Hi there

We’re Derek and Donna Batty and welcome to our site.

We were both born in New South Wales (NSW) Australia in the 1960’s and married in 2008. As of writing, we are Dad and step mum to three beautiful adult children, a beautiful daughter-in-law and two precious grandsons.

Up until around 2002-2004, both of us had spent most of our church life following a traditional/institutional form. What we mean by traditional, is a Sunday church service held in a building called the church and run by a paid minister/pastor, with sermons, worship teams, all kinds of needs specific groups like youth groups, cell groups, over 30’s groups, singles groups, women’s and men’s groups, kid’s church. Not to mention local community outreach, bible study, prayer groups, rosters and so on. Both of us had been involved in leadership in many of these areas in various denominations over the years. However, the Lord has radically changed our lives and direction by leading us out of these traditional forms described above, into knowing Him as the sole Head of His glorious church where there are no denominations. And we have discovered that this looks completely different to what we’d ever experienced before.

It is very important to note that we know He has not called us out of traditional church life to live separate, individual lives consisting of just us and Jesus. No way. He has called us to know Him in and among His people (who are the church) in a way we could never have known Him before now, and that is in an authentic organic community where all body members function equally under Christ’s headship. Just like in the first century. Yes folks, it is possible.

In fact, we have discovered that He hasn’t called us to this for our sake, but for His! We discovered that God has a desire, wants and a need, and all that is wrapped up in His Son Jesus Christ, what the apostle Paul calls God’s Eternal Purpose (Ephesians 3:10-11).

We were so desperate to discover Christ in this way, for God to get what He’s after, we even packed up and moved 5,000 kms away to the other side of the country to be part of an authentic community that functioned this way. After three life changing years, the Lord sent us 5,000 kms back to the east Coast again to see the same expression raised up by Him in another location.

We are calling this site The Ancient Pathways for a few reasons. Firstly, because that’s what God called them in the book of Jeremiah. And secondly, because it is not a new way at all. Perhaps it is more of a difficult and unpopular way because it walks outside of the traditional forms of accepted Christian practice. However, history bears witness to the fact that many have walked this way before us, even since the first century. These ones are not mentioned in the annals of the mainline church. Many are walking this journey today and many will walk it long after we are gone.

We hope you will join us.

Derek & Donna

Heb 13:13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp…