September 21, 2023
A Conversation: Graeme Anderson Part Two
By Kara Martin

Graeme Anderson is the Lead Pastor for Northside Baptist Church and an adjunct lecturer at Morling College. Prior to pastoral ministry Graeme was a primary teacher (and had a short and unremarkable career as an opera singer). He is an alumni of the Renovarè Institute, and was a Morling College Research Fellow in 2015. His research focused on the role of Christian spiritual formation in missional ecclesiology.

We started a conversation with Graeme around Spiritual Formation, there was so much great insight we had to split it out into two blog posts! Below we conclude the discussion on Spiritual Formation and the important role it plays in our lives as entrepreneurs and change-makers.

Is there a way of measuring our spiritual growth?

No. In fact trying to measure spiritual growth will be the first step to killing it. This is a frustrating reality for people who are tuned in to seeking measurable tangibles. I’m not sure how healthy it would be to try and measure the depth and outcome of any relationship.

What are some of the particular formational needs entrepreneurs might have?

As leaders in creativity and thought, I think that entrepreneurs need to learn from Jesus how to listen (to what God is doing), how to love (in the way of Jesus), and how to let go (‘Those who give up their lives for my sake…). These may on the surface seem simple, but I have yet to speak to an entrepreneur (or pastor) who is not slightly terrified by the implications of listening, loving, and letting go. (By the way – this is the key area I plan to cover in the coaching night).

When have been the times of spiritual growth for you?

I think the cliche is true that the times of deep spiritual growth have been the difficult times – the times that I’d rather not remember, think about, or have happen again. But in the times I have decided to place my confidence in the unseen and even the ‘absent’ God – to realise I am in the world of Psalm 13 rather than merely explaining it. It is also true to say that the other times of deep spiritual growth have been when I have committed to living a rhythm of grace – creating space each day for the grace of God to shape and re-shape me – this is what the spiritual habits/disciplines do. In and of themselves, they achieve nothing (they are certainly not acts of righteousness) but they do create space in my life for the grace of God to work.

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Kara Martin

Kara Martin is a Seed Coach and Facilitator. Kara is a speaker, lectures at Alphacrucis and Mary Andrews colleges, and was formerly Associate Dean of the Marketplace Institute at Ridley College in Melbourne. She has worked in media and communications, human resources, business analysis and policy development roles, in a variety of organisations, and as a consultant. She was Director of the School of Christian Studies for three years and has lectured with the Brisbane School of Theology, Macquarie Christian Studies Institute and Wesley Institute. Kara has a particular passion for integrating our Christian faith and work, as well as helping churches connect with the workers in their congregations. She is married to David, and they have two amazing adult children: Jaslyn and Guy. Volume 1 of Workship: How we can Use our Work to Worship God was published in April 2017. Workship 2: How we can Flourish at Work was published in May 2018. Kara has just started on Workship 3: How to Shape Christians for the Workplace. To find out more about Kara, visit www.workship.com.au

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