CareyOPEN

Baptist ecclesiology fosters agency because it is grounded in covenant participation. The triune God invites persons into covenant relationship with God and one another, reflecting an agency-affirming vision of divine–human communion. Baptism embodies this invitation as the believer’s voluntary “yes” to God and the covenant community. Yet agency extends beyond baptism into shared discernment, mutual accountability, and covenant renewal at the Lord’s Supper. While rooted in Scripture, this vision resonates with social-scientific insights about human flourishing. Science-engaged theology—especially Basic Psychological Needs Theory—offers a lens for evaluating whether Baptist communal practices truly reflect the conviction that God desires the flourishing of our gathered communities. 

In this centenary celebration message, Paul Jones explores Joshua 4 and the memorial stones at the Jordan, highlighting how memories and stories shape faith across generations.

For 100 years and more NZ Baptists have intentionally trained leaders in Bible and theology. The nature of that training has evolved in line with the spaces, both real and virtual, that it has occupied. This is not a chronicle of buildings and physical addresses. Rather, it is the story of an evolving approach to theological education, underpinned by a constant missional vision - "the sixth site."

In this episode, Brian Smith, Paul Windsor, Charles Hewlett, John Tucker, and Paul Jones reflect on 100 years of Carey Baptist College at its centenary celebration.

Through every high and low of ministry, God meets us in our weakness, speaks in the stillness, and remains sovereign over it all.

Even when discipline comes, God’s faithfulness never wavers. Pride divides and damages what was meant to be united, revealing the stark contrast between harsh, self-focused leadership and the humble, sacrificial way of Christ.

Everyone worships something - but choosing worldly things that promise life ultimately leads to death. Through the dramatic story of Elijah’s confrontation with King Ahab, John explores the contest between Baal and Yahweh, revealing that Yahweh alone is God.

In 1 Kings 16, Ahab’s hunger for power led to idolatry and ruin. Idols still seduce - money, sex, power etc. What’s capturing your heart?

In 1 Kings 14, Nicola invites us to see the story through the eyes of Jeroboam’s wife, revealing the sobering truth that compromise inevitably leads to consequences.

In 1 Kings 11, Solomon traded allegiance to God for alliances with others. What does true allegiance to God look like, and what might be pulling your heart away from Him?

In this episode, Christa takes us into 1 Kings 8 and reveals covenant as more than a theological idea - it’s God’s chosen way of saying, “I’m with you.” God doesn’t stay at a distance, but moves toward us, desiring to dwell among His people and walk in relationship with them.

1 Kings 6 is not simply a construction report, but a declaration of God’s faithfulness across generations.

Wisdom or justice? In 1 Kings 2, Michael Rhodes shows why you can’t have one without the other.

1 Kings 1 presents four portraits of leadership as the question looms: who will be king—David, Adonijah, Solomon, or another? And beneath it, a deeper question for us: who are we enthroning in our own lives?

Listen as Paul Jones introduces the 2026 Karakia sermon theme, Prophets and Kings, drawing from the book of Kings, and asks: how will you respond when God speaks?

Mark 11 unfolds like a whāriki, where tradition, culture, and prophecy are woven together, revealing the humble King carried in the stories of generations.

What kind of greatness are you really pursuing? John Tucker leads us through Mark 10:35–45, challenging us to choose between the way of the hero and the way of the saint.

Mark 7:1–23 invites us to examine what truly defiles us - not external things, but what lives within. Is it judgement, fear, negative attitudes, or old wounds we still carry? Where in your heart is Jesus seeking to bring renewal and change from the inside out?

Through the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, we see Jesus revealed as the true Shepherd - stirred by compassion, speaking life through His teaching, and providing abundantly for those who follow Him.

A powerful reminder to stand firm with bold faith in the face of life’s challenges.

A beautiful reminder that to follow Jesus is to sow faithfully and rest peacefully, knowing He brings the growth.

A refreshing focus on the significance and authority of Jesus over the Sabbath. Jesus redefines the true purpose of the Sabbath and invites us into a deeper understanding of rest that centers on relationship, not regulation.

A life changing announcement and the invitation that comes with it.

Mark sets the scene for a truly epic announcement of good news. This is a story of the fulfilment of God’s centuries-old promises.

Grant unpacks his research of the bicultural journey within the church in Aotearoa New Zealand with Luke Kaa-Morgan, Te Pouarataki mō te hikoi (Treaty guide) at Carey Baptist College. Grant is the Kaihautū/Lead Pastor of Northcity Church in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Sarah delivers the 2025 Carey Baptist College Graduation Address. What do we plan to do with our lives? Jesus invites us to go all out, striving after the kingdom of God, trusting in him and living lives of purpose. Sarah and her husband, Paul, founded The Loyal Workshop, a business that brings freedom to women trapped in slavery.

David Bebbington from the University of Stirling, Scotland, visits Carey Baptist College. This episode is his lecture on Evangelicalism and the Enlightenment. He discusses the ambiguities of the relationship between the two, revealing how the Enlightenment led to a mistaken rationalist path but also to Evangelical growth. Note: the lecture recording has limited audio quality.

