Movement Builders
Site blog
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Hi Friends, As we continue living the MyFriends Lifestyle, we’ve been exploring what it looks like to Love, Pray, Care, and Share with our friends.
But ultimately, our goal isn't simply to have spiritual conversations.
Our hope is that our friends would experience Jesus for themselves.
The psalmist writes: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
Notice the invitation isn't just to learn about God, but to experience Him.
That's what we long for our friends too.
Not simply that they would attend a church service, pray a particular prayer, or agree with Christian beliefs, but that they would begin a genuine relationship with Jesus. Everything else flows from there. |
A Simple Story |
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Michael is currently participating in a MyFriends course. Recently, he reached out to a friend who was going through a difficult season and asked if he could pray for him.
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Creating Space for Experience |
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Sometimes we can feel pressure to have all the answers or say exactly the right thing.
These moments don't force a decision. Instead, they create space for God to work.
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MyFriends Webinar - Experience |
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Join us as we explore the Experience part of the MyFriends Lifestyle and discover practical ways to help our friends encounter Jesus for themselves.
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Monday 12th July
12:00pm
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Did you miss our webinar on Leading a Spirit Filled Life?
Whilst we didn't record it so that participants can share openly what is happening with their friends - we created a special recording just for YOU!
Watch the recording and stop it at any time as you think about your friends as they move along their spiritual journey and how you can be intentional about helping them.
Love to hear how YOU lead a Spirit Led Life and where the Spirit leads you.
Blessings
The MyFriends Team
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As we continue living the MyFriends Lifestyle — loving, praying, and caring for our friends — there are often moments where we think:
“I want to step out more… but I’m not quite sure how.”
This is where the Holy Spirit is so key.
A Spirit-filled life isn’t about having all the answers or getting everything right. It’s about learning to walk closely with God — listening, trusting, and responding as He leads. |
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The Holy Spirit Leads Us |
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Jesus said:
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A Simple Story |
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Christina wanted to invite her Muslim friend to a Christmas concert she and her husband were attending. But when they went to book an extra seat, all the tickets had sold out. |
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What This Looks Like Practically |
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Living a Spirit-filled life can be simple: • Pausing and asking, “Holy Spirit, what are You doing here?” • Noticing small nudges — a name, a thought, an opportunity • Taking simple steps of obedience, even when unsure • Trusting that God is already at work in your friends’ lives As we Love, Pray, and Care, the Holy Spirit helps guide our next steps. We don’t have to force conversations. We don’t have to create opportunities. We simply learn to join in with what God is already doing. |
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MyFriends: Living a Spirit-Led Life Webinar |
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If you’re thinking, “I want more of this, but I’m not sure how…” — this is for you. • Recognise the Holy Spirit’s voice |
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We’d also love to let you know about the upcoming Multiply Conference — designed for pastors and church leaders who want to think strategically about multiplying disciples.
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This Month's Simple Step |
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Where might the Holy Spirit be prompting you right now? Take a moment to pause, listen, and respond — even in a small way. Faithful steps. Spirit-led moments. God at work. Blessings, MyFriends Team |
By Ian Finnan
Power to Change runs quarterly SHIFTm2M Best Practice Zooms. These interactive gatherings bring pastors and ministry leaders together to learn from each other as they seek to create environments where disciplemaking can flourish.
At our most recent Zoom, Paul Crothers from New Peninsula Baptist Church in Victoria shared practical steps his team have taken to embed disciplemaking frameworks into the life of their church.
At New Peninsula Baptist Church in Victoria, the principles taught through SHIFTm2M Training are gradually shaping the life of the church in practical ways.
Senior Pastor Paul Crothers says the journey has been developing over many years.
Paul first encountered early disciplemaking ideas as a young volunteer youth leader. But the conviction deepened later in his pastoral ministry. After more than a decade leading another church, he took time between roles to pray and reflect on what he had learned.
During that season, one idea kept coming back to him: not just discipleship, but disciplemaking.
“I sensed God leading me to think beyond helping people grow in faith,” Paul says. “The question was how we could see multiplication. How do we see disciples making disciples?”
When Paul began leading New Peninsula Baptist Church in the middle of COVID lockdowns, the first year was focused on helping the church navigate a difficult season. But in 2022 he began exploring frameworks that could help the church move toward a disciplemaking culture.
