At Burwood Presbyterian Church, our desire is to see the following values expressed in all our gatherings, and in the personal lives of all members:
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Gospel
The gospel is the good news that through Christ the power of God’s Kingdom has entered history to renew the whole world. When we believe and rely on Jesus’ record (rather than ours) for our relationship to God, that kingdom power comes on us and begins to work through us.
Prayer
Prayer is a vital part of the Christian life. There is no formula for prayer. Prayer is talking to God – thanking him, praising him, confessing our sins, asking him to supply our needs and the needs of others.
Privately and corporately, as families and as a church, our Heavenly Father invites us to bring our prayers and petitions to Him with thanksgiving. For this reason, we draw near to Him with full assurance of faith – knowing He hears our prayers and will answer according to our need.
Preaching
The public proclamation of God’s Word is an essential part of our church’s life and worship. This ministry may take many forms – including preaching, children’s talks, Bible reading, and Scripture in song. Such gifts may be used, in the proper circumstances, by both men and women for the building up of his church.
However, when preaching to a mixed audience during a worship service, we believe the Scriptures teach this should only be undertaken by suitably gifted and qualified men. This honours the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ over His people.
Sunday Gathering
The Sunday gathering is a special opportunity to meet with other Christians and to worship Jesus together. Thus, when we come together as His people we expect God Himself to be present with us and for even first-time visitors to have a sense of His awesome presence.
Multi-Generational
We believe it is important for our church to have a multi-generational cross section of people within the congregation. This enables older men and women to model the Christian life and to train and disciple the younger ones of the same gender, and also to maintain a vibrancy and balance that can only come about when people of all ages are given opportunity to exercise their gifts.
Rich Cultural Diversity
We believe that the cultural diversity of our community should be seen in the cultural diversity of our church. For this reason, we gladly celebrate the fact that we are a kind of ‘living mosaic’ created by God and united in Christ.
Every Member Ministry
We believe that the risen Lord Jesus Christ has sovereignly given spiritual gifts to every person in His church. He gives different gifts to different people, but always for the mutual benefit and blessing of all. For this reason, and to God’s glory, every member should seek to be actively involved in some form of ministry or Christian service so that the whole church may be built up, strengthened, and encouraged.
Community Engagement
We believe that the gospel has a deep, vital and healthy impact on the arts, business, government, media and academy of any society. Therefore we are highly committed to supporting Christian engagement with our culture, in the work place, school, university, and wherever we connect with our community.
In every community, there are those who struggle with poverty, loneliness, addiction, and disadvantage. We therefore undertake as a church to extend the mercy of Christ to all who need it, with God’s help and God’s wisdom, so far as we are able.
Mission Focus
We believe the Lord Jesus desires for people from every nation under heaven to become His disciples and therefore we are committed to reaching people for Christ no matter who they are or where they’re born.
Covenant Baptism
We believe that the Bible encourages us to view the children of at least one believing parent as members of the new covenant community and that therefore baptism is an appropriate sign and seal of God’s promises, to be received by all who are a part of the “household of faith”.
Male Eldership
We believe that in the church, as in marriage, the Lord requires men to be in positions of oversight. This is not to be done harshly but as “servant leaders” reflecting how the Lord Jesus Christ related to those whom He was in authority over.
However, leadership does not reside in the eldership of the church alone. As men and women, we serve together in prayer, in planning, in discipling and training, in pastoral care, and in outreach and evangelism; thus bringing our own unique insights to the decision-making processes of our church.
Contemporary Music
We believe that our praise to the Lord should be empowered by the Spirit and informed by the Word. The songs we sing are part of our Gospel proclamation and need to be consistent with Scripture. Practically speaking this means that we are free to adopt a wide range of musical styles and instrumentation.