New Beginnings

MOVING TO HERVEY BAY FROM BRISBANE

Our Hervey Bay journey so far has not been without its challenges. After all, to be an overcomer in this life we must have things to overcome, challenges to face, obstacles to deal with which the Bible often refers to as 'trials' (James 1:2-4). Without these test of our faith, commitment and persistency, mostly sent by God, we do not grow strong but remain less than we should be as victorious believers in Christ. Christians are born to be overcomers, as the Spirit of God indwells us, but is a journey to be learning as we earn, and claim, the victory to be won. 

Our primary purpose for coming to Hervey Bay followed an invitation to pastor a local church plant. A group of people were meeting weekly in a home and the leader wanted to form a new church, but was unsure how to go about it. After moving from Brisbane to Hervey Bay things turned out somewhat different from how it had been presented or expected, and certainly confusing to most of the people involved, as it turned out. Over several months it became obvious there were other factors at play, and an undercurrent of contention steadily grew that eventually needed addressing. In a nutshell, this effectively led to a parting of ways in late 2024 as diverse expectations came to the fore, undercutting unity and leading to this unfortunate, but unavoidable outcome. 

We continued on as the bulk of the original people returned to what they were doing before. We continued meetings, meeting some really lovely people along the way, but the shadow of this experience never seemed to be far away, and great disturbed to our spirits. Going our separate ways from the former group was done without rancour or any bitterness, evidenced by the sense of relief from conflict and disagreement that followed for us. It was a tough period, though mostly on a relatively small scale in the scheme of things.

COMMON VISION AND PURPOSE

Without a strong, vital and energetic team sharing a common vision and working towards common goals any venture, especially in the business of the kingdom, is doomed from the start. To find ourselves caught up with such dysfunction was indeed distressing, though to be fair most of those involved were not aware of what was happening behind closed doors.

In hindsight we should have stopped the meetings at that point, reset our goals and vision, and prayerfully sought guidance on next steps. We knew with great confidence God had called us to Hervey Bay, and that pastoral ministry was a part of this call. Full replacement knee surgery for me occurred during this time, which meant a good deal of my focus needed to be on recovery, which ultimately took just over 12 months. Being in the middle of extensive home renovations overlapped this time period as well, further complicating matters.

LESSONS LEARNED

We cannot learn lessons from such challenges by blaming others for the situations we find ourselves in. Only by seeing what we could have done differently, and not repeating mistakes, can we learn and grow. Failing to see this situation evolve as it did is completely on me. New to town, working with unfamiliar people of a completely different church background and mindset to us, and hoping to escape the hard groundwork involved in starting a church from scratch all played its part as this scenario slowly played out. Hindsight is such a great gift, but foresight is better. Something birthed wrongly rarely has a chance to fully recover or achieve desired goals.

By mid-2025 we were tired, and unhappy with where things were heading. I am reminded of Ps 127:1 which states, 'Unless God builds the house, they labour in vain who build it'. We had no desire to labour in vain. I sought advice from a couple of local senior pastors I had come to know and trust, as well as those out of town pastors I regularly speak with and have known for many years. We found agreement in making the decision we ultimately did in closing the meetings for a season, effectively putting the church on hold in order to put a line in the sand and take a break, allowing us to spend some time in personal reflection and reassessing just about everything else. Turns out this was a good decision.

A NEW SEASON IN GOD

In the finish we took a full seven month to consider our options, refresh ourselves and reset our vision. During this period Tony remained active in the local Minister's Association, being asked to take on the role of treasurer at the end of 2025. He was also invited join the board of directors of a well-established local Christian School. Both these roles were completely unexpected, but the Holy Spirit was clearly at work in the background while we were seeking His face for answers of a different kind. That's life in the kingdom! Taking time out to reset our goals, spend time with family, take a couple of caravan holidays and recharge our batteries didn't mean our lives stood still. There are always things to do as believers and kingdom focused people. After all, seeking first the kingdom and His righteousness (Matt 6:33) contains a promise that God will take care of just about everything else. So that has always been a priority focus in Christian walk together.

As 2025 drew to a close we were refreshed and energised, and our vision was confirmed and invigorated. We remained convinced of God's calling to Hervey Bay, with a plan for us that involves pastoral ministry. Our plans began slowly crystalising as we prepared for restart meeting in the New Year. Mid-week meetings began in February with a new group of people we invited to share our vision, hope and desire to see a new church planted in Hervey Bay. An opportunity for a new beginning. After all, Zech 4:10 encourages us not to despise the day of new beginnings. 

We are looking to meet people who have similar ideas, who are looking to be part of something new and different. Who value balance doctrine based on God's Word as a lamp lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps 119:105). God's Word has to be at the foundation of everything we do, both spiritual and mundane. The churches I have pastored before have always been unique because we are unique in our gifting and vision. Most healthy churches should feel the same, I suspect. It is imperative to believe in what we do, and what we are building, especially in the kingdom, but also in life generally. We know it is God who gives the growth, but it generally falls on us, as His servants, to prime the pump as it were - get the ball rolling so the Holy Spirit has something solid to work with.

We have met so many people since coming to Hervey Bay who are new to town, are in between churches and looking for something more relevant to their needs. Obviously one of our primary functions as a local church is to seek to bring the gospel to life for those who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, but we have discovered there is a concerningly large cohort of people in Hervey Bay who are clearly Christian believers, but for some reason cannot find their local church home, their Christian tribe, their spiritual family. Some have given up looking, which is tragic. To not be part of a local group of genuine believers can be a lonely spiritual road to walk for any length of time. We are born to be an active part of the Body of Christ, the church that Jesus is building, that the gates of hell will prevail against (Matt 16:18). These are also people we want to reach at Pathway Church. The harvest is ripe, the need is great and the opportunities endless when God is calling the shots.