The Church

We are a diverse community of Jesus-followers, part of the wider Church that lives to exalt him. 

a. Based on the historical record of Jesus

We are part of the church tradition which in recent centuries has been expressed as evangelical, emphasising the importance of the Bible as the reliable historical record of the life of Jesus and the authoritative guide for faith.

b. Living in the community of Jesus

We are developing a community which welcomes a diverse range of people of all ages to be one in Christ. Everyone brings a significant contribution to the life of the community - the body of Christ.

c. Partnering in the love of Jesus

We are pursuing partnership with other Christ-honouring churches, and to deepen our partnership within the Churches of Christ in NSW.

In Our Generation

We see our church being creatively relevant to our generation and culture in presenting the gospel of Jesus.

a. Connecting with our culture

We are seeking to express our faith Australian-style, embracing informality, celebrating equality and individual contribution, and looking for ways to have fun in everything we do.

b. Keeping things current

We are pursuing relevant ongoing change in the activities of our church to effectively communicate the gospel and express our faith in a rapidly changing world. We also plan to keep up with technology, teaching resources, worship styles and décor to engage effectively with all generations.

Transforming Lives

We see our church providing pathways for the ongoing transformation of our lives in the character and effectiveness of Christ, empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit. 

a. Transformation through the gospel

Recognising that Jesus is our teacher as well as our saviour, we seek to emphasise biblical teaching with a strong challenge to personal response, recognising the important role of God’s truth in bringing people to new life in Christ and continuing to transform the lives of believers.

b. Transformation through connection with God

Recognising the need for God’s power to change our lives through prayer and worship, we are looking to emphasise genuine, life-based worship and prayer in both corporate and personal settings. For specific individual needs we are also pursuing the development of ministries for personal prayer and healing.

c. Transformation through connection with others

As a Jesus-community we encourage people to be in the supportive and encouraging context of small groups and other connections in which much of the gospel truth can be applied to our lives.

We welcome the operation of the Holy Spirit in both large and small group meetings, expecting all of the spiritual gifts to be available within the church, and used in a way that promotes understanding, growth and unity.

d. Transformation through a God-directed life

We also recognise the role of obedient action in bringing life transformation. So we expect Jesus-followers to move with the Holy Spirit in pursuing personal holiness and a servant-lifestyle, using their spiritual gifts, promoting compassion and justice in their world, demonstrating the character of Christ, and witnessing for Jesus to those around them.   

Impacting Our World

We see ourselves as increasingly reaching out to a world that needs Jesus, extending God’s kingdom in our areas of influence.

a. Culture of mission

We are developing a culture that values making new disciples of Jesus by expressing the gospel: in our personal and family lives; in opportunities developed from our church; and in cross-cultural mission in our region and overseas.

b. Lifestyle of mission

We are passionate to express the gospel in a life-based way, with a convergence of three processes:

1. Demonstration – intentionally expressing God’s love to our “neighbours” in many localities through serving in practical ways, and through seeking to develop relationships. This is done genuinely to express God’s heart, and not to manipulate or to expect a particular response.
2. Proclamation – we recognise that demonstration must be accompanied by prayerfully seeking opportunities to explain gospel truth and lead people to faith in Jesus.
3. Discipleship – Because Jesus commands us to make disciples, not just converts, we welcome people to a continually developing relationship with God and other believers.

c. New communities of mission

We aim to grow numerically as a church while creating new Jesus-communities of various kinds. We will seek to do this primarily through making new disciples even if we should also attract Christians from elsewhere.