church planting
In January 2025, a new chapter began for our family. Out of prayer, faith, and a deep love for the Gold Coast, we planted Sanctuary Church with a simple conviction: to see Jesus’ name lifted high in a region and a nation.
Church planting has always been woven into the DNA of our movement INC, it’s who we are. Stepping into this journey has reawakened that pioneering heartbeat in our family. I wholeheartedly believe that God is raising up pioneers and planters again to see Australia won for Christ. This isn’t just about gathering people in a room or starting more churches; it’s about raising an altar of faith in our cities and across our nation.
When we started, all we had was a prayer and a decisive YES to God. Our story began in January 2025 with 15 people in a living room, compelled to believe God for a region. We made the decision to do what was obedient, not what was obvious, to chase God with hunger and desperation.
Since that moment, we have seen God move in powerful ways. Prodigals are coming home. People are discovering faith for the first time. A city is being reached in practical ways. Fresh believers are heading out to the streets to share the love of God. People are returning to church and finding their first love again. Our Sunday School has expanded to two rooms. We’ve been active in the community running monthly projects, doing house and yard work for the vulnerable and elderly. And we’ve made the move from our living room to a venue, now actively searching for a new home to make room for what God is doing in our midst.
From the very beginning, we were shaped by the idea that things don’t often go wrong, they start wrong. There is significance in the small and in the start of things. That conviction led us to sow seeds of generosity from the very beginning.
In 2025, we gave just over $5,000 to charities in our local area. In 2026, compelled by a heart for church planting, we felt called to give toward other plants across the nation, but where do you even find a list of every church plant? That question led us to the New Churches Website https://new.churches.org.au/home Which is a great prayer list too. As a church, this year we’ve been able to sow $1,550 into two other church plants.
The power of a seed is not in its size, but in the sowing. What we have may not be large in amount, but we believe it is large in potential. What God can do with a seed sown is far greater than what He can do with a seed kept. More than an exchange of money, this journey of generosity has seen the formation of friendships and partnerships in pioneering. I’m more convinced than ever that if we are to see the tide continue to rise, more churches planted, more communities taking root, it will require us to stand together, unite together and serve together.
Whether you are currently planting or simply thinking about it: sow a seed today. Pray today. Give today. Encourage someone today.
You are doing great work, a holy venture. Keep showing up. Keep praying. Keep leading. Our nation is hungry. The harvest is ready. The time is now. Australia is positioned for a great move of God.