Looking Back on 2025

We are excited about the upcoming content and discussions in 2026, but we wanted to briefly reflect on 2025. Take a look at some articles and reflections from 2025, and stay tuned for new content in 2026.

Communities of Hope Book Launch by Alan Roxburgh

This week, Roy and I have the honour of launching our new book, Forming Communities of Hope in the Great Unraveling (Wipf and Stock, 2025). It’s hard to believe that we submitted the manuscript nearly a year ago. At that time, the notion of “communities of hope” wasn’t part of the lingua franca, either in churches or across society. However, over the past year, the theme of hope has emerged as one of the more pressing questions we increasingly want to discuss with one another. The reasons for this are not difficult to articulate. We can all sense the great unraveling of all things. As Marx famously stated, “All that is solid melts into air.” A sense of darkening and foreboding has overtaken the Western imagination. Cascading threats to human life and to creation itself are feeling overwhelming. All creation is groaning, and we’re no longer confident that we, or even AI, have the answers to these threats. Continue Reading.

Open to God’s Agency by Roy Searle

I was reminded this week, once more, of the need to be alert to God’s agency. An unexpected, unplanned opportunity came our way on Sunday which saw my wife and I attend a wonderful concert performed by two very gifted musicians. Given the time of year it was a Celtish Christmas theme but it was in the throwaway comment that one of them happened to mention that they had written a whole musical score on the life of St Patrick. There was just something that I felt the Spirit was dropping into my consciousness at the thought of music telling the story of the great Irish Saint. Continue Reading.

Rubbish… or Worse by Cam Roxburgh

Our church is in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Recently, while dwelling in the word in Acts 16, (Paul’s vision and subsequent change of direction, plans and strategy) I was in awe of the love he had for this Community of Hope he started in Philippi. He is also clear in his call to a higher level of commitment to a life completely in, for and with Christ. He is moving from our agency to God’s and from Empire to Kingdom. I need to pay attention. Continue Reading

Making the Shift: From Empire to Kingdom by Cam Roxburgh

There is a shift happening – and it is a good one. It is not complete, at least not in me. But it is underway, and I am ever so grateful for it. I have pastored for over 33 years now. During that time, I’ve seen models of church come and go, and been shaped by many different movements. But the shift I am experiencing now—personally, in our church, and in many denominations—is perhaps the “most Christian” shift I have seen. Continue Reading

How do I make the most of the next five years? by Alan Roxburgh

Roy and my book, Forming Communities of Hope in the Great Unraveling, is getting great responses from many parts of the world. Just this week, a friend in the southern US sent me a significant review of the book. It’s quite an experience to read how someone else understands what you’ve been writing. Lee’s review is a great encouragement. Last week, a leader from Melbourne (one of my very favourite cities in the world) was in touch, wanting a conversation about the book. He was energized not just by the analysis but, more importantly, by the framing of how we become communities of hope in a great unraveling. He had been a denominational leader for many years, but in this last chapter, he had deliberately returned to congregational leadership. His question to me was simple: if I were leading a congregation at this point, where would I put my energy? Continue Reading

We Have a Dream by Simon Mattholie

We live in a time of disorder. Financial markets, behaving unpredictably, are disrupting the traditional relationship between equities and bonds. The dollar, the reserve currency for many countries, has declined, leading to a surge in gold. The global and geopolitical landscape is chaotic. Inflation and the cost of living have returned as pressing concerns for many governments. We have no models to predict what will happen next. We are in a place we’ve never been before. Volatility is the new normal of our time. A single misguided comment about tariffs can move markets in extreme directions; billions are lost or made within a matter of hours. Thirty years have passed since my last direct involvement in such matters. While I don’t miss it, I continue to monitor the situation and feel a familiar rise in stress. Continue Reading.

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