Goodlife Update

DesAnnouncement from Mike & Terasa Hardie

Lead Pastors

Read to the church, Sunday, 16th March 2025

We are going to share some sad news, followed by some exciting and hopeful news.

Terasa and I will be finishing up as Lead Pastors at Goodlife in three months time, with our last Sunday being June 15th. It’s been 5 years since we joined the church and 3 ½ amazing years as pastors. It’s been an extraordinary privilege and honour to serve this community.

We have decided to move back to Sydney to be closer to our aging parents and extended family. For some time, we have felt the pull to support them and be near them, but we weren’t quite sure how this could happen—especially since we believed our calling to serve this community at Goodlife was for many years, perhaps even for the rest of our lives.

I want to be clear: this decision has nothing to do with any drama or relational conflict at Goodlife. Quite the opposite! It has been an incredible privilege to serve here amongst amazing leaders and people. The church is growing and doing extraordinary work in the community, and this community means so much to us.

A door has opened for us that we didn’t see coming and wasn’t in our long-term plans, to keep doing ministry that is deeply aligned to our hearts. We have accepted an invitation to plant a new church in the Sutherland Shire of Sydney, where our family is from. This invitation came from the leadership of the Uniting Church of NSW. They reached out to us—we weren’t seeking this opportunity. In fact, we initially said no multiple times because we love Goodlife and love the Sunshine Coast. But after much prayer, seeking wise counsel, and deep reflection, we have made the decision to respond to this call.

This opportunity allows us to be near family while continuing the mission we feel deeply called to. The church and mission of Jesus are not just about one local body. God is calling people everywhere to join His mission to restore all things. We see this call back to Sydney as both a provision and a privilege to continue this mission that is deeply aligned to who we are what we feel God calling us to do and for that we feel humbled and grateful.

That being said, this has been an emotionally excruciating decision. When we moved here, we intended to stay for the rest of our lives. We have invested deeply into Goodlife by throwing our heart and soul into this community and vision. We have found lifelong friends and have felt so encouraged, loved, and supported by this community and our leaders. So, while we are grateful for this next season, we are also feeling a deep sadness.

For the next three months, our focus and intentions are clear. We will continue pastoring with all our hearts, serving this community with our very best, and ensuring a God-honoring transition to new leadership.

The leadership of Goodlife has been incredibly gracious and supportive. I want to thank Stephen Jeffs, who first invited me to consider taking on this role at Goodlife. His support, generosity, care, and friendship have been an amazing gift. The entire Executive Leadership at Goodlife has responded with love, grace, and care. I want to thank Andy & Jenny Timmer, Sarah & Luke Quinn, Brett & Clarissa Letcher, Hannah & Amos Bartle, Mike & Viv Jeffs, and Stephen & Ruth for your diligence and encouragement.

I also want to thank the amazing team I have had the pleasure of working with here. The staff and leaders are truly salt-of-the-earth people. I am proud of how we have led and served our community together. While I won’t name everyone now, I will have more to say about those I want to thank when we have our farewell.

Thank You to Our Family

I want to finish this part by thanking my family.

To our amazing daughter Seriyah—you have navigated so much having parents who are pastors. You have served behind the scenes so often, helping Terasa in Kids Ministry, assisting me or other leaders, and being a support in so many ways. We are so grateful for you. This community has loved and encouraged you in life and faith, and that is an incredible gift to us as parents.

To our champion Jacob—thank you for coming on this journey with us. Early mornings, late pack-ups, and a dad who is often in meetings haven’t always been fun. Thank you to the community and friends who have cheered Jacob on and loved him so well.

And finally, to Terasa—you have walked this ministry road with me for 19 years. Anyone who has you as a pastor, leader, or friend is truly blessed. You have helped me lead this community and team in ways that few will ever fully know. Your leadership of the Children’s Ministry and your love for our families have been extraordinary. Your kindness and pastoral heart will be dearly missed by so many.

A Future Full of Hope

I have deep confidence that what lies ahead for Goodlife is very good. We feel great peace and joy in our hearts, knowing that this church will continue to thrive and bless so many people on the Sunshine Coast, as it has for over 30 years.

We have played a small part over these last five years—first as attendees, and for the last three and a half years as pastors. But the mission, vision, and heartbeat of Goodlife continue.

A new day is dawning. The Lord is with us as a church. Let’s trust in God’s guiding hand, even when we can’t yet see what’s ahead. I can testify to God’s incredible goodness.

With love and gratitude,

Mike & Terasa Hardie, Lead Pastorscription text goes here

Dear Goodlife Community,

Changes like the one you have just heard or are reading about now are significant and never easy. We all respond to them with varied emotions and feelings, but right from the outset we want to remind ourselves that God is faithful, He is good and none of this catches Him by surprise. Just as He has always done, we can be confident that he will direct our paths.

We want to take a moment to express our deep gratitude and appreciation for Mike, Terasa, Seriyah, and Jacob. Their faith, commitment, and dedication to the vision of Goodlife has been ‘all in’. They have led with integrity, passion, and unwavering trust in God’s plan. We honour the investment they have made in this community, and while this transition is bittersweet, we stand in faith, knowing the goodness of God. We have no doubt that the new thing God has for them as a family is going to be incredibly rich and impacting for all those whose sit under their leadership, just as it has been for us.

There is no question this news caught us by surprise as an Executive team. However we were reminded of God’s faithfulness. Time and again, He has brought the right leaders to Goodlife at just the right time. With this assurance, we engaged in conversations with several individuals who we sensed could be a fit for Goodlife, not simply to fill a position but to make sure this would be a genuine calling for the next season of leadership at Goodlife.

After much prayer, conversations and processing it all, the Executive team is excited to put forward a recommendation for the next lead pastors of Goodlife in Nic and V Gilmour.

If you were with us a few weeks ago, you would have heard Nic speak in our Sunday gathering. As part of such a big next step we felt it was important that Nic , V and the executive spent some quality time together face to face rather than just over zoom, so they made the trek to Australia from California where they have lived for the past 11 years. It was a special time and as we will share this coming Tuesday night, it cemented in our hearts that Nic and V feel like the right people to carry the Goodlife vision into the next season. Nic and V, along with their three children—Mo, Tino, and Evey—are deeply excited about this next chapter, loving what Goodlife stands for and more importantly what God is doing and will continue to do into the future.

There is an important backstory to this journey. Four years ago, the Executive team met with Nic and V to explore the possibility of them stepping into this role when Tim and Donna were finishing up. After spending time together, we all (including Nic and V) felt a deep connection and alignment with the vision of Goodlife with the sense that this could be the right next step. But as Nic boarded the flight back to the U.S., he felt God say “Not now, not yet”. It was a heartbreaking moment for him, and for us, too. At the time, we didn’t understand, but looking back, we see the wisdom of God’s plan.

Had things unfolded differently, we wouldn’t have had the privilege of being led by Mike and Terasa these past four years. And now, in this defining moment for Goodlife, we sense God’s perfect timing once again.

This Tuesday, we will be gathering as a church family for an important meeting where this recommendation by the Goodlife Executive will be put forward for endorsement. We invite and encourage you to be part of this moment as we continue to trust in God’s leading of Goodlife’s future.

Thank you for your faith, your prayers, and your unwavering support. We believe this is an exciting new chapter for Goodlife

With gratitude and expectation,

The Goodlife Executive Team