who we are, Australia for Christ is our key thing. What's the local vision? even if you think about where it used to be for our city, therefore, when we changed it to the wording of we're transforming the world with the truth and the power of Jesus Christ, it had the same heart, it was just a different language, the same kind of deal. And obviously, Jack, you were a part of the the the changing of that language ⁓ as a part of the team to work out how do we encapsulate what God wants to do through us. ⁓ so that vision is actually the first thing. And the every every year ⁓ I will sit. Well, I'll go I'll go away, it'll be prayer and planning, prayer and planning. ⁓ there'll be whiteboards, it's very it's very spatial. ⁓ yeah, I mean there's calendars and whiteboards and I'm and I'll yeah, I I'll just be riding and what's God saying, what's God doing. But the main vision won't change. There's a r it's so but churches do get in trouble when the vision changes every year and we is because it's it becomes an unstable ride. ⁓ and so, okay, God, what are you doing now in this season with this team, with this leadership, with the opportunities, with the community, with our resource level to achieve over the long term that large vision. So then I'll sit, okay, God, what are you doing? What do we need? What what do we need to focus on over the next 12 months? ⁓ now that that will take time. We'll walk that through. I'll present it to the team. I don't do a whole lot of consultation right there. I'll sit with Bex and I hear him from God. I look, I'll I I'll present it to the team. If anyone's got ⁓ yeah, I mean I t I've got nothing to hide, but I'm like, this is this is this is my role. I'm the the the calling both biblically and the way that I and C works is that I'm the visionary, I'm the senior pastor. And God God knew what he was doing when he put me in this role, Jack. So I I've had to learn to be okay with that. Jack: Yeah. Dave Connett: And even with my perks and quirks, be okay with that. I need to be me, but I need to be the growing me, and realize that when God did that, he thought that was the gift for that city. ⁓ which is odd because like we can joke about it, but that's qu it's quite a responsibility, it's quite a pressure that I've got to go, I've got to get this from you, God, I've got to be the growing me, I've got to be the humble me, ⁓ I've got to be the hungry me. I want God, I want everything for me and my church. So I'll sit and I'll go through that. Now, what it does mean is that when we sit that through and we look at the whole year and you're looking at We do understand ebbs and flows of church life, historic ebbs and flows. when when we naturally grow, when we naturally ⁓ yeah, I mean, what we would normally do through winter, through school holidays, all sorts of different things, ⁓ when we would normally do a youth camp. So we're looking at the whole thing, going, how do we lead into massive opportunities moments, Christmas, Easter, et cetera? But then God, what are you saying to us? And how do we actually, how do we actually present that? in a in a way that makes sense, that helps us build disciples. I'm not here to make crowds, I'm here to make disciples. I'm not here to make decisions. I'm here to make disciples and followers of Christ that fish for men is a large part. These are things you're going to hear all the time, regularly at least semi-regularly at good life. So we'll sit back, what are you saying? What are you doing? So therefore we look at what we're trying to do. And we have ev for the last couple of years we have been very clear that we will talk Tough topics. So there's certain times where you know you're going to get a month of tough topics. It's coming up in September, October, ladies and gentlemen. We're going to talk about counterfeit religions. Why are we doing that? Because the world has gone crazy. ⁓ and every it you gotta realize there's one God. He has the way, the truth, and the life. Everything else is a lie and is demonic, right? And so how do we tackle progressive Christianity, which is no Christianity at all, really? They're not reading the Bible, they're making it up. ⁓ what do you do postmodern secular? What do you with Islam? And what do you do with your Muslim neighbor that needs Jesus? This these are two different things. What do you do with Judaism? Which is which is not a counterfeit, it's just complete, it's fulfilled. So, how are we gonna tackle it? We're gonna tackle those things really, really well. And so we are living in a world gone crazy, accepting all kinds of crazy woke stuff. So we will tackle that well. Romans, we're digging into not just we want to go through a a Bible, a book of the Bible. We want to tackle the things that God is speaking to us. ⁓ now to tackle Romans well, gee, we've done it in n we're doing it in nine weeks, which still seems on one hand, not enough time. But on the other hand, having someone who's slightly ADHD as the senior pastor, I think I've done really well, Jack. I think you should be high-fiving me