9:30 am – 11:00 am
Friday 21st August 2026
St Francis College, Brisbane (in person and online)
The Australian and New Zealand Association of Theological Studies (ANZATS), in partnership with AC and St Francis College, is hosting a public seminar about how Christian social service organisations can understand their theological identity and public mission. How can the work of such organisations be understood as an expression of the gospel, in spite of the complex regulatory, funding and service-delivery systems within which they operate?
The seminar will explore these questions with visiting German scholar Johannes Eurich. Professor Eurich is director of Heidelberg’s Institute for the Study of Christian Social Services, a major international centre for research into Diakonia—the church’s ministry of service and care. His work explores the theological and ethical foundations of Christian social practice, and the challenges of maintaining a distinctively Christian identity alongside professional and public responsibilities. He has also undertaken extensive research on social innovation in European social services and on the ways Christian organisations respond to changing social, institutional and religious contexts.
These questions have particular relevance for Australian Christian social service organisations, many of which operate at scale within government-funded and highly regulated service systems while remaining ministries of churches and Christian communities.
Professor Eurich will be joined by three Australian speakers who bring complementary perspectives from organisational research, social-service leadership, and chaplaincy.
Craig Furneaux, AC’s newly appointed Professor of Business and Social Impact, is an expert on the governance, accountability, organisational capability and social impact of nonprofit organisations and social enterprises. His research examines how purpose-driven organisations navigate competing expectations from governments, funders, communities and other stakeholders while maintaining organisational effectiveness and fidelity to their mission.
Stephen Harrison, Director of Mission at Anglicare Southern Queensland, brings extensive experience in organisational leadership, education and chaplaincy. His work focuses on helping Anglicare express its identity and values as a ministry of the Anglican Church within the practical realities of a large social-service organisation.
Jessica Grant is an Australian Army chaplain, a canon of St John’s Cathedral, and a PhD candidate at the University of Divinity. Her doctoral research focuses on a theology of institutions, informed by a practitioner’s perspective on Christian presence within state institutions.
Together, the speakers will consider how theological reflection can shape the identity, leadership and practice of Christian organisations as they respond to human need, strengthen communities and contribute to the common good.
Click here to register for either face-to-face or online attendance
To join online over Zoom, please use this link (Meeting ID: 317 474 7929; Passcode: frontline).
