What we Believe
Our congregation affirms the Churches of Christ, Vic/Tas Statement of Purpose as stated below. We believe that being a “follower of Jesus Christ” in Christian community is the primary biblical imperative, over against simply making a “one-off decision” to accept Jesus. Following Jesus is a daily, life-long discipline, which involves discipleship (mentoring), ongoing personal transformation, ministering to those in need of God’s love and mercy, and Christian witness.
Churches of Christ, Vic/Tas Statement of Purpose
What is our COMMON MISSION?
To be a movement of the people of God gathering around the central figure of Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, living out his Way in our local contexts and inviting others to do the same.
What are our SHARED VALUES?
The Gospel: We passionately value the good news about God as revealed to us in Jesus Christ, and are committed to the mission of communicating it and sharing it with others, making disciples who can make more disciples, and so extend the Kingdom of God.
The Scriptures: We value and affirm the centrality of the scriptures as our authority for Christian belief, identity and practice.
Diversity: We value and recognise the diversity of Christian understanding, belief and experience. Therefore, we value the freedom, flexibility and creativity of a variety of ministry practice and expression, and are committed to the nurture of a diversity of healthy and growing mission-shaped churches that, by crossing frontiers and impacting cultures, are a sign, witness and foretaste of all that God has for the world through Jesus Christ.
Formation: We value various spiritual practices and disciplines described in the New Testament as aspects of our formation as disciples of Jesus, and our constant renewal by God and the Holy Spirit. Therefore we passionately encourage active personal formation through practices and disciplines that include (but are not limited to) baptism, the breaking of bread, fellowship, prayer, worship, meditation, stewardship, spiritual gift discovery etc.
Collaborative Ministry: We value the unique contribution to ministry of each individual believer, and are committed to equipping believers (through, for example, the five-fold ministry pattern of Ephesians 4:11-16), and releasing them to participate in ministry and mission on the basis of their giftedness and capacity.
Servanthood: We value the biblical principles of servanthood and therefore seek to be a servant church committed to responding to human need with love and compassion and to identify and release servant leaders.
Justice: We value the dignity, equality and inherent worth of all persons regardless of gender, race, economic standing or belief system. Therefore, in announcing the Kingdom and expectant of its arrival, we will work for social justice, equal opportunity for all persons, and the responsible care and management of the environment.
Collaboration and Unity: We value the close fellowship, community and collaboration of all those who accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Therefore, we passionately seek to promote unity in the wider church and are committed to the ultimate ideal of visible unity.
