What “sort” of church are you?
Our image statement
We are a sanctuary - a place of safety, healing, refuge, and a hub - a place for training, sending, and regrouping. We find it hard to define ourselves using the normal words people use to dice and slice Christians into different tribes. The things we say about ourselves are:
A Trintarian church.
We have a strong sense of the holiness and Fatherhood of God,
Complete confidence in the revelation of God in Jesus and the work of the cross,
And a growing experience of the presence of the Holy Spirit who brings Christ to us in our community life.
A suburban church
that doesn't want to become huge. Our goal is to establish more, smaller churches where people can feel at home in a community where people know your name and your story. We recently helped set up a new church in the Northside of Brisbane, and are currently working on one in Wynnum.
An ecumenical church
We are far more worried about the rightness of our relationships and attitudes than being fussy about obscure points of doctrine. We pride ourselves that people who express quite different spiritualities find home and love with one another.
An inclusive church
We also want to make sure that our "all welcome" sign means something. Lots of people don't like mainstream worship. We work with several ministries beyond our church to ensure there are options for anyone who doesn't feel like they "fit in" to a mainstream church.
Our online presence provides connection and church for people who can't make it to Allenby Rd.
A pragmatic church
We help people become disciples of Jesus. There are all sorts of opportunities for your own growth - and support as you become a disciple that helps others become disciples.
The "Journey" mentor program is more secular program we work closely with to help people who need a hand to achieve some life goals and/or spiritual formation. Would you make a great mentor?
Our DNA
- It's all about Jesus. We want to be as much like him as we can be. It is remarkable how he is with us. There are some amazing stories about how he has made his presence felt. You'll have to come along to find out the details. Many of the stories are too personal to put up here!
- People have to be welcome - as they are. Regardless of gender, religion, political persuasion, lifestyle or anything else. Our job isn't to convince people about our "positions". Actually - we don't have any - except that we are pro-Jesus. If we can introduce people to the Jesus way - they can sort the rest out for themselves. (Grown ups - right?)
- We enjoy the Bible - not the simplistic, slogan ridden stuff that polarises people - but the ancient ways that have been sustaining people for thousands of years - and inspiring all sorts of great social change, creativity and love. People read the Bible, and come to different conclusions about all sorts of things. That's great - so long as we respect each others intelligence and love each other anyway.
- We have enemies! Anxiety and depression are the two biggest enemies we want to fight. A big factor in both is that we feel so alone. We reckon that healthy connections between people, a place where we can tell our truth without being judged, and a place that holds out hope that God just might get involved is just the thing to start changing things.
- Destiny matters! We believe there is a reason for each one of us to be here. Let's help each other understand the power and destiny we have and encourage each other to get hold of it. We want abundance - the full flow of personal power, spirituality, creativity and connectedness.
Where we came from
We are proud members of the Churches of Christ in Queensland. That puts us among the churches birthed in the "Restoration Movement". This was/is a unity movement designed to minimize the differences and divergences between people who should live humbly as brothers and sisters in Christ.
At its inception, the movement realized that the distinctive teachings in each Christian tribe had become points of division between Christians - hence the rallying cry “No creed but Christ”. That means there is no “Statement of Faith” for the Churches of Christ.
However - some broad principles guide the movement:
- Christianity should not be divided, Christ intended the creation of one church.
- Creeds divide, but Christians should be able to find agreement, or at least understanding of one another, by seriously engaging with the Bible.
- Church traditions can divide people, but Christians should be able to find common ground by following the practice of the New Testament Church as best as it can be interpreted and applied to our world.
A number of slogans have been used in the Restoration Movement, which are intended to express some of it’s distinctive themes.
- "Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent."
- "The church of Jesus Christ on earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one."
- "We are Christians only, but not the only Christians."
- "In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things love."
- "No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible, no law but love, no name but the divine."
- A "commitment to the priesthood of all believers".
As you probably guessed - the world has moved on since the 1800's when this movement started. Much of what we had hoped to "restore" is now common place in most churches. Our mission is to be a great example of a church that takes its deepest roots in the New Testament seriously, and stands on the shoulders of the giants who have gone before us.
"Sanctuary"