for that. ⁓ so wha what are we doing? We're building in for certain seasons towards Easter was very much evangelistic. ⁓ We are looking at now. How do we how do we actually talk? As we're talking through Romans, we've given it room so we can have some evangelistic strategies. ⁓ we are going to talk finance by the end of the year, we are going to talk some foundational truths ⁓ in regards to allowing God to shape you and mold you and make you, and we'll hit Christmas. So, all of those things are a part of what's God saying now, this year, for us to continue to grow to be the people. That really transformed the world with the truth and the power of Jesus Christ. So it's that's how it works. Now periodically we'll sit, we'll assess, I'll look into each new topic and then go, is this right? You know what I mean? Look at the next one. So it's it's it's not set in stone. It's all, it's all very adjustable. The next thing from that is then, well, how do I find the right preachers? ⁓ Jack: Well, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on. Before we get to the preachers, so the one of the things that I've appreciated and and one of the things that has evolved over time is we there are times where we go through something systematically or topically, and then there are times when we dig into a a book of the scriptures and let let the scriptures kind of guide the topic of the week. How do you think about and that that latter is, you know, technically ⁓ for those playing along at home, expository preaching and kind of preaching through Verse by verse versus the topical stuff. How do you decide what we what books we choose or what topics we choose? Dave Connett: Yeah, look, full disclosure. Every pastor that's going to give you their opinion on this is going to tell you their opinion from what's their favorite. So if if you read Right. So if you read Tim Keller's books, he will say there's expository and then there's topical. I don't I look, this is probably the only area that I go, Tim Keller, you've not given us all of the information, which he normally gives way too much. like love that guy, love Tim Keller. ⁓ and he will go, expository is the right thing to because of X, Y, and Z. Jack: Of course. It's it's preferential, right? Yeah. Yeah. Dave Connett: Full disclosure, I appreciate expositories, what he'll say. And I Well, that's why you've said it. ⁓ classically, I love ⁓ I love it, I love a topic because I the thing that made sense to me when I came to Christ was this is app applicable. How do I apply this? Like let's make it so that the normal person, ⁓ i ⁓ how what's the normal person these days, but yeah, they can understand and apply. and so I'm not looking for theoretical. So we are then when we sit down and systematically go through expository preaching. Now expository is usually line word by word, line by line. There are people that do that. They will spend a year in Ephesians, whereas we will do generally Ephesians in five to six weeks. Yeah, I mean so we we are doing it differently. I do understand. ⁓ but that systematic stuff is okay, well God, what's the main message of Romans? Why would we pick why would we pick Romans and allow the way that Paul unpacks it to speak to us and to open that up? so we are looking for what's the key things in those ⁓ in those topics. What are the key things in those books? How long do we want to sit and actually just let it ⁓ do its full work? so there's there's a lot of prayer, there's a lot of ⁓ does that work in that season? There's X amount of weeks between yeah, I mean uni, O week and Easter. Like we actually think through, like what's the school terms? ⁓ When when are people a away? ⁓ no, that's a long weekend. ⁓ there's gonna be seventeen good lifers camping and getting rained out. ⁓ th so that's it's we we think through those kind of seasonal things and where are they gonna fit and how can we give as n as as much time as possible ⁓ for those things to sink in. Jack: And it seems like, ⁓ well, ⁓ not that it seems like it is very intentional that we are cognizant of the different types in our congregation as well. Some things will be classically meatier and others will be milkier, ⁓ to to use that analogy. And that's okay, that's very deliberate. And it's not going to resonate with everyone at all the time, but some of the people, some of the time, will find their preference or their favorite is ⁓ is being used. And that's okay. You know, it's it we're not out to appease everyone. We're responsible to your particularly responsible to hear from God and to be faithful to that, right? Dave Connett: Yeah, th I mean the good thing is, and I actually think that the ⁓ the preaching diet is not just the topics that you cover, but it's the way that we approach it. And so we've had different seasons with different team players on, but for the longest time, the two key communicators at Good Life has been me, then Bex. ⁓ and and I would say Jack: Mm. Dave Connett: Me without Bex is not a is not a full diet. It's it's good for like it's good for me good