Key Resources
Welcome to Indigenous Ministry in the Top End
Cross-cultural insights.
A great resource for those working or travelling in the Top End. ‘Indigenous Ministry in the Top End – Cross-Cultural Insights’, compiled by Rachel Borneman and Chris Garner, is a handy guide to cultural differences. This is an introductory pack of information to meet the needs of people new to cross-cultural work in the Top End of the Northern Territory.
Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World
What happens when global systems are viewed from an Indigenous perspective? How does it affect the way we see history, money, power and learning? Could it change the world? This remarkable book is about everything from echidnas to evolution, cosmology to cooking, sex and science and spirits to Schr dinger's cat. Tyson Yunkaporta looks at global systems from an Indigenous perspective. He asks how contemporary life diverges from the pattern of creation. How does this affect us? How can we do things differently? Sand Talk provides a template for living. It's about how lines and symbols and shapes can help us make sense of the world. It's about how we learn and how we remember. It's about talking to everybody and listening carefully. It's about finding different ways to look at things. Most of all it's about Indigenous thinking, and how it can save the world.
Ceremonies in the Bible by Greg Anderson
In the Old Testament, we find a lot of stories about all the ceremonies of the Jewish people. When we hear those stories, we might think about our own Aboriginal ceremonies, and also our Christian ceremonies. Greg Anderson is writing about ceremony, to help us think and talk together about those things. He is writing about the Jewish ceremonies first, and then something about church ceremonies and Aboriginal ceremonies.
This booklet is in both English and Kriol.
Australians Together
Encourage your church to learn more about Australia’s shared story, one that wasn’t taught in schools.
Sharing our Story is a four-episode series suitable for small groups. The story begins with colonisation and follows our history through to modern times. It gives a deep appreciation of how events from our past continue to impact many Indigenous people today. Below you’ll find leader and training guides, and informative stories and articles, to help equip you and your church as you move forward.
Youtube - 40 Stories
Watch 40 Indigenous Christians from around Australia share their heart. For those with an interest especially in the NT, look for Racheal Kendino, Anderson George, Miliwanga Sandy, Randal Carew, Sebastian Watson, Sharon Lowah, Lewis West and Pastor Bill Rosas. There is also Robyn Beazley (nee Green), Rodney Rivers, Josh Rivers, etc who have lived in the NT and have now moved interstate.
Public Christianity
Dr John Harris is the author of One Blood, a landmark study of 200 years of Aboriginal encounters with Christianity. He spent many years living in indigenous communities both as an educator and a language consultant.
He spoke to CPX about the historical relationship between Christianity and Aborigines and the work of missionaries such as Daniel Matthews who attempted to help Aboriginal people.
7 Rookie Mistakes people make in short term Indigenous missions, The Gospel Coalition, Darwin
P Zamagias paper 2016.
In recent times, the short-term mission trip has become very popular with western churches. While there is potentially great value in these trips, they aren’t always undertaken purposefully and with sufficient respect for the host culture and church.
Over the past four decades working with and amongst indigenous Christians, I have seen certain errors repeated by the most well-meaning, but ill-prepared people who want to minister to our first peoples. Here are seven things that people sometimes fail to realise about the spiritual life of Indigenous Australians.
Call to Help Aboriginal church Leaders Drive by Greg Anderson
Dr Greg Anderson, a former CMS missionary to the NT who returned to Darwin as bishop, sees the need for “an ongoing, possibly permanent partnership” between mature Christians and Aboriginal churches in Arnhem Land.
’View online’ links to the article in Eternity from 2016.
Revival that started at Elcho Island
Watch about the revival that started at Elcho Island (1979):
Revival in the Outback book can be viewed in ‘Advance Reading’.
We want to provide the most up to date, relevant and engaging resources for our community involved in aspects or global mission. If you know if any Resources we can share, please contact us.