Ep 136: BRONWYN BONNELL ON REGIONAL CHURCH PLANTING, COURAGE, AND OPEN HANDED MULTIPLICATION

In this episode of the Exponential Australia Church Leaders Podcast, Charlie sits down with Bronwyn Bonnell from Chapel Collective for a rich and encouraging conversation about church planting, regional mission, and the enduring hope of the local church. Bronwyn shares her story of growing up in rural New South Wales, her love for Jesus, her deep grounding in the Word, and the journey she and Darren have taken across more than two decades of ministry in regional and rural Australia. With a heart to see every regional and rural town have a life giving church, Bronwyn reflects on the formation, growth, and multiplication of Chapel Collective across multiple locations. This conversation explores what it means to start from scratch. Bronwyn shares honestly about planting again in Port Macquarie, beginning with a small group in a lounge room, gathering in cafes, halls, schools, and eventually a barn, while seeing God at work through spontaneous baptisms, young adults, and ordinary people saying yes to the mission of God. Charlie and Bronwyn also discuss the mindset required for multiplication, including the shift from thinking about one church to thinking about many, the phrase “ten strong,” and the importance of building systems that serve the mission without becoming the source of life. Bronwyn reflects on the freedom of embracing your limits, running in your own lane, and letting deaths to self become deeply formative moments in leadership. The episode also touches on open handed multiplication, including Chapel Collective’s recent release of one of its locations to become autonomous. Bronwyn speaks with clarity about Kingdom mindset, letting go, and refusing to cling tightly to assets, models, or control when the mission of God is moving forward. This is a grounded and faith filled conversation for pastors, planters, regional leaders, women sensing a call to plant, and anyone who still believes that the local church, filled with the presence of Jesus, remains vital for the life and renewal of our communities.