for me. And I I feast on a range of different voices as well. But me without Bex, that's not a full diet. But Bex without me also I don't think is full. I think I think people miss the people miss out. when we do a QA on any topic, she will give the doctrinal answer and I will apply it. It's just a it's just how we go about it. Now, she applies the doctrine and I understand the doctrine. But that's our angle of it. I actually think that's quite a good diet. Now, along the way, ⁓ we have opened that up. Obviously, Jack, you you get time, depending on the season and what's on your ⁓ what's on your plate and what's the topic. ⁓ we work that out. And when there's I mean, there was there was a time when it was basically the three preachers with me and Bex and so you're up a lot. ⁓ but now that's not so necessary. So you're still there and we try to give you the things that are like as as best as possible right in your right in your sweet spot. ⁓ or what's what's the spot that I'm going? ⁓ no one could do that, actually. Jack would be good there. So we we do that juggle. ⁓ at Nat, Ad Hartley, ⁓ you've you've got Harrisons and Whalens, ⁓ Lily Coles ripped it last night. That was it was very good communication. For someone who's not done much preaching, I was like, You are gifted, like you are a remarkable young lady. So, and then I've got all sorts of others. ⁓ I got how many ex-senior pastors that are members of Good Life Church that can preach? ⁓ and that's and that's I mean, we currently don't have your in laws attending our church. Like it's just there's o options. And then on top of that I go, Well, what the external voices where we need to hear a bigger viewpoint, a bigger world, and add to the add to the diet things that we don't have. Jack: Okay, so ⁓ I'm gonna you diverted earlier and I'm going to divert here now. I I I agree in I'm going Well, this is on this is on my on my scripts, just not on yours. I I agree on the on the variation of diet is is really important. And I think it's ⁓ also probably important for listeners to remember that it's not just about the information transfer on a Sunday. You're not coming to be lectured at, you're coming to preach the gospel. Dave Connett: Mm. And you going off the script. You're go you're going off the pre organized podcast script check. Great. Jack: that is ⁓ that is the truth, but it's also the power of the whole. There's something about being in the room. Cause the reality is that like you're pretty good, Dave, but there's better preachers on YouTube and in podcasts. And if you want information Dave Connett: I want I want to protest, but I can't. You are you're actually bang on. Jack: Right. Like it's not about listening to the actual con like there's there's weight in the content that is preached on a Sunday, but we're not just teaching, we're preaching and there's a spirit alongside it. And so to that point, Sundays at Good Life are not explicitly teaching, they are preaching, right? And can you perhaps explain the difference and therefore why you allow women on your why you allow, why we have Dave Connett: Yeah. Jack: Forgive my language, why we, including me, ⁓ have ⁓ phenomenal women on our platform. Dave Connett: ⁓ well, the short answer about the women on the platform is that I I lost the argument with Bex and so she just says I have to. I'm in trouble if I don't. gee. ⁓ sorry, what was the first the the women thing has just completely taken my brain. Do you want me to answer that and then get back to the first one? Or what was the first one again? Preaching good idea. Yeah. Jack: Yeah. Wait, but preaching versus preaching preach preaching versus teaching and perhaps if I can seed a few thoughts, there's there's so much ⁓ prophetic in what we speak about and you know, you obviously have final oversight and responsibility of things in your home and therefore our home. Dave Connett: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, okay. ⁓ Jack: This is the longest I've ever heard you silence. This is amaz is the internet lagging? Dave Connett: No, no, no. I'm just trying to do the juggle. Let me let me let me tackle let let me tackle the ⁓ let me tackle the women thing first. Let me tackle the women thing first. So ⁓ it's there are there are there are I've got friends who think women shouldn't preach. And what they're doing is they're taking two verses in the New Testament and they're focusing on that. ⁓ I I just think they're reading their Bible incorrectly. So we've sincerely sat down with the word of God and and gone How do you actually, what's the rules of biblical understanding? ⁓ there are big Greek words that explain this, and that's really not probably helpful at the moment. So what it is, is you actually have to read ⁓ the Bible in cause. So does the Bible as does the Bible as the story of God's love from go to woe make sense? You've got to just ask that. Now, if you believe in God, if you believe in Christianity, then the answer is yes. This is the explanation for everything. So that's why you would say you interpret scripture