Gareth Davies, Co-Pastor of Kumeu Baptist Church and Carey graduate, shares his project on church membership within the Baptist Union of New Zealand.

Are you pressing on towards the finish line? To serve God and live a life of faith, you’ve got to be in the race and give it your best. 

Luke provides leadership for Carey Baptist College and its Treaty journey in his role as Te Pouarataki mō te hikoi (Treaty guide). In this episode, he preaches on John 21, considering how lives are transformed through the ministry of love.

Getting to know a kind God. The kindness and love of our Saviour is our true foundation for doing good in this world...

Phil’s sermon explores the role of mentors and epiphanies in people’s lives.

Does our character and our actions give witness to the beauty of the gospel? Paul uses the model of a Godly household for missional living in an infamously immoral context. Katie draws the connection to the witness our contemporary Christian household is giving in light of the recent RCI report. She points us to the necessity of sound teaching and the grace of God.

In these verses, we see that the apostle Paul carries many people in his heart. We look into the nature of his relationships and how hope and trust in God shape how we engage with the people in our lives.

Open up a scripture that helps us to understand who we are as servants of Jesus and what it means to be emboldened and engaged in the ministry of Jesus.

Remain faithful to the work of the gospel, be strong, embrace suffering, have hope.

In Paul’s last letter to Timothy, he urges him to keep going even though it’s tough and rekindle the fire of the Holy Spirit so that the gospel truthfully passes to the next generation. 

The church leader, Titus, is left behind on the island of Crete to help the quickly expanding local gatherings of ‘The Way’ seek good leadership. We wonder together what that might have been like and what it might have meant in that time and place. Description: As you listen to this message, you will quickly realise that Sam is inviting you on a journey through the eyes of a Cretan church leader, the apostle Paul, and Titus. These first-person perspectives bring us new thoughts and insights as we seek to understand the beginning chapter of Titus.  

Julie Chamberlain, Community Pastor at Oxford Terrace Baptist Church (Christchurch), preaches on 1 Timothy 6:17-21.

Coming to the end of his time on staff with Carey Baptist College, Andrew shares what he learned from his callings in leadership and how leadership is done in the way of the cross.

Paul continues his instructions to God’s household for the sake of the gospel. He emphasises the radical consequences of living out our identity as sisters and brothers in Christ, even under the oppression of slavery. He calls the church, then and now, to hold fast to Godly teaching and be communities shaped by the love of God. 

Isaiah 6 has two strong threads running through its mysterious and confronting content: human experience and divine intervention. This sermon considers how Isaiah 6 interweaves both threads.

Are good leaders born or made? Are they found or formed? Culture and context will shape our answer as we guard the gospel of Christ. William invites us to put on honour-shame glasses when considering Paul’s pastoral wisdom to Timothy, the young church planter. We’ll see how these instructions to honour spiritual kaumātua or elders who lead beautifully, rebuke those who don’t and even drink a little wine without fear of being cancelled all still have relevance for Christians seeking to honour Christ in today’s culture.

Michael Rhodes talks with some of the keynote speakers of the upcoming 'Tuning our hearts to the Psalms' conference (17-18 July 2024) in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, New Zealand. We hope you enjoy listening in and perhaps even get inspired to register for the conference at carey.ac.nz.

What attitude should church leaders have towards those they shepherd? And how do you care for those in need with limited resources? In 1 Timothy 5:1-16, Paul first encourages young Timothy to treat all his congregation with the same care and honour he would give his own family. He then presents an ancient congregational-care case study that has helpful applications for churches and organisations today that seek to care well when resources are limited.

Melissa Wilson, Pastor at Beachlands Baptist Church, teaches leaders to be aware of the quiet killers, set up training plans, and find their champions. 

1 Timothy 3 ends with some of the most beautiful, exhilarating God-talk in all of Paul’s letters. However, the passage begins with a teaching about leadership that we will almost certainly find off-putting. What might Paul’s words tell us about God’s invitation to have our lives shattered and re-made by an encounter with Jesus? And what might he teach us about the “beautiful work” that leaders in God’s church can do to help us along the way?

These eight verses have been a lightning rod for Christians and our debates about the role of women and men in the church. Jonny looks at the passage in the light of the church’s witness and the destructive effects a localised heresy is having on the believers in Ephesus. Studying the text through this lens leads to four contemporary insights for the church today. 

What is the priority for new (and old) churches in their life, learning and worship? According to Paul, “first of all”, they should learn to pray – for societies and communities and those whose decisions and actions affect them. This anchors the believers in what God wants for the world and turns them outwards to participate in God's saving purpose. Does the worship of our churches do that?

No matter who you are, your story matters, and it directs your ministry. That for which we are called, we are also empowered to accomplish.

In the first paragraphs of this letter, Paul outlines his purpose in writing to Timothy and the problem they have in Ephesus with false teachers. He also introduces the theme of the letter: that everyone will “know how to behave in the household of God.”

Welcome to CareyOPEN, a podcast where we open a window into the Carey world!