By Garry Sanossian
Joy and laughter filled the Tops Conference Centre in Stanwell Tops as more than 250 friends in ministry from churches of Christ across NSW and the ACT gathered from 12–14 November for the 2025 Collective Gathering. Through shared worship, powerful teaching, conversation, and time together across generations and cultures, Collective offered a vivid reminder that the joy of Christ is most clearly seen in how we gather and walk alongside one another.
Reflecting on his experience as a first-time attendee, Associate Professor Peter Laughlin at Australian College of Ministries (ACOM) said he found joy in the people around him. “Well, primarily it’s people that bring joy to me,” he said. “Just seeing some of my friends, spending time together with people and conversations is probably where the biggest joy is.”
That sense of connection was echoed by Tamara Clark from Forster Tuncurry Church of Christ, who said relationships sat at the heart of the gathering. “Joy is in connection,” she said. “Shared values, common interests and the roles and struggles we carry together.” She reflected that Collective highlighted a need for greater joy within the Church.
“I believe that the church needs more joy as well,” she said. “We need to find spaces where we can be joyful.”
Friends from across the network at Collective Gathering 2025.
This year’s theme, A Radiant Church, was shaped by 2 Corinthians 4:6-7, opening with a time of communion among delegates, heartfelt worship and an opening message from Executive Leader (interim) Anne Simpson, drawing attention to the longing of the Bride (the church) and the Spirit for the way of Jesus (the Bridegroom) in a powerful passage from Revelation 21. This set the scene for the following sessions from keynote speakers Michel and Claudia Hendricks from Life Model Works.
Across their sessions, Michel and Claudia introduced the concept of ‘whole-brained’ discipleship, drawing on insights from neuroscience and spiritual formation to explore how understanding our brains can help shape healthy discipleship. Their teaching blended practical demonstrations with thoughtful biblical reflection, opening meaningful space for participants to consider what joyful and emotionally mature formation could look like in their own contexts.
Michel and Claudia Hendricks speaking at Collective Gathering 2025.
Claudia Hendricks speaking at Collective Gathering 2025.
They taught that whole-brained discipleship grows best in the soil of relational joy. They explained that joy is not an optional bonus to spiritual life but the foundational nutrient that helps people feel seen, safe and connected. This emphasis on relational discipleship set the tone for other conversations and sessions during the gathering.
Attendees during a session at Collective Gathering 2025.
On both mornings, creative and pithy theological reflections were offered by staff members of the Australian College of Ministry and Global Mission Partners.
On Thursday Professor Peter Laughlin joined Emily Southwell, faculty member and Learning Systems Manager, in contributing to the gathering through theological reflection on the theme “Beholding God’s Face.” The joy Peter experienced at Collective was closely tied to the way people encouraged one another throughout the gathering.
“In the Christian journey and in discipleship, being encouraged by one another and walking the journey together really matters,” Peter said.
Professor Peter Laughlin and Emily Southwell speaking during Collective Gathering 2025.
On Friday our Global Mission Partners friends, Leah Odongo, Director of Partnerships, and John Lamerton, Chief Executive Officer at Global Mission Partners, helped us focus on the key scripture of 2 Corinthians 4 with a missional focus. Their conversation explored how God’s light shines through ordinary and imperfect people and how this truth shapes the work Global Mission Partners carries out with churches.
As a first-time attendee, Leah was deeply moved by the intergenerational nature of Collective. She said the mix of children, youth, parents and older adults created a picture of hope for where the church is heading.
“Seeing every generation together gave me a real sense that God is doing something new,” she said. “It felt like a quiet kind of revival that you don’t always see but you can sense in the room.”
John Lamerton and Leah Odongo co-leading a session at Collective Gathering 2025.
Thursday night’s Network Celebration Dinner was a highlight, as Stephen Cha, Intercultural Engagement Leader with the Network Resource Team, hosted an evening filled with food, laughter and worship. The night also created the opportunity to farewell Head of Network Enterprises Matt Young, honour outgoing Conference President Emily Drough and welcome incoming President Mike McGarrity and newly-elected Conference Executive members.
Stephen Cha hosts the Network Celebration Dinner.
Moments of joy during the Network Celebration Dinner at Collective Gathering 2025.
A moment of prayer during the Network Celebration Dinner.
Prayer over Emily Drough, who served as Conference President from November 2023 to 2025 and now serves on Conference Executive, during Collective Gathering 2025.
Prayer over Mike McGarrity during Collective Gathering 2025, following his election as Conference President.
During the Collective Gathering, worship played a central role, with sessions led by a joint network team, SeeChange Community Church, and Saegil Church at the Celebration Dinner. Saegil Church’s bilingual English and Korean songs created a special experience that celebrated our network’s unity and diversity.
Worship led by Saegil Church during Collective Gathering 2025.
Amanda Stewart leading worship at Collective Gathering 2025.
Children and families were an important part of Collective Gathering. Collective Kids welcomed its largest group yet with more than 30 children joining the two-day program led by Mel Oxman from NewDay Church. “We had such a good time with the kids,” Mel said, sharing how well they connected with support from NewDay volunteers and interns from The Tops.
The program followed the theme Light It Up as children explored how God created light, how Jesus is the light of the world and how they are called to shine their own light. Mel was encouraged by the way older kids supported younger ones, especially the 12-year-olds who helped the three-year-olds join in the games.
Erin Treloar, Children & Youth Pastor at Liberty Church of Christ said that having her children with her at Collective made the Gathering especially meaningful. “We really loved being able to come and have our kids be part of the kids program where they get to connect with kids from other churches and build new friendships,” she said.
Children enjoying outdoor activities.
In a time of ‘Harvest and Celebration’ on Friday, leaders from across the network shared prayerful reflections on what they had heard for our network of churches. The theme of light was clear in these voices, as many spoke of what they hoped to carry back into their ministries.
As the final session ended on Friday, there was a sense that the days of worship, learning and fellowship were an illuminating reminder of who we are: a radiant church, beholding the face of Christ, and shining his joy wherever we are planted.
