Vision and Mission
Jesus Loves Australia exists to see Australia come back to Jesus. We believe that through prayer, unity and evangelism we will see our nation come back to Jesus. For too long the Body of Christ and has been crippled in our nation. Today, the census statistics would tell us that Australia is 52% Christian, when just over a hundred years ago it was 98%. Seeing unity restored to the Body and the Church working together for our nation, according to the Bible and History, has the power to reverse this decline..
From studying our history of times when God moved in a way that transformed cities, and by digging through scriptures for keys and then coupling these findings with what God is doing in the Earth today, we can unlock God’s strategies for seeing an outpouring of His Spirit and our cities and regions transformed by the gospel love of Jesus
Our Testimony
The Jesus Loves Australia Core Team
Shane Degen
Founder and CEO
Shane has a passion for Jesus and the ones He died to save. His heart is for the lost and training the body in discipleship, evangelism and church planting. He has a fire to see the body come together to enter in to God’s glory and see revival transform communities and cities as the love of God transforms lives.
Shane is married to the beautiful Amanda and is blessed to have eight amazing children; Lachlan, Elijah, Noah, Gabriella, Moses, Evangeline, Abraham and Isaac.
Shane is on a mission travelling the world doing crusades, conferences, church-planting and training to see Jesus get His glory. He has a heart for the poor, broken and unreached. He believes that this is the time Jesus is revelaing Himself to the world through laid down lovers.
Shane was saved at the age of 25, in a jail cell and saw Jesus transform his life. He went to QUT and completed a Master of Engineering (Aerospace Avionics) in 2010. He has worked for Boeing as a research engineer and was completing his doctorate at ARCAA when God called him into the mission field. In 2009, he founded what became known as “Schoolies for Jesus”, which saw thousands come to Jesus over the following decade. In 2015, he moved to North India to plant churches and returned to Australia after that door closed. He started Jesus Loves Australia in 2017 with a vision and strategy to see a city transformed by the gospel love of God.
On Dec 1, 2018 a couple of thousand people gathered at ANZ Stadium to pray for our nation to turn back to Jesus. The vision was cast to see the stadium filled at some future date, as a stepping stone for unity and to unashamedly shine for Jesus in our city and nation. This gathering was the result of miraculous provision, doors opening and a dedicated team of water walkers. We believe it will be remembered as a turning point for the gospel in Australia because many lives received breakthrough through that event.
Prosper Nzisabira
African Crusade Director
Prosper Nzisabira is a native of Burundi, East Africa and an Executive Pastor of United Christian Church in Brisbane.
After finishing his first degree in Counselling, he felt lead to study the Masters of Leadership which, he is currently completing at Deakin University.
He’s been running crusades, youth gatherings, street evangelical team and bible teaching. Prosper is a husband, dad of two and lover of Jesus whose been called to reach out to all nations especially fellow Africans.
His desire is to see the world know Jesus for who he really is… the loving Son of God who desires to see prodigal sons and daughters come back home.
Neil Harvey
Campaign Director
Neil and his wife Pam have had many years of experience in street evangelism, having preached on the streets of Melbourne and Sydney. They assisted Jesus Loves Australia in the December 2018 ANZ Stadium event.
For many years, Neil and Pam have ministered across regional NSW. They have also served in a pastoral capacity working and ministering in Aboriginal communities across NSW. Their outreach included hosting events, food and clothing distribution. They have also assisted in the planting of several churches as well as planting and running several house churches.
Neil has effectively worked in the corporate business sector, becoming a state and regional manager and then owning his own IT company. He has also worked intensively in the community development and social welfare sector working as an advocate on behalf of communities to government and non-government agencies. Neil has also managed an Indigenous job network plus managed and worked for a Christian radio station.
Neil and Pam have a real heart for the presence and Glory of God and to see impacting revival come to the church and local communities. (Isaiah 61).
Boaz Gill
Pakistan Crusade Director
Boaz is married with 4 daughters and has been living in Australia for the last 14 years. He is on the pastoral team of Global Connexions Ministries Inc. Australia.
He is very actively involved in the multicultural outreach ministries in Sydney Australia. He’s got very passionate heart for his own nation Pakistan and believe in supporting, building and strengthening the existing church Leadership especially thousands of independent churches where with the little help, education, training and without much needed resources young pastors and evangelists are serving in their isolated communities in very difficult circumstances. Connecting these church leaders to one another with the desire to equipping, training and mobilising them to work for the unity of the body of Christ is Boaz’s dream.
He travels to Pakistan quite often to conduct teaching seminars, evangelistic crusades, bible schools’ lectures, preaching and for the developmental projects to support the long suffering, persecuted and poor Christian communities in the rural Pakistan.
He is a pastor, missionary, church planter, interpreter, translator, writer, computer graphic designer, draughtsman, communicator, mentor, counsellor and carries grace.
Melissa Ahlquist
Website Design & Management