Main Venue:
Ryde Baptist Church
Cnr of Lane Cove Road and Dobson Crescent, Ryde 2112
Plus Confirmed Additional Venues
Alstonville Baptist Church – Northern Rivers
Belair Baptist Church – Hunter
Dickson Baptist Church – Canberra
Tamworth Baptist Church – New England
Wagga Wagga Baptist Church – Riverina
Wellington Baptist Church – Western Districts
Wollongong Baptist Church – South Coast
Online only (no voting)*
Commencing at 9:30 am
Affiliated Churches of NSW & ACT usually meet twice a year together to be encouraged and inspired by what God is doing and will continue to do amongst us, and to discern significant matters in the life of our movement.
Our second assembly for this year will be held on Saturday, 8 November 2025.
*For those viewing the Gathering online via Zoom the business session in the afternoon will not be streamed, with the feed being closed at lunch time.
The Gathering Incorporating the Ordinary Assembly will commence at 9:30am on 8 November and is expected to conclude by 3pm.
The focus of the morning will be the theme “An Increased Openness to Faith?” where Sam Sterland from the National Church Life Survey will share insights from recent research. Then we will be hosting a panel discussion exploring the cultural shifts and emerging opportunities we are seeing in our current culture and their implications for ministry.
The programme for the day will also include worship, a devotional message from Badil Oweis, Senior Pastor at Graceway Baptist Church and business in the afternoon.
Sam Sterland joined the NCLS Research team in 2001 as a researcher. He is involved in research, partner management, resource development, logistics, communications and liaison with each denomination, state and region in Australia. Sam has a background in teaching, counselling, psychology, and pastoral ministry and has co-authored NCLS publications on church life and sustainable leadership. He has a doctorate in organisational leadership, with a focus on the organisational culture of local churches. Sam enjoys turning research into useful resources, presenting, and has a passion to help local churches be healthy and fulfil their mission, and for leaders to avoid burnout and thrive.
Badil Oweis is the pastor of Graceway Church. Having spent most of his working life ministering alongside his occupation as a pharmacist, he was called to full time ministry in 2019, when the Baptist Association partnered with Crest Community Baptist Church and Yagoona Baptist Church to plant this multi-ethnic church to serve the community and beyond.
Churches need to register their delegates (and alternate delegates if desired) at the latest by 9:30am Saturday, 1 November 2025. Other voting members and non-voting attendees may register online up until the day or register onsite on the day. Non-voting attendees must be members or regular attendees of one of our churches.
Attendance at the Assembly is free, however if you want to purchase lunch you will need to register online by Saturday, 1 November 2025. For those attending the Gathering at Wagga Wagga Baptist Church or Tamworth Baptist Church lunch will be free.
Delegates who have been registered are able to sign in from 8:30 am on the day.
Other eligible participants are able to register or sign in from 8:30 am on the day.
A minimum of 10 voting members need to be registered to attend at any Additional Venue by Saturday, 1 November to ensure that venue remains operational.
We want to commit the upcoming Assembly to prayer as we prepare to gather together. You are warmly invited to participate in our online prayer gathering being held on Wednesday, 5 November from 7:30pm to 8:30pm.
If you are a pastor, leader, or member/attendee of one of the Baptist Churches in our movement we would love to invite you to this online prayer gathering as we commit to being reliant on the Holy Spirit and recognise God’s leading in all that is before us.
