Why focus our ministry in Sydney, Australia?

• Because one fifth of all Australians live in Sydney, making this a hugely influential city, bursting with Kingdom-building potential.

• Because Sydney is a city comprised of the nations. Did you know that 40% of Sydney-siders were born outside of Australia? Now imagine them getting to know Jesus and then taking Jesus to their own home nations…

• Because less than 8% of Australians attend church regularly… and that’s just not good enough.

• Because one or two thriving church movements in Sydney is not enough.

• Because Sydney is home to roughly 20% of all Aussies. Given this statistic, consider the influence of Sydney throughout the entire nation of Australia. Then consider the influence of Australia in the region. (Did you know the largest Muslim nation—Indonesia—is Australia’s closest neighbor?)

• Because Sydney is more than just a tourist destination; it’s a city poised to be a leading player in mobilizing the Church to missions.

• Because Sydney’s urban core is considered “hard to reach” by some, but—we believe—is full of soft hearts waiting for Love to meet them where they’re at. The inner city is full of people living on the margins of society who are desperate to know hope of Jesus, the love of the Father, and the comfort, guidance, and empowering grace of the Holy Spirit.

• Because God loves cities… since cities are where the people are.

Our ministry philosophy and approach:

Jesus came to show us what incarnational ministry looks like, and we believe we’re most effective when we also take an incarnational approach. In the book of John, chapter one it says that Jesus became flesh and blood and moved into our neighborhood. That is exactly the sort of organic, grassroots, incarnational approach we want to take in Sydney — we want our team to move into neighborhoods, become a part of them, and quite literally love our neighbors well.

Because cities are complex and diverse, we believe that reaching Sydney means that our strategy must be dynamic and multifaceted. Our vision is to create a network of ministries that are decentralized but connected by relationship, shared values, and mutual accountability, encouragement, and support. Our dream is to have small, specialized teams scattered all through the city, working in different neighborhoods, spheres of society,* socio-economic groups, and ethnic/linguistic people groups.

*Spheres of society: arts and entertainment, the media, education, family, science and technology, commerce, government, and the church.