After considering several options, the leadership team chose to engage with SHIFTm2M Training. The entire ministry staff team went through the nine days together.
One decision shaped the way they approached it.
“This wasn’t going to be the flavour of the year,” Paul told the team. “This is the next 15 years for our church.”
Rather than rushing to implement changes, the team took time to reflect before applying what they had learned. Over the past two years, Paul describes their journey using three words: realign, remodel and renew.
Realigning around disciplemaking
Before SHIFTm2M, the church was already doing many good things. But ministries were not always aligned around a common disciplemaking pathway.
SHIFT helped the leadership team develop a shared framework. All ministry leaders now set goals using the five stages of the disciplemaking journey: Connect, Win, Build, Train and Send.
Using the same framework across ministries has helped the team focus on what matters most and let go of activities that do not contribute to their disciplemaking vision.
Remodelling ministries for balance
The next step was to evaluate every ministry through the disciplemaking lens.
In many cases, ministries were strong in one or two areas but missing others. For example, the youth ministry had strong connection points but little intentional evangelism and no pathway for training and sending students.
The program was redesigned so young people would not only connect and grow in faith, but also learn to share the gospel and disciple others Similar adjustments have been made across many ministries in the church.
Renewing pathways for new believers
One of the biggest discoveries came when the team examined how the church helped new believers grow Although the church had many long standing life groups, most were not designed to welcome people new to faith.
In response, the church introduced new pathways. A short Head, Heart and Hands course helps people understand that following Jesus involves both personal transformation and everyday mission. They also developed a three-week Exploring Faith group for people curious about Christianity. At the end of the course, participants are invited to continue meeting together.
In the first group, most participants chose to continue. Within a year, people who were not previously part of the church were being equipped for possible leadership roles. For Paul, that is a sign that the culture is beginning to shift.
“It’s not about choosing between traditional church and new models,” he says. “It’s about doing whatever helps the Kingdom grow through disciplemaking and multiplication.”
The story at New Peninsula Baptist Church is still unfolding. But it offers a glimpse of what can happen when a church commits to the long journey of cultivating a disciplemaking culture.
Want to learn more about what New Peninsular Baptist Church is doing? We would love to invite you to join us at the Multiply Conference (see attached flyer)
🎯 Multiply Conference 2026
Join other pastors and leaders who are asking the same questions—and learning from churches who are already seeing fruit.
What you’ll gain:
- Practical frameworks from the life of Jesus
- Real case studies from growing, multiplying churches
- Space to think, plan, and process for your context
- Connection with like-minded leaders on the same journey
Featuring insights from churches like:
- Sydenham Baptist Church
- New Peninsula Baptist Church
📅 When:
Tuesday 23rd June (8:30am–5:00pm)
Wednesday 24th June (8:30am–4:30pm)
📍 Where:
Sydenham Baptist Church, VIC
💡 Registration:
- Full Conference: $250
- Day Pass: $130
- Registrations close: 9 June 2026
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What if we actually lived like that was true?
Your Easter Challenge (simple, but powerful)
Take a step (don’t overthink it)
Want to see this in real life?
Let’s build a culture of stories
Join us: Living a Spirit-Led Life Webinar
A simple prayer to carry with you
Spiritual Breathing
A promise to hold onto
Facilitator’s Corner (quick nudge)
Monday 4th May
12pm - 1pm (lunchtime) - bring your lunch and a cuppa!
One last step…
When do I say it?
How do I move from being a good friend to being a spiritual friend?
Not long prayers.
Just honest, faith-filled prayers offered in love.
A Simple Story
She started with prayer.
Prayer Creates Space for God to Work
It moves us from pressure to dependence.
- Pray regularly for the people on your daisy
- Ask God to show you where they are on their spiritual journey
- Be open to praying with someone when the moment arises
- Ask the Holy Spirit for courage and sensitivity
8:00pm – supper-time session
Easy. Practical. Encouraging.
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/_rNPKiksQ-aqbQb3UCNqwg
Register your interest here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLrUm6Z1fvwPU9NljVAxZGrbBnjWqURmx7hNRG3u4_K9YIsw/viewform?usp=publish-editorFaithful steps.
Big God.
