We Love Good News...

Thanks to a generous gift from an anonymous donor, and the skills of a clever designer, we can officially announce we are launching a BRAND NEW WEBSITE!! This website is the second of three changes coming to Australian Clergy Families.

The shiny new website will have easier access to resources and supports, more features, and new ways to connect with us and others. We're thrilled with this development as it means we'll not only be able to continue offering what we do now, but also have a better platform to introduce some new innovations - just wait for part three! So when will it be up and running?

The Pastor's Family (Book Review)

It takes a lot for a book to get on my reading list. I have very strict criteria that it must meet before I’ll open the first page – in case you’re wondering here’s what this book had to go through just to get on the shelf. And I'm excited to say it did not disappoint! My only concern is that with a book so jam-packed with helpful guidance how am I going to do it justice in a short amount of time?!

The Pastor's Family is written by an American clergy couple who know how little free time their audience has, and are keen to create an easy-to-read, personal, resource book for clergy couples. It's also a short read, always a bonus if you can only pick it up for 10 minutes at a time :)

Guest Speaker: Lost Voices of the Clergy Family

 Today we are excited to introduce our guest speaker: Rev Dr Brian Jones. Brian is from the UK and has done extensive research and work with pastor's kids (PKs). He contacted us recently to share his work and resources with clergy families here in Australia. His passion is to ensure that the stories of clergy families are heard and respected - right up our alley! We hope you enjoy his post below and take a moment to check out his website and PK social forum, which we've also added to our library. 

~Matt

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Exploring the impact of parental church-based ministry on clergy children

First Things First: Planning For Ministry & Life in 2017

I love getting my brand-new calendar. I love how clean it is and ready to be filled with lots of plans, ideas, events and memories :) But I also know how quickly it can fill up, especially at the start of the year. Which is why I was excited to find someone who truly understood the busyness of ministry and family life:

"Ministry can be incredibly unpredictable. There is no way to schedule funerals six months in advance or to know when a family in your church (or your own family, for that matter) will go through a major life crisis.  But taking time at the beginning of the year to schedule time for your key responsibilities will get you much closer than just hoping the time will create itself."
- PaulChappell.com