Dear Vineyard Australia,
One of the great privileges of serving our movement is recognising and releasing the gifts God has placed among us. Today, we’re delighted to announce the appointment of Andrew and Sarah Starr as Vineyard Australia’s new National Prayer Coordinators.
Prayer has always been central to the life of the Church, and we’re excited about what this new role represents for our movement. Our hope is that it will encourage and equip every Vineyard church to continue growing in prayer as we seek God’s presence and His Kingdom together.
Andrew and Sarah bring a deep love for Jesus, a rich ministry background, and a genuine passion for helping others discover the life-changing power of prayer. As they step into this role, they share this vision:
“It’s always a joy to share what you love, and we have rediscovered our love of praying. It’s once again become for us a place of refuge, of joy, of transformation, and of purpose. We love prayer, and it’s exciting to have the opportunity to support others across Vineyard Australia in growing in prayer. We’re excited about what God might do as we lean more deeply into prayer.
We believe that prayer is not something to be outsourced to the specialists—it truly is for all of us. In Vineyard we often say, ‘everyone gets to play.’ Our vision for this role could be summarised as, ‘everyone gets to pray.’ Our hope is that every church and every person in Vineyard Australia would be growing in prayer. We join with Jesus’ first followers in praying, ‘Lord, teach us to pray,’ believing there is always more for all of us to discover in prayer.”
For those who don’t yet know them, Andrew and Sarah serve as part-time pastors at Viva Vineyard. Their heart is simple: they believe Jesus changes lives in beautiful, powerful, and profound ways.
They live in Hornsby with their two teenage children and a very energetic Border Collie, and love the incredible outdoor playground that surrounds their community.
Their journey has taken them far beyond Australia. After God radically redirected their lives in their late teens, they married young and were called to Central Asia, where they founded and led a charity serving people living in poverty. Both speak Russian, and they continue to carry a deep love for multicultural communities.
Since returning to Australia, Andrew has served in anti-slavery organisations, commercial leadership, and education. He holds a Master of Arts in Global Leadership from Fuller Seminary and an undergraduate degree in Political Economy. Sarah has worked as a bookkeeper and also runs a local vegetable co-op. Together they continue to serve part-time at Viva while stepping into this new national role.
We’re so grateful that Andrew and Sarah have accepted this invitation to serve Vineyard Australia. We believe they will be a tremendous encouragement to our churches as they help cultivate a culture where prayer becomes an increasingly natural and life-giving part of who we are.
Please join us in welcoming Andrew and Sarah into this new role and praying for them as they begin this exciting new season.
With love,
Kirk & Nichole
National Directors
Vineyard Australia
