As an isolated ecosystem, Australia has hosted its fair share of strange and exotic creatures. My personal favourites is the frill-necked lizard (or “Frilled lizard” or hlamydosaurus kingii). This magnificent species, inhabiting the northern third of Australia, can grow to about ninety centimetres in length. But their survival advantage is to look bigger still due to the frill around their necks. The frill gives the illusion of size. Clever.
Which brings me to TGC Australia.
TGCA and the Frill-Necked Lizard
The Gospel Coalition Australia began in 2014 in the wake of a visit from Tim Keller. A small group caught a vision for gathering what God was doing through various churches and organisations in Australia into a “coalition”. This coalition, brought together around a shared theological vision and a common concern for evangelism, could help to foster gospel unity, maintain gospel clarity, and extend the reach of what God was already doing in many contexts.
Building coalitions takes time and energy. But we were convicted that it was worthwhile. All things being equal, we are better together. We can go further faster and with more fruitfulness if we go together.
Australian Reformed Christians have many connections with the TGC USA—not least through Don Carson, who has visited Australia more times than seems humanly possible. Together with John Piper, Tim Keller, and many others, TGC was an excellent reference point for the sort of movement we are a part of here in Australia. And so TGC seemed an excellent platform to bring people together.
However, TGC Australia is a bit of a frill-necked lizard. Because we benefited from the USA through the website infrastructure, organisational credibility, and personal support, we were able to launch quickly, with (if I don’t say so myself) a good quality website. And we were able to gather, with remarkable speed, a wide range of authors, council members, and staff.
But all this can be like a “frill” that gives the impression that TGCA is bigger and better funded than it is. Truth be told, TGC Australia is a tiny organisation run by a small, distributed workforce of three part-time, hard-working, staff. The budget is slender and the council, authors, and editorial advisors all do what they do as volunteers. And we receive precisely $0 from the USA. Everything we do we do on the basis of the generous partnership of Australian Christians. I am absolutely astounded at what God has been able to do through such modest resources.
Partnership in the Future of TGC Australia
Why am I telling you this? First, to give glory where it’s due—to the God who can do big things with slender resources. But I also want to let you know because, if you believe in what we are doing, we’d love your partnership. When you look past the frill, you see that we are doing all we do through the generosity of a small band of partners who give so that we can consistently provide excellent, biblically faithful Australia content for free. And by their support we are able to do the slow, crucial work of building partnerships, collaborations, and resource-sharing enterprises for the glory of God and the good of the gospel in our nation.
We are currently praying for 100 Australians who would each give $100 a month in regular support. Is that something you could be a part of? We’d love to have you on board! You can set up direct giving here. Help us, in other words, to get a bit more body behind that frill. We reckon there’s a great gospel return on your investment.