MyFriends Team
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Happy New Year! 🎉 The start of a new year always gets me thinking about goals and plans. Getting fitter and losing weight usually make my list (some years more successfully than others 😉), but this year my heart keeps coming back to relationships. I want to be more intentional with the people God has placed in my life. I want my friends to know the love, peace, and hope I have found in Jesus. I know how much He has done for me — and I want my friends to experience God’s all-powerful, unconditional, crazy, radical, and relentless love too. Everything I do is simply an overflow of His love for me 💛
🌱 My Goals for This Year Here’s what I’m focusing on as I step into the year ahead:
Now I’d love to flip the question to you: 👉 What are your goals this year? |
💖 We Love as an Overflow of God’s Love |
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“We love because He first loved us.” — 1 John 4:19 In the busyness of everyday life, it’s so easy to rush past the simple (but profound) truth that God loves each and every one of us. We were made in God’s image.
God loved us so deeply that He sent His one and only Son into the world so that we could know Him — not from a distance, but personally. Our faith begins and ends with love. Our love for others doesn’t come from trying harder or doing more. It flows from the overflow of God’s love for us. And that means we first need to be clear — really clear — about God’s love for ourselves.
So, take a moment and reflect: 👉 When have you noticed God’s love for YOU? 👉 What impact has this had on your life? We would genuinely love to hear how you have experienced God’s love 💛 Now think about your daisy 🌼 👉 Who on your daisy would benefit from knowing that God has a deep, unconditional love for them? Take a moment right now and pray for them: Dear loving God, When we Love, Pray, and Care for our friends, we do it not out of obligation — but out of the beautiful overflow of God’s love already at work in us. |
🌅 Experiencing God’s Love (For Real Life) |
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For a long time, I struggled to believe that God could really love me. And yet this is the heart of our faith. We don’t earn God’s love. Our “good works” can’t fix a broken relationship with Him. Jesus died on the cross for our sins — past, present, and future — so that we can know God’s love and salvation. Even knowing this, I still need daily reminders of God’s love. Here are a few simple rhythms that help me:
We are called to be in the world but not of the world. When we Love, Pray, and Care for our friends, we do it through the overflow of God’s love — not our own strength. 👉 How do you know that God loves you? |
🤝 Need Some Help With Your Friends? |
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Jesus sent His disciples out in twos — and honestly, life (and mission!) is so much better when we do it together. Think about your daisy:
You could:
Just like Alpha, we love it when you come with your friends. 🎉 Use the FREE Student Self-Enrolment code: PTCMyFriends26 |
📅 MyFriends for 2026 — Webinar |
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Join us for a practical, encouraging webinar where we’ll help you:
Time: Lunch time - 12pm and again Supper time - 8pm (the registration and zoom link are the same - just choose the time that works for you) |
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We love to share YOUR stories, we feel encouraged by them, and we love to pray for your friends and groups. Ping Fiona an email as she would love to hear from you. We love to help you develop more people living the MyFriends Lifestyle and intentionally loving, praying and caring for their friends so much that they want to share their very lives and faith with them. If you would like to run MyFriends in your church or home fellowship group, we would love to help - contact Fiona. Blessings , MyFriends Team |
Power to Change Australia commissioned McCrindle to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on young Christians.
This report, commissioned by Power to Change, compiles quantitative data from an online survey of 500 Australians aged 16-22 living in Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. The research objectives focused on understanding the impact of COVID-19 on young adults who had ceased attending their churches during 2020 and 2021. An online panel was used to engage young adults (aged 18-22) who attended church at least monthly in 2019.
Power to Change also conducted ten in-depth interviews with church pastors and leaders from various denominations and states. These interviews aimed to delve deeper into the effects of COVID-19 and related restrictions on the church engagement of young Australians. McCrindle reviewed the transcripts of these interviews and integrated a selection of insights into this report, providing valuable quotes and case studies.
Click below to find out more:
Be inspired to Love, Pray and Care for your friends in authentic, life-giving ways this Christmas.
From December 1st open an Advent Calendar door each day and find an uplifting way to be inspired to Love, Pray and Care for your friends in authentic, life-giving ways. Our prayer is that these small actions soften hearts so that we can engage our friends in spiritual conversations this Christmas.
Wouldn’t it be FANTASTIC if EVERY Christian in Australia accessed the MyFriends Advent Calendar and implemented just one of the ideas – Showing God’s love to their friends this Christmas?
Join us to open a door a day and share these simple ideas with your friends – just share an email, post on your What’s App groups, X (Twitter) and put on YOUR social media.