We would understand ourselves to be an Evangelical, Charismatic, Baptist Church.

These terms may not mean much to those unfamiliar with theological or church distinctives, but they may be useful to help some people understand who we are and what is important to us as a community of faith. It's not totally unlike someone describing themselves as a Victorian, with Italian ancestry who supports the Geelong F.C. - it gives an idea of the unique personality, background and beliefs of an individual. Here are some brief statements to add some meaning to these terms:

Evangelical: There are some central themes that underpin this word: A high value on the Bible as the ultimate source of Truth and foundation of wisdom, a belief in both the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ and a desire to see as many people as possible experience fullness of life through a genuine encounter with a living and loving God.

Charismatic: A particular expression of Christianity that values and encourages the role that the Holy Spirit plays in the everyday life of a believer. Basically, we believe that the way God was experienced and witnessed by 1st Century believers is the way He desires to express Himself in the 21st Century. See the book of Acts for details…

 Baptist: This refers to our identification and participation in the wider Baptist movement. The central Baptist distinction is the encouragement and practice of the "Believers Baptism". This is a powerful act of identifying oneself as a believer in Christ, by full immersion (under water) symbolising death and then re-birth into new life. It is a choice made by the believer as an outworking of their faith in Jesus.

While we are clear and unashamed regarding these core distinctives, we take seriously our commitment to the wider Christian church, which has a diversity of beliefs and practices. We also recognize that we are all part of a wider humanity and we strongly desire to do what we can for the blessing and benefit of all mankind. Rather than seeking to first focus any distinctions that separate us from our community, as a matter of principle we choose first to value and affirm the things that unite us as believers, citizens and creations of God.