What we see our church as "being" - its essence and character.

“Our vision is to be an Australian, caring, growing, contemporary, New Testament Church.”

This can be further defined and expanded for the sake of clarity and understanding as:

Australian:

Australia is a multicultural society with a strong European heritage.  This is most clearly evident in and perpetuated by our British-based parliamentary/political, judicial/legal, and educational systems.  However, since the Second World War the development of the mass media has meant that ‘information migration’ has overtaken the influence of ‘people migration’.  Increasingly, TV programs, films, books and magazines from America have competed with our European heritage.  Modern generations of Australians have by-and-large rejected the traditional religious rites of European mainstream denominations as ‘part of the past’ and are increasingly abandoning church attendance in those denominations.  At the same time, the moral failures of leading American church figures and the ‘hard sell’ fund-raising approach of many American TV evangelists, both so well publicized in the media, have led to what can best be described as a healthy skepticism of the American church.  If the history of mission has taught us anything, then it is the necessity of contextualizing “church” and the gospel message before they will receive acceptance within the target community.  Therefore, any church which desires to effectively reach the lost in Australia has to be identified as authentically Australian.

 
But what does an “Australian church” look like?  This, in fact, is easier to feel than to describe.  However, certain things can be said.  Architecture will be non-European (so no Cathedrals).  No obscure religious jargon will be used in the liturgy and the preaching.  Services will generally be shorter and more relaxed, informal and participative than the more traditional liturgical European services and the more “spectator-concert” type services we see in high-profile American churches.  The leadership style will embrace egalitarianism, which is such a strong element of our culture; yet biblical truth must be maintained and biblical authority will need to be exercised.  It will be a redeemed Australian church, not a church merely governed by the spirit of the age or of the culture.

Caring:

As a church, it is our vision to become a healthy biblical community (or family), where both Christians and non-Christians feel welcome, loved, cared for and nurtured – regardless of age, gender, race and status in life.  We envision becoming a church where our people feel a sense of belonging, receive pastoral care and use their God-given gifts and passion to serve Christ and others in ministry both within and outside our church – enjoying community life in a manner which is totally consistent with the life of the early church as described in the Book of Acts.  Our corporate gatherings, both large and small, will be opportunities for us to minister to and help one another, and to experience healing and growth within our lives and relationships – with Christ, within our families and marriages, and within our church family.  Our vision is to create a safe place where we accept one another and are accepted, love and are loved, shepherd and are shepherded, encourage and are encouraged, forgive and are forgiven, serve and are served.  Our vision of being a caring church is why we have such an emphasis on small group attendance, and identifying and meeting the real needs within our church and community (wherever possible).

Growing:

Churches can choose one of four kinds of existence: growing, stagnation, decline, or death.  This is the easiest choice for us to make, but it’s the one most dependent on God’s ever-present grace.  Paul says that it is God who causes growth in the church (1 Cor.3:6).

God want (and expects) His Church to grow.  Growth is good and is the natural consequence of any healthy living organism (and it's been pointed out many times that "the Church" is not an organisation, but a living organism, with Christ as its Head).  For the leadership of our church it means facing the challenge of trying to understand how to respond to growth-impeding factors.  For instance, how can grow and still maintain our wonderful sense of community.  This is answered through our vision, which is not to grow into some kind of "mega-church".  We have a vision to extend God's church through evangelism and church planting.  Compassion for the lost means that we must continue to engage with and meet the real needs of our local community within the limits of the resources God has given us.  Our vision is to grow primarily through the salvation of the lost, not by collecting Christians who drift from one church to another.  Our vision for making an impact for the Kingdom (whether locally or through mission overseas) is through effective engagement with the lost, discipling them in Christ, and planting churches where needed.

Contemporary:

For us, this term sets boundaries on issues such as the use of language, the style of music, and the way church leaders are dressed during church services.  In our Australian context, many churches continue to adhere to traditional language (such as “thee” and “thou”), traditional music (uninspiring old hymns) and traditional attire (including clerical collar, crosses, cassock and surplice).  Within our society these symbols of the past continue to be helpful only within the aging or conservative elements of the population.  With baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) and those born since, these symbols are often a barrier to communication, not a help.

The tendency in churches is to hang on to what has worked in the past long after it has lost its effectiveness.  Our commitment to remain a contemporary church embraces the desire to be progressive, relevant and appealing in our modern world and to remove all unnecessary hindrances to communication (since it is the gospel message of the first century church that we are committed to obeying and sharing – and not the language or cultural traditions and habits of that church in that time, or from any other era in the past).

Being defined as a contemporary Baptist church also liberates us from the expectations attached to being defined as something else (e.g. ultra-conservative fundamentalist or charismatic/Pentecostal).  While we welcome charismatics/Pentecostals and have some in our church, we are not a Pentecostal church.  While we welcome conservatives and have some in our church, we are not a Conservative church.  In fact, we do not accept any "tag" other than that we are (or at least strive to be) a genuine New Testament church (see below).  So, while we seek to remain relevant and adaptable to our circumstances in this ever-changing world, in terms of our convictions and practices, we are a Christ-led, Spirit-empowered, biblically-based contemporary New Testament church.

New Testament:

Although we are a contemporary church, we also strive to be faithful to the Scriptures in terms of our theology (what we believe) and ecclesiology (how we operate and are led).  We believe that the best and most Christ-honouring example of "church" is found in the New Testament - and that is the model we follow in spirit and principle in these modern times (rather than "by the letter" or exact duplication - as the Early Church obviously existed in a vastly different culture and time).  One quality of "church" that is often lost today with the rise of so many denominations is our acceptance and celebration of our diversity.   In New Testament times, there was only One Church and it spontaneously formed in a town or area as Christians and "seekers" gathered together from within a community and committing themselves to journeying together as a spiritual community (local church).  There was no extensive travelling or "shopping around" to try and find the most appealing or suitable church where the people think and act just like me.  Part of the wonder and attractiveness of these newly formed faith communities was the unity, love and commitment that these ordinary people of great diversity had for one another.  It was their single greatest witness!

In our church, we have (and celebrate) great diversity.  We are a church where "whosoever may come" will be welcomed to journey with us and be a part of us.

Although we are affiliated with Queensland Baptist denominationally (as our pastor is an Ordained Baptist Minister and our church was planted through 'Mission To Queensland'), we have a genuine "Kingdom" perspective and seek, above all else, to introduce people to Jesus Christ and to extend His Kingdom (whether they join our particular church or not).