Professor Don Carson, an American Christian author and scholar, wrote the very insightful book A Call to Spiritual Reformation. In it, he draws us to the heart of the Apostle Paul’s prayers.
In 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12, Paul prays what Carson refers to as the ‘Christian Entrepreneur’s prayer’:
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that … by his power [God] may fulfil every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.
2 Thessalonians 1:11
Carson observes that the prayer presupposes that God’s people have been so transformed by the gospel that they develop new goals and purposes and then rightly ask God to give these plans ‘legs’. Importantly, this is not a prayer that says, “God, bless my plans.” Rather, it is coming before God with gospel-shaped ideas we long to see happen for His glory. Those ideas might be witnessing to a neighbour, starting a Bible study at work, or warmly welcoming newcomers at church.
As we step into a new year, it is a good idea to spend time thinking through a ‘New Year’s list of gospel-centred plans and hopes that you can bring before God and ask Him to, in His sovereign goodness, bring to pass.
What follows are several Network entrepreneurial gospel plans that I would love you to be praying about as we enter a fresh year.
1. City Site Development
This project has been unfolding for five years, and we are on the verge of finalising contractual arrangements. These will see Trinity Church Adelaide move off-site for three years while student accommodation is constructed on the car park and the church’s ministry facilities receive a major upgrade. While we retain ownership of the land, the student accommodation itself will be owned and operated by a third party.
Let me be clear: we are a church and not property developers. We are into people, not buildings. The reason we are involved in this building project is because we long to see more and more people coming under the sound of the gospel and growing to maturity in Christ.
Here are some specific ways you could pray:
- That members of Trinity Church Adelaide will have many fresh opportunities to connect with new people as they begin meeting off-site at nearby Adelaide University facilities.
- That the refurbished facilities will, in due course, resource renewed discipleship for many decades to come.
- That the proximity of student accommodation will significantly enhance our reach to university students, both nationally and internationally.
2. Plans for the North of the City
Last October, the four Trinity churches to the north of the city partnered together to purchase a property on Main North Road at Holden Hill, now known as ‘The Hill’. All four churches recognised the value of having a 24/7 facility to support disciple-making ministry.
The purchase was made possible by a generous gift from Hill Street Church. Hill Street partnered with Trinity Church Modbury to plant Trinity Church Campbelltown. As a result, they sold their property and donated the proceeds to the Network for the purpose of securing an appropriate church facility. Members from the four churches also contributed towards the purchase.
But again, our motivation is not property ownership but ministry to people. While the facility is not large enough to host any of the existing morning congregations, church leadership could clearly see its potential: a place to run evangelistic courses, grow youth ministry, host Bible study groups, and provide a base for staff to minister.
The Hill will also provide a venue for the Network’s next church plant. Senior Pastors and Leadership Teams in the north have identified a pressing need to strengthen their ministry to young adults. Individually, each church recognised it lacked the resources to tackle this alone. So, the churches are partnering to launch a new evening church aimed at reaching young adults. All four churches will support this as ‘their’ evening congregation.
How can you be praying?
- Give thanks to God for the generosity of those who have made the purchase of The Hill possible.
- Ask that God will enable ministries to flourish through the provision of this venue.
- Pray that God will be powerfully at work through the launch of the night church on March 22 – that many will become believers and that this cohort will be so grounded in the gospel that they serve the Lord with great energy for many decades to come.
3. A New Phase at Trinity Church Mount Barker
By the time you read this, Duncan Andrews will have been commissioned as the new Senior Pastor for Trinity Church Mount Barker. Duncan was the founding pastor of Trinity Church Victor Harbor, where he and Miriam have faithfully served for the past 12 years.
How can you be praying?
- That the Andrews and the members of the Trinity Church Mount Barker will be unified in their desire to grow as a Christian community that takes the gospel to the region’s increasing population.
4. Trinity Church Victor Harbor and Trinity Church Goolwa
On February 8, Matt Winter will be commissioned as the acting Senior Pastor at Victor Harbor. Matt will be ‘acting’ in this role because he has been designated as the church planter for a new church in Goolwa.
The Goolwa church plant is an exciting partnership between the Trinity Network and Bush Church Aid (BCA). It is a first for both. BCA brings a deep passion and expertise for taking the gospel to regional and remote parts of Australia. The Trinity Network brings a strong track record in church planting, though most of our experience has been in suburban Adelaide. Several years ago, Greg Harris, the National Director of BCA, and I began talking about how a partnership like this might help us be more effective in making disciples. The plan, under God, is for Trinity Church Victor Harbor to send people to establish a new church in Goolwa in 2027.
How can you pray?
- For Matt and Annika Winter as they settle into Goolwa, and the church family at Victor Harbor during this season of transition.
- That God will lead us to the right person to take up the mantle of Senior Pastor at Victor Harbor, freeing up the Winters to launch the new church at Goolwa.
- That God will gather a strong church-planting core group who can begin praying and planning for the ministry at Goolwa.
Praying That God Will Go Before Us
The plans mentioned above only scratch the surface of the many ministries touching lives across the Network as we head into 2026. I know that on a personal level, many of you will be planning and praying about how you might see the Lord glorified in your own lives in the year ahead. It is good to pause and ask ourselves, “What is it that we can ‘have a go at’ for the glory of God?” It is also good to remember that, at the end of the day, effective ministry is never simply the product of entrepreneurial thinking and activity. Unless God goes before us and does His work in the hearts and lives of people, all our dreams, hopes and plans will ultimately come to nothing.
So, keep praying to the sovereign and gracious God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.