by scripture. Does it exist as is it a perfect world? Does it c does it exist in its own ecosystem as an answer to the world, as an answer to sin, as an answer to problems, as an answer to spiritual matters, physical matters? Is this does this actually ⁓ As as a religion, as a faith, hold water and make sense? And the answer is yes. So what I've got to do is I've actually got to go if there's a word or a verse that doesn't fit with the rest of the context of the Bible, then I've actually got to ask why. Now, Jesus and all through the Bible, ⁓ in the times that you're talking about, so Jesus was 2,000 years ago, which is the New Testament. Now, the Old Testament, you're talking barbaric lands, barbaric people. Women weren't goods and chattels. They were basically slaves. And the way that the Bible says to take care of your wife, your children, et cetera, in the old testament is remarkably progress it is remarkably liberating. It's we're equals. The way that Jesus talks about there's no the male nor female. We're equ we're loved. And so he was always helping people towards freedom ⁓ and towards empowerment. ⁓ and and and following the scriptures has meant equality, liberation, beauty that is that is in in regards. You follow the scriptures and it creates that. Now, if you get to these two verses that you can find in, I don't know, you'll remember where they are. ⁓ What it is is they are essentially quite then the only answer then is it doesn't fit within the rest of the scripture where you do have women preaching, women judging, women leading, women leading churches. ⁓ then you go What are they contradicting? No, it doesn't contradict if you realize the scriptures, the two scriptures you're talking about were situational, they were dealing with situational things. One of them was in a city where the goddess, I think it's the goddess Diana. I've got I'm gonna get this wrong. ⁓ but they were the ones, and so but the goddess Diana had priestesses. And so when everyone was coming to be a Christian, these women were protesting now because they A, they were used to being the authority, and And it was like, well, you gotta get these women to shut up, was actually one of the scriptures right there. ⁓ I don't, I don't let a woman lead or teach. It's it's time to it's time to actually bring this back to how God created it. And so when it doesn't fit with the rest of the scripture, then you've got to go, what's the context? And both of those scriptures contextually help you understand ⁓ that in that case there needed to be order in the church. So if you look at the whole context of scripture. Women leaders, women preachers, women teachers, as long as there's an understanding that the husband is the head of the home and is the covering in that situation. So if Bex, if Nat, if Nat Taylor was unsubmitted to her husband Hartley, she doesn't get my platform. I actually, I don't care how gifted you are, I don't give a flying hoot. You've got to live a biblical life. And so women teaching and preaching, yes, I can handle it as long as they're following the scriptures. Now Jack: Yep. Dave Connett: A theme of a wife being under submission to the husband. Now you can track that from Genesis through Revelation. So you better show me you're doing that one. But the two scriptures, now, so therefore, people that say women shouldn't teach, what they're doing is they're taking those two verses and they're trying to shove the Bible through those two verses instead of going, those two verses have got to actually deal with the rest of the Bible. So that's the situation right there. Now, the the preaching teaching on a Sunday, ⁓ what we're looking at right there is. If if you've been around, if you've been a Christian for 20 years, you're probably coming to church thinking, I want good teaching, and we're hoping. Now there's a section of people that want good teaching that will apply it. But there's there's a there's a chunk of Christians who want great teaching who haven't thought about applying it in regards to taking it to the world. How ⁓ when was the last time that person invited someone to church, engaged with a lost person? Because what I find. Is that if you're always front foot thinking about the lost coming to Christ, you will then realize I need to, I want to be in a church where the lost could come and understand it. So we're we're going for meaty topics of the scriptures, but what we're doing is we're not doing lightweight, but sometimes it's lighthearted. Sometimes we're dealing with difficult topics and we're putting it in layman's terms. And so that's what we're really going for. So the direction is prophetic. The direction is deep and scriptural. The direction is applicable. And then what we do is we package it in a way that everyone can understand it. But what I'm looking at is I'm not looking at teaching people beyond their level of obedience. But if you want to be obedient, we're giving every time. If you go to every every time we preach, there's something to chew on, there's something to apply, there's