Andy Shudall is a senior pastor at Eastgate Christian Centre, a Baptist church in Auckland.
Who’s bringing the rizz to Brizzy’s global Baptist gathering in July? Nathan, Mitch, and two lasses named Jess from Eastgate!
Nathan Bird (Youth and Young Adults Pastor) and Jess Lammie (Intermediates Pastor) will be heading across the ditch with Mitchell Carr and Jess Hewlett, young adults who, among many other qualities, are outstanding youth leaders and regular preachers at Eastgate.
But why this investment of money, time, talent, and energy? Why step away from home, family, and church ministry for a week? Because this moment isn’t just about attending an event; it’s about the future of the gospel — at Eastgate, in our local neighbourhoods and far beyond.
A global gathering with local impact
Why? We want to see more clearly what God is doing across the world in our Baptist whānau. We know our own context well, but what about the myriad churches elsewhere that love Jesus, preach his word, reach the disconnected, win the lost, build up the faithful and send God’s people into his mission?
What can we learn? What encouragement can we share? Where might we be blind, arrogant, or in need of humbling? Sending some of our youngest, keenest and most perceptive leaders — those ready to ask sharp questions and embrace change — means that a week in Brisbane may well shape patterns of mission and maturity for years to come at Eastgate.
More than just a conference
This isn’t just about sitting in sessions. The real moments are in the in-between spaces’ conversations — the deep, surprising, and Spirit-led conversation over meals, friendships formed, and lessons learned in unexpected moments. Hearing what it truly means to be Baptist, not only in Aotearoa, but globally one-to-one.
As these four leaders meet fellow believers, listen to (hopefully) deeply rooted, Spirit-filled teaching, and encounter Jesus in the gathered church, they will return ready to share. They’ll bring home insights, encouragement, challenges and vision — fuel for our life and mission, empowering the next generation of leaders, elders, pastors, and disciple-makers.
A lighthouse for the future
Eastgate’s call is to be a Lighthouse Church — a guide to the safe haven of Jesus, a landmark in both calm and storm. We have to invest in young leaders today so we can be who God calls us to be now and in the future. These leaders are the ones who, under God, will one day lead the funerals of today’s pastors and elders. Young leaders are those who will be teaching, reaching, winning, building and sending those yet unborn or not-yet-born-again.
This is a faith-filled, hope-driven, wildly gospel-optimistic investment in the future. It’s a prayer and an act of obedience to God. May Christ Jesus himself bless the soil for the increase — thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.
Take a step of faith, encourage a young leader to go, encourage your own church to pay for their flights and conference costs, send your youth pastor (with their consent!) and resource those who can make the biggest impact. Invest in the next generation, send someone in hope, and see the increase God might give.
Learn more about the Baptist World Congress (July 2025) and how to register at bwabrisbane.com.
Cover image: (L-R) Jess Hewlett, Jess Lammie (Intermediates Pastor), Mitchell Carr, Nathan Bird (Youth and Young Adults Pastor).
