With The Gathering incorporating the 157th Annual Assembly just around the corner, we want to celebrate one of the pastors who will be put forward for accreditation.
Louise Eccleston was working as a primary school teacher when she felt called into Children and Families Ministry at her local church, Community Life Church at Cherrybrook, Sydney. She worked there for ten years until her family felt called to move on. They didn’t know where they were being called to and prayerfully considered many options.
Driving through Green Point on the Central Coast one day, Louise and her husband remarked that it would be wonderful if a job came up there because their extended family lived in the area. Meeting with the team from the Baptist Association, Louise asked if there were any roles on the coast and was told that Green Point Baptist was looking for a Children and Families Pastor.
“God was in it all as well,” reflects Louise, “it was so obvious to me.”
Since then, Louise has been working at Green Point Baptist as their Children and Families Pastor. These days she is also as part of their core team, helping to shape their broader decision making and vision.
In 2022, Louise felt that she was ready for a new challenge. She was interested in study more, and wanted to keep growing in the ways God had been stretching her.
“I was being invited and asked into things that were broader than my area of Children and Families Ministry,” reflects Louise, “I felt God was calling me to step into something new.”
So, Louise embarked on the accreditation process. Journeying through the accreditation process, Louise got to the Gifts and Experience Panel. They looked at her breadth of experience and challenged her as to why she was still in the same role she’d been in for twenty years. Louise found this an uplifting process and was encouraged to recognise her own potential.
“I’m really happy I went through the process,” reflects Louise, “I like getting things done quickly, but I knew it would be a long process. It has been a helpful, reflective and positive experience for me.”
As part of the process, Louise also had a few subjects to study at Morling College. When she studied the Church Planting unit, she was well aware that Green Point Baptist had started to consider a church plant at Avoca Beach, but Louise wasn’t sure that she would be considered to lead it.
“There were two paths in front of me,” says Louise, “I could have stuck with kids’ ministry that was known and comfortable or step into something unfamiliar and challenging. But little by little I took steps, with encouragement from good friends who were in my court and encouraged me to keep going when it was feeling long.”
These days, Louise works at Green Point Baptist as Associate Pastor of Development and Formation. She also leads the Coast Point plant at Avoca Beach.
Coast Point has been running for five weeks. A team of twenty from Green Point Baptist came across with her to plant the church, but already the church has had fifty people come each week, most of which are from the local community.
“It’s so obvious to me that God has done all the work,” reflects Louise, “We’re just taking the steps. He’s bringing it all together.”
One of the goals of the church plant was to reach locals who weren’t connected to a church. And already people are inviting their neighbours, and the church is now home to many who’ve been disconnected from faith communities for a while.
“It’s about taking little steps of obedience,” explains Louise, “Little step after little step and looking back we can see what God has done. I was always interested in church planting but needed the confidence to see myself in this role, but this has been energising and exciting for our whole leadership team.”
