The interview covers Russell Hinds' philosophy of ministering to the whole family, which involves managing construction projects of such magnitude, which in turn is reflected in the value of 'vision'.
Russell Hinds' motive in Christian ministry has centred on the 'family ideal'; that the family unit is the building block of society. In other words, people want to be part of a community. So he has centred his ministry around the philosophy that the local church can provide that 'family' community.
Russell Hinds believes that single people, including single-parent families who have been accepted more and more in the mainstream culture over the past ten years, also want to be part of a community, and that the local church should be offering a 'family' community.
• One-parent families increased to 762,600 in 2001, from 499,300 in 1986. This increase was largely associated with an increase in the number of separated and divorced people.
• The proportion of births occurring outside a registered marriage has increased over time, from 17% in 1986 to 31% in 2001. However, increasingly these births include the names of both of the child's parents on the birth certificate (88% in 2001, up from 71% in 1986). This may indicate that the increase in births outside marriage is associated with the increase in de facto relationships, rather than an increase in the number of single mothers.
• One-parent families may also be formed through the death of a spouse. However, the proportion of one-parent families formed through widowhood has declined (in 2001, 18% of lone parents were widows, down from 27% in 1986). This is partly because life expectancy has increased for both men and women, and, over the long-term, the proportion of relationships ending through divorce rather than death has increased.
• In June 1993, lone parent families comprised 9% of all families. By 2003, that figure had increased by six percentage points, to 15%.
(Statistics taken from Spinney Press.)
An example of this, in practical terms, is the 'Gold Coast Christian Family' church, which provides grandparent mentors for those families without grandparents living close by. This, Russell Hinds says, is a Biblical principle, that the community of faith is a family.
He made the point to Mark Tronson, that over his 32 years in Christian ministry, his philosophy has been to emphasise the local church as a family, it is God's family and every family member is an equal sibling member of that family.
There are a number of key ingredients in being a member of God's family through the local church and that is learning how to relate to each other in healthy ways and following the model teacher of this is Jesus Himself. Part of this is seeing how God dealt with the children of Israel and how God deals with His children today through the local church's teaching, using Christ as the role model.
Russell Hinds comes to national Christian attention when he either constructs one of these multi-purpose church buildings or provides the guidance and tuition to others who wish to follow suit. In all, Reverend Hinds has organised the building himself on three separate occasions and has provided tuition to numbers of other church communities in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.
His pastorate of the Gold Coast Christian Family church went up in three days, after having had the foundations laid with local Shire Council approvals. It is located in the suburb of Mudgeeraba which butts up against Robina, Merrimac and Reedy Creek.
In a typical construction, teams of volunteers arrive on the Thursday afternoon. By Sunday morning the building is up along with the electrical system, the lighting and PA, the carpets and tiling, all the bathrooms and kitchen. A grand opening of praise to God is held on the Sunday afternoon. The cost savings is over 30%.
Mark Tronson asked Russell Hinds how important it is to convey vision. His reply was that whether it is directed to the congregation or the board room, one must paint a canvas of the big picture and allow the individuals to ascertain where they see themselves in that canvas.
Each person has gifts of the Spirit of God given by the Lord Himself and the concept of vision is to have each person consider where they fit into the picture, discovering his or her role in that larger canvas. Reiterating Isaiah the prophet who exclaimed, 'Without vision the people perish', he asks each person to reflect on what piece they would paint within that large canvas.
As to Christianity's future within Australia, Russell Hinds was full of confidence.
He said the days are rich with the things of life that deeply touch those who genuinely are into building Christian relationships. Life beyond the grave is the assurance that Jesus Christ died on the Cross and then rose from the grave. This message is central to all members of Christ's family in whatever circumstances they find themselves.
This 'Television on the Internet' live interview with Russell Hinds can be found at tv.bushorchestra.com and www.safeworlds.net