something to take away, and there's something then to discuss at a Connect group where I go, hey. Am I doing that? Am I being my brother's keeper and helping my brother or sister in the Lord do that as well? ⁓ there you go. How's that? Was that an okay response? Jack: Yeah, I I love it. I think ⁓ interpreting scripture through scripture. And ⁓ you know, any any teaching at Good Life really is is in submission to your oversight. ⁓ th that extends to the the ladies that preach as well as me and any other blokes, right? Like ultimately you're you're the responsible steward on that front. And ⁓ like we said, Sunday isn't necessarily about information transfer. There's there's everything is prophetic, right? There's encouragement and edification and all those things. It's Dave Connett: Yeah. Yeah, so it's not going to be my personal preference every time. Because it's not actually my personal preference every time. It's going in service of God and His plan. Jack: It's exhorting one another as we bring an offering to God. So ⁓ yeah, that's a very interesting distinction. Okay. Dave Connett: For the church and the church to reach the city, what's God's personal preference? Now, if if God, in all of his divine wisdom, like I said before, he chose me with my perks and quits, my personality. And I'm personality is God given. It's not an excuse for bad behavior, but it's okay. I'm I'm actually really happy to be me. There was years that I wasn't. I felt the pressure to be this always serious person, and I got depressed, Jack. I was just, it wasn't good. I it was like If Bex was here, she'd be like, ⁓ my gosh, he was hard to deal with right then. But I've had I've had to realize God's actually okay with me leading. I've got to be the growing, the humble, the the hungry me, the improving me. And actually God God's not just putting up with that. He actually celebrates that. And so I think there's room for everyone to realise, well, what's my part to play? And God's okay with you being you, just in your growing, humble, approving, yeah, I mean, growing way. And so To be a team player. What we're trying to what we're trying to build is we're trying to go, God, what have you got for us to do? What's the team that you've put in? How can we, with our energies and best efforts and and ⁓ and our resources do what you've called us to do to the best of our ability and enjoy the ride and and honor him along the way? ⁓ so there's a bunch of things in a church service that aren't for me, but the the the the audience is wide. There's people that come every week. There's people that put their hand up to receive Jesus Christ, and I'm aware. ⁓ There's people that've been Christians longer than I've been alive and people that are about to become a Christian today. And I'm I'm leading all of that group. And so the the communication has got to gather all of those towards what God's got for us to do. That's it's tricky and ⁓ but it means that there's gonna be people that aren't gonna receive all that they all that they do. If you want if you want everything you need for a whole week in ninety minutes on a Sunday, you're you're barking up the wrong tree. Jack: Okay. Yeah. Ninety minutes, come on. It's it's rarely ⁓ rarely ninety minutes these days. But nevertheless, that's a that's a job. ⁓ okay. And so how do you decide you've well done on not responding? You look like you might have just had to press the mute button for a second. ⁓ how do you how do you therefore decide who's going to as we land this, as we as we bring this in, how do you yeah, how do you put names in blank rosters? Dave Connett: Yeah. ⁓ yeah. So w we're probably two or three months ahead in making that happen because I've got the large plan and then we assess, well, how do we go, how are we going through Romans and what happens next. I just adjusted the September, October roster like last week, still hasn't got to Allison, who actually runs it out and does the communication. ⁓ and there's there's a couple of key reasons of why we did it, including Bex and I are juggling extended. family overseas things right now and we like do you I mean we're just like how are we gonna do this? And so you do the juggle. So I mean Bex the counterfeit series we're doing Bex is doing all four. I'm like and there'd be there'd be a few preachers that we've got that could do all any of those topics ⁓ good but Bex is gonna crush all of those. Here's the other thing when we're tacking when we are tackling difficult topics, ⁓ rarely do people get offended at Bex. They get offended at me. So I now Do I look I don't She no she she has, but give but give her the full message and she'll she'll open and shut every single door. And so it's it's not that it like I I want the topic to be tackled in a way that people can understand. So I'm like, let's put your best let's put the best preacher for that topic right there. So and that's essentially how we do all of the ones. Well who's who have we got? ⁓ who am I developing? What are the voices that I want to and then go, Yeah, that's probably