To produce a Godly and practical conference with Christian speakers who come from a range of evangelical denominations and backgrounds
The aim of this conference is to allow God’s mighty Word to transform men from the inside out as we hear the Bible taught. Our prayer, and our goal, is to see men equipped for the service of God, his people and the world through knowing Jesus and understanding what it is to be a man who belongs to him in this modern world today.
Men For Christ Ministries (MFCM Inc) was formed in 2004, after three Christian men saw a need for a practical, biblical based conference for men in the west of Sydney.
They shared this vision with other Christian men, and identified their aims as:
This was to be based on the underlying ethos of:
Each year the conference aims to provide men with quality speakers, specialist exhibitors, and topics that may be difficult to handle in their church group but are important in enabling men to become more effective Christians in all their relationships, whether as a husband, father, son, friend, leader.
It aims to offer a choice of topics on the day that are presented with a solid biblical foundation, but which provide practical examples and advice that men can use to cope with the challenges that they, their family and friends face in life.
| Pre-conference Gathering |
|---|
| 9:00am |
| Keynote 1: Adrian Russell A Man who: is Loyal to the Faith and lives without masks |
| Morning Tea |
| Keynote 2: Phil Colgan A Man who: Through the Grace of God is freed from the captivity of a masked world |
| Morning Breakout |
| Lunch |
| Afternoon Breakout |
| Keynote 3: David Cook A Man who: is prepared to walk unmasked in difficult times |
| Close |
Adrian is the senior minister at Northmead Anglican. He has had the enormous joy of knowing Jesus from infancy and is passionate about declaring God's powerful life giving word. He is married and they have a daughter and three sons who all love the Lord and serve his people.
Keynote 1 - A Man who: is Loyal to the Faith and lives without masks
In uncertain times, 2 Tim 1 is a powerful call to be on fire for God, to be unashamed and fearless in service of the Lord Jesus, and to be on guard in defence of sound doctrine and the saving truth of the gospel.
Phil has served for the last 17 years at St George North Anglican Church where he loves to work with men to encourage them to live whole-heartedly for Christ. He is married and together they are raising three teenage children. Phil enjoys watching any type of sport, reading crime novels and talking to people about Jesus.
Keynote 2 - A Man who: Through the Grace of God is freed from the captivity of a masked world
Knowing Christ and his grace to us enables us to not care what the world thinks of us and live wholeheartedly for Jesus. This life of service is never alone but instead we need others to train us and be trained by us. This will not be easy as we will face all sorts of opposition: from false teachers, suffering and even from our own sin. However, the grace we have in Christ is sufficient for us to fight the fight.
For 26 years David was Principal of SMBC, he now works as Director of the Expository Preaching Trust. With his wife of 50 years they have 5 adult children and 15 grandchildren. David attends Drummoyne Presbyterian Church.
Keynote 3 - A Man who: is prepared to walk unmasked in difficult times
2 Tim 3 & 4 are the Apostle Paul's last words in the New Testament, he urges his young Pastor friend Timothy, though he will face many challenges, to never abandon the ministry and pattern of life that has been set down for him. All of this is driven by the conviction that Scripture is God's word, breathed out by Him, what the Bible says is what God says!
Dominic is known for calling it as it is. He’s a husband, dad, pastor of Village Church in Annandale & director of Christians in the Media.
Michael is the Executive Director of Freedom for Faith, a think tank that exists to see religious freedom protected and promoted. He is a minister and before ministry worked as a lawyer. Freedom for Faith helps groups to work together to protect freedom of speech and belief. They want to have a country where everyone is free to live out their beliefs and speak well to their neighbours.
Breakout - The mask of false tolerance: Constraining the spread of the Gospel message
Peter is the Managing Director of City Bible Forum. Having a background in merchant banking in Sydney and Zurich, Peter completed ministry training at UNSW and Moore College before becoming a full-time workplace evangelist. He has assisted a number of ministry start-ups and served on numerous governance boards, including being the current Chair of MTS.
Breakout - How to discard the masks of false identities
Craig has been Senior Pastor at St Mark's Pennant Hills for the last 12 years after a number of years as a management consultant. He believes evangelism should be the heartbeat of every Christian life, and every local church, and has spent years working to build evangelistic culture in his own heart and that of others.
Breakout - How to discard masks driven by fear
This session will focus on what it looks like in practice, in day-to day life, to put away fear so that we can be on mission for Jesus.
Sam serves as a pastoral worker at Springwood-Winmalee Presbyterian Churches and also as a ministry worker for Living Faith, a Sydney Anglican organisation that provides pastoral care for Christians who experience attraction to the same sex and gender incongruence. Throughout his week, Sam has the privilege of listening to many vulnerable stories and walking alongside brothers and sisters who desire to live godly lives.
Breakout - How to discard masks hiding our sin
When it comes to parts of our lives that are the most vulnerable, broken and shameful we put a mask on to protect ourselves from judgement, exclusion and hurt. But when we do that we also put up a mask to prevent discernment, embrace and healing. This seminar explores how continued godly vulnerability with Jesus and others breaks open our sinful masks and our masked sins.
David Robertson is the Director of Third Space, an evangelistic project with City Bible Forum. He was a Presbyterian pastor in Scotland for 33 years. He is married and they have three children and four grandchildren. David is an author, broadcaster and a prolific blogger at The Wee Flea.
Breakout - How to remove the mask of false tolerance
My major theme will be 'counting the cost' - looking into what it actually means to follow Jesus: even in the face of constant pressure and temptation. (Luke 9:21-26)
Dave Jensen works as a pastor at EV Church on the Central Coast of NSW. Prior to working in ministry he was in the Australian Army for the best part of a decade which is where someone told him the truth about Jesus and he became a Christian. Dave is married to Sammy and they have 6 kids. He loves telling people about Jesus, lebanese chicken and the Sydney Roosters.
Breakout - Masks driven by fear: Hiding our Christian faith from the world
Being a Christian is tough: not only do we have our own struggles with sin, doubt and suffering - it is becoming increasingly difficult to stand for Jesus in a nation which is fleeing from it's Christian roots. It's normal for us to be afraid: afraid of looking foolish, of conflict, of rejection. But we are not alone: Jesus told us that this is what would happen - and he has promised that he will always be with us. So what does it look like to authentically follow Jesus: even in the face of constant pressure and trial? What hope does Jesus give us?
Marshall is married to Rebecca and has four children. He is an ordained Anglican minister and has been Executive Director both for the NSW Council of Churches (2017-present) and CEP (2010-16). He completed his PhD in Medicine at Sydney Uni on Reducing the Negative Effects of Sexualised and Social Media on Young People.
Breakout - Masking our sins: Hiding the things that we are ashamed of as Christians
Many Christian men adapt clever facades to hide their struggles with sinful behaviours. This is often driven by the shame of exposure, the helplessness of addiction, or to indulge in the pleasures of those activities. Yes, Jesus sees through this, but out of love, he desires to make authentic, healthy Christians out of all who trust him. Let's lose the mask, and let him replace his image over, in, and through us.
Luther has recently planted Hope Anglican Church in Leppington; situation in Sydney's fast growing South West. He has a passion to see men won for Christ. In doing so to see them align their passions, in fact their whole life, to what Jesus is doing in the world. Both he and his wife are raising 3 children together. He loves cycling, golf and whatever his kids are into right now!
Breakout - The identity mask: What image are you presenting to the world