Australian Churches and Intercultural Communities: At Arms-length or Embraced?

Discernment and Partnerships: Renewal for the Diocese of Melbourne with Abp Ric Thorpe

🎙️ S4 E6 - Discernment and Partnerships: Renewal for the Diocese of Melbourne with Abp Ric Thorpe The Anglican Institute Lecture 2026   Episode Description What does renewal look like in a diocese? And what role does theological training play?  In this lecture, Archbishop Ric Thorpe explores the importance and shape of renewal in the Diocese of Melbourne, and the pivotal role that theological colleges play as the Diocese seeks to discern God’s future together.  This lecture was recorded on 18 May 2026 at Ridley College. Got Questions? Got questions about Ridley College? We'd love to hear from you! Whether you're thinking about studying with us or just want to know what life at Ridley is really like. No question is too big or too small. Drop your questions in the comments below or email us at pod@ridley.edu.au [pod@ridley.edu.au] and we'll do our best to answer every single one. 👇 Study With Ridley If you are interested in finding out more about studying at Ridley College or have any questions regarding any courses or units, we invite you to contact us via this link: https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/] Ridley Chapel Podcast Be sure to check out our Ridley Chapel Sermons Podcast through this link: https://ridleychapel.transistor.fm/ [https://ridleychapel.transistor.fm/] Donate This podcast is made possible through the generous donations of our alumni and supporters. We welcome your partnership with us in our mission of equipping men and women for God’s mission in our rapidly changing and increasingly complex world. If you’d like to contribute to our work, you can donate by clicking this link if you wish to donate: https://www.ridley.edu.au/donate/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/donate/] Connect with Ridley College Website: https://www.ridley.edu.au/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collegeridley [https://www.facebook.com/collegeridley] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ridleycollegemelbourne/ [https://www.instagram.com/ridleycollegemelbourne/] Study at Ridley: https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/]

AI, Young People & the Church with Anna Davy, Dave Chiswell & Joshua Millard

🎙️ S4 E5 —  AI, Young People & the Church with Anna Davy, Dave Chiswell & Joshua Millard   Episode Description In this special episode, Ridley student and youth leader Anna Davy facilitates a rich and wide-ranging conversation on Artificial Intelligence or AI, born out of Ridley's annual Children's and Youth Ministry [https://www.ridley.edu.au/about-us/centres-of-excellence/centre-childrens-youth-ministry/] Training Day. Joining her are Dave Chiswell (Lead Trainer at Youth Ministry Futures [https://ymfutures.com.au/], and Youth Minister at City on a Hill Geelong [https://cityonahill.com.au/geelong]), and Joshua Millard (Youth Development Director of CMS Victoria [https://www.cms.org.au/vic/]) — two practitioners who care deeply about the same things but come at AI from quite different angles. Together they wrestle with some of the most pressing questions facing children's and youth workers today: What is AI actually doing to young people's formation? What's the difference between helpful and harmful friction? Why are teenagers turning to AI for friendship, therapy, and romance — and what does the church have to offer in response? What does a Christian theology of work and productivity look like in an age of artificial intelligence? Honest, thoughtful, and genuinely urgent — this is a conversation every youth and children's worker needs to be part of, and everyone in the church will want to learn from.  Got Questions? Got questions about Ridley College? We'd love to hear from you! Whether you're thinking about studying with us or just want to know what life at Ridley is really like. No question is too big or too small. Drop your questions in the comments below or email us at pod@ridley.edu.au [pod@ridley.edu.au] and we'll do our best to answer every single one. 👇 Study With Ridley If you are interested in finding out more about studying at Ridley College or have any questions regarding any courses or units, we invite you to contact us via this link: https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/] Ridley Chapel Podcast Be sure to check out our Ridley Chapel Sermons Podcast through this link: https://ridleychapel.transistor.fm/ [https://ridleychapel.transistor.fm/] Donate This podcast is made possible through the generous donations of our alumni and supporters. We welcome your partnership with us in our mission of equipping men and women for God’s mission in our rapidly changing and increasingly complex world. If you’d like to contribute to our work, you can donate by clicking this link if you wish to donate: https://www.ridley.edu.au/donate/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/donate/] Connect with Ridley College Website: https://www.ridley.edu.au/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collegeridley [https://www.facebook.com/collegeridley] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ridleycollegemelbourne/ [https://www.instagram.com/ridleycollegemelbourne/] Study at Ridley: https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/]

Raising Up the Next Generation of Leaders with Sam Oldland

🎙️ S4 E4 Raising Up the Next Generation of Leaders with Sam Oldland   Episode Description In this episode, Rhys Bezzant sits down with Sam Oldland, the minister overseeing traineeships at St Jude's Carlton — a church right across the road from Melbourne University — for a deep and practical conversation about raising up the next generation of gospel workers. As Sam puts it, when it comes to church planting, "it's never money, it's never location, it's never having enough people — it's always about having the leaders to do it." Sam shares his own quiet, unremarkable journey into ministry (and why that's actually the story we need more of), before unpacking how he's built a thriving two-year ministry traineeship program at St Jude's almost from scratch. They explore the "trellis and vine" framework for thinking about ministry structure, what it takes to recruit and form Gen Z leaders, why the responsibility for raising up new workers lies with the previous generation, and how any church — regardless of size or location — can begin to cultivate a culture of ministry training. Honest, practical, and deeply encouraging for anyone who cares about the future of gospel ministry in Australia. Got Questions? Got questions about Ridley College? We'd love to hear from you! Whether you're thinking about studying with us or just want to know what life at Ridley is really like. No question is too big or too small. Drop your questions in the comments below or email us at pod@ridley.edu.au [pod@ridley.edu.au] and we'll do our best to answer every single one.  Study With Ridley If you are interested in finding out more about studying at Ridley College or have any questions regarding any courses or units, we invite you to contact us via this link: https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/] Ridley Chapel Podcast Be sure to check out our Ridley Chapel Sermons Podcast through this link: https://ridleychapel.transistor.fm/ [https://ridleychapel.transistor.fm/] Donate This podcast is made possible through the generous donations of our alumni and supporters. We welcome your partnership with us in our mission of equipping men and women for God’s mission in our rapidly changing and increasingly complex world. If you’d like to contribute to our work, you can donate by clicking this link if you wish to donate: https://www.ridley.edu.au/donate/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/donate/] Connect with Ridley College Website: https://www.ridley.edu.au/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collegeridley [https://www.facebook.com/collegeridley] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ridleycollegemelbourne/ [https://www.instagram.com/ridleycollegemelbourne/] Study at Ridley: https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/]