that's Jack: I think she's challenged that narrative a little bit recently, but ⁓ there you go. Dave Connett: That's that's probably not for Jack. That's probably that probably is for Jake. Yeah, that's Nat. It's probably not a sweet spot, ⁓ but I'm good. Like, do you know what I I'm looking at and I'm thinking who gets who who's like who's the congregation, the morning congregation, how like what's what's that what's that demographic makeup? The night congregation is more young adults, it's younger. The the average age between the song leaders, ⁓ the preacher and the host last night was twenty seven and a half years. And I I was on there. I I raised it from twenty and a half to twenty-seven and a half. So exactly. So and it's be it's because we're looking at ⁓ raising, ⁓ raising voices. So I'm looking for qualified, I'm looking for merit, and I'm also developing people ⁓ for the cause of Christ. It's really what it comes down to. And so sometimes you'll hear a lot from certain preachers and sometimes not. There's sometimes I'm like, like I did that whole series of Here Am I. And then for the next series on Blood and Cross, I didn't do much. Now I would love Blood and Cross. I think I'd do an epic job, but I was like, nah, I just preach nonstop. Someone else can do the preaching. And I've got such a great team. So that's that's how the juggle goes. There's also people that I can call in for different roles and different preachers and different things. And you're looking for the overall what's the what's the what's the best diet, or is that topic up that person's alleyway? ⁓ certain topics where people have just got authority as well. experience and authority and I wanna give ⁓ that room to do it 'cause I think that's gonna be the best blessing to the people. Jack: I think one of the things that I've come to appreciate is that particularly in this sort of ⁓ realm is that there are many ways to be right. There's not one way, there's not a a a right and a wrong. Like ⁓ maybe someone is better qualified to preach, but also you've got to give opportunity for someone to develop their craft. We can't just have the best preacher preach every Sunday, or no one else gets to grow and express and develop their gifts. And what might resonate with me will probably not resonate with. a whole other chunk of the so there's a lot of factors at at play and and always can be r can be right. Dave Connett: Yeah. Well to To that end, Jack, we do have development pathways through other platforms, small groups, departments. If a department leader is developing people and and creating disciples and being quite effective, that that's the pathway through. ⁓ we'll give them offering a communion, a pre-service, a prayer meeting slot, all sorts of there's lots of different places we can give people room to grow. And then you go, all right, we're ready to give you a give you a short. Sometimes we do a like a a a a tag preach kind of deal. And so that's that's also a pathway through and ⁓ one day you have to kind of give ⁓ a full full message, a full sermon. ⁓ and when that happens, then we'll make sure that ⁓ you've got really experienced people around, top and bottom, to be able to ⁓ support, to be able to jump in if if needed. ⁓ but we do all the support and the and the feedback loops. No one gets my platform unless they're okay with a feedback loop. That's that'd just be weird. ⁓ so yeah, like if you we we we do try to coach people ready to go, but there are pathways to get people ready as well. And generally we're looking at people not just with a head full of knowledge, but are you actually carrying weight? Are you making disciples? Why would I get you to preach towards making disciples unless you can show me that you're good at it and you're currently doing it, not just with an opinion. Jack: Hmm. I like it. I like it. Awesome. Well, let's land it there. I'm sure that's very interesting, insightful, and helpful for for good lifers ⁓ listening along. Well, where where where's Rebecca? And why can't we have Rebecca back on the podcast? Will she be joining us for next episode? Dave Connett: They're the pathways. ⁓ dear, I hope so. ⁓ Truth be told, she has just had back to back sicknesses. ⁓ so it sh when she breathes, she coughs. ⁓ and when she talks, she coughs more. So I just said, Bex, how about you just not talk and ⁓ and get better and then ⁓ one day we'll get you back on the podcast. Jack: I've tried to say that to my wife once, like, why don't you try not talking? It just didn't go very well for me. Dave Connett: Look, I have found saying those words generally doesn't work well for me. ⁓ I find my wife is addicted to speaking and ⁓ and I love her dearly and I've but I've had to just go, I I need you to rest up and get better. It's a hundred percent what we're trying to do right now. It's it's just it's just been a crappy season on on that case. Jack: ⁓ No doubt, no doubt. Awesome. Well, ⁓ let's end it there. Thank you, Pastor Dave, and ⁓ looking forward to another episode again really soon. Dave Connett: She has