Return from Exile

By Nathan Hedt

"Return from Exile is a profound gift to God's people. It speaks clearly,

directly, and above all gently to the diversity of human experiences of

exile-through the pandemic and beyond. It is richly and carefully

theological in dealing with the challenges of online church and

communion. It invites us to engage our imaginat

• Language: English
• Publisher: Australian Christian Resources
• Release date: Nov 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9780645594935

Book preview

Return from Exile

How congregations can survive and thrive in a post-pandemic world

Nathan Hedt

Text © Nathan Hedt 2022

Published Edition © Australian Christian Resources [ACR]

ACR P702570

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher.

Author: Nathan Hedt      

Title: Return from Exile      

ISBN: 978-0-6455949-1-1

Cover layout and internal typesetting: Ben Morton – Immortalise

Series Editor: Mark Worthing

Cover image: Sigurdur Fjalar Jonsson on UnSplash – repainted by Night Cafe AI and repainted in watercolour by DataChef AI

Endorsements for Return from Exile

"Return from Exile is a profound gift to God’s people. It speaks clearly, directly, and above all gently to the diversity of human experiences of exile—through the pandemic and beyond. It is richly and carefully theological in dealing with the challenges of online church and communion. It invites us to engage our imagination and hearts with God’s revelation in the Bible, tracing themes of exile and return across different eras and cultures. Best of all, it will help individuals and congregations to reflect deeply on the griefs, gifts, challenges, opportunities, and surprising work of God in our own situations. In doing all this, it draws us gently but insistently to find our true home in the Lord Jesus Christ."

Rev Dr Chris Swann, Director of Church Planting,

City to City Australia

"Return from Exile provides an insightful and well-crafted reflection on the disruption, and associated grief, caused by the pandemic and felt by individuals and churches. The text asks Christians what needs to change and what can remain when they return from exile to a world that has altered significantly. The reader is challenged to embrace the digital space and consider these spaces as the Areopagus of our day (Acts 17) – the gathering place of ideas, discussion and commerce, and the place where Christ is present. Read the reflections, dwell in the Scripture readings, and you will be encouraged."

Dr Tania Nelson, Executive Officer – Local Mission, Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand

Nathan Hedt combines his many years as a missional practitioner with a dexterity in the biblical text to coax the reader back from exile into the fields of harvest. Rather than writing for the Academy this work succeeds in appealing to the person in the pew wondering how to find a way back from isolation to community, from exile to Kingdom fruitfulness. Highly recommended for small groups throughout the Church, this will be a tonic for the soul of the Church so much in need of both nurture and courage to face the challenges ahead.

Dean Eaton, Director of Community Impact,

Korus Connect.

"This resource is both timeless and timely. Exile is a healthy experience for Christians who live in this world and yet are also citizens of heaven. This is a place of blessing that the people of God have been gifted since our first parents were expelled from Eden. Nathan Hedt helps us, who have perhaps grown too comfortable in this world, to step back and learn from those who have gone before us. He reminds us that we are the church, we don’t go to church, and that all worship and Christian fellowship is provisional—real, but not yet complete. Importantly, this book raises as many questions as it answers and enables discussion. It leads us to reflect on God’s