Inside Ridley: Books, Graduation & the AI Question with Hannah Craven & Mike Bird

🎙️ S4 E3 Inside Ridley: Books, Graduation & the AI Question with Hannah Craven & Mike Bird   Episode Description In this episode of our Inside Ridley sub-series, faculty members Hannah Craven and Michael Bird sit down for a lively, wide-ranging conversation about what's been happening at Ridley. Mike shares highlights from his OSP — including finishing a new book on the Roman Empire and the early church, visiting the city of his birth in Germany, and lecturing across India, the US and UK. Hannah reflects on the landmark new intensive, Women in the New Testament, and her new role supporting the Anglican Institute. They celebrate Ridley's biggest ever graduation cohort, before diving into one of the most pressing conversations in theological education right now — artificial intelligence. Mike's an enthusiastic early adopter; Hannah's a self-described "friction-maxxer." Together they make for a genuinely fun and thought-provoking conversation about what AI means for learning, character formation, and the future of theological education. Got Questions? Got questions about Ridley College? We'd love to hear from you! Whether you're thinking about studying with us or just want to know what life at Ridley is really like. No question is too big or too small. Drop your questions in the comments below or email us at pod@ridley.edu.au [pod@ridley.edu.au] and we'll do our best to answer every single one. 👇 Study With Ridley If you are interested in finding out more about studying at Ridley College or have any questions regarding any courses or units, we invite you to contact us via this link: https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/] Ridley Chapel Podcast Be sure to check out our Ridley Chapel Sermons Podcast through this link: https://ridleychapel.transistor.fm/ [https://ridleychapel.transistor.fm/] Donate This podcast is made possible through the generous donations of our alumni and supporters. We welcome your partnership with us in our mission of equipping men and women for God’s mission in our rapidly changing and increasingly complex world. If you’d like to contribute to our work, you can donate by clicking this link if you wish to donate: https://www.ridley.edu.au/donate/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/donate/] Connect with Ridley College Website: https://www.ridley.edu.au/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collegeridley [https://www.facebook.com/collegeridley] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ridleycollegemelbourne/ [https://www.instagram.com/ridleycollegemelbourne/] Study at Ridley: https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/]

Tools for a Lifetime of Ministry with Tim Johnson

🎙️ S4 E2 — Tools for a Lifetime of Ministry with Tim Johnson [https://www.ridley.edu.au/team/tim-johnson/] In this episode, our Principal, Rhys Bezzant [https://www.ridley.edu.au/team/rhys-bezzant/], sits down with newly appointed faculty member Tim Johnson [https://www.ridley.edu.au/team/tim-johnson/] for a rich conversation about life, ministry, and what it means to be well-equipped for the long haul.  Tim shares his journey from growing up in a minister's home in Sydney's western suburbs — with no intention of ever becoming a pastor himself — to over 12 years as vicar of St John's Diamond Creek [https://stjohnsdc.org.au/], and now joining Ridley's faculty to teach preaching and pastoral care. Along the way, they discuss the moment Tim's understanding of justification changed everything, how a local church can prune back activity to focus on what matters most, and why theological education remains vital in a world of cheap alternatives. Tim also opens up about his approach to personal spiritual growth, intentional reading plans, and what it means to keep filling the tank for a lifetime of ministry. A warm, honest, and deeply encouraging conversation for anyone in or considering vocational ministry. Got Questions? Got questions about Ridley College? We'd love to hear from you! Whether you're thinking about studying with us or just want to know what life at Ridley is really like. No question is too big or too small. Drop your questions in the comments below or email us at pod@ridley.edu.au [pod@ridley.edu.au] and we'll do our best to answer every single one. 👇 Study With Ridley If you are interested in finding out more about studying at Ridley College or have any questions regarding any courses or units, we invite you to contact us via this link: https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/] Ridley Chapel Podcast Be sure to check out our Ridley Chapel Sermons Podcast through this link: https://ridleychapel.transistor.fm/ [https://ridleychapel.transistor.fm/] Donate This podcast is made possible through the generous donations of our alumni and supporters. We welcome your partnership with us in our mission of equipping men and women for God’s mission in our rapidly changing and increasingly complex world. If you’d like to contribute to our work, you can donate by clicking this link if you wish to donate: https://www.ridley.edu.au/donate/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/donate/] Connect with Ridley College Website: https://www.ridley.edu.au/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collegeridley [https://www.facebook.com/collegeridley] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ridleycollegemelbourne/ [https://www.instagram.com/ridleycollegemelbourne/] Study at Ridley: https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/ [https://www.ridley.edu.au/study/]