Who Are We

To grow in the kingdom of God.
(Matthew 22:1-10)

To Fulfil God's call over us as His people.
(Ephesians 2:10)

To grow in Christ-likeness
(Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 15:49; 2 Corinthians 3:18)

People matter to God
(Luke 5:30-32; 19:10; 2 Peter 3:9)

The church is to be relevant to the world
(Matthew 5:13-16; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

Ministering according to giftedness
(Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12 & 14; Ephesians 4)

Advancing the Kingdom of God
(Matthew 6:10)

We aim to grow the Kingdom of God in three ways, using strategies of Win, Build and Send.

Win
We grow by taking the message of Jesus to people and welcoming them into our church community. We call that winning people to a living faith in Jesus. Christ
(Matthew 28:19-20)

We will do this by:
sharing our faith with those we do life with
building bridges within the community
inviting friends & family to church
providing special seeker services

Build
We grow as we mature in our understanding and faith in the Lord Jesus through our interaction with each other and God's Word. We call that building a community of believers for Christ.
(Ephesians 4:12-13)

We will do this by:
regular church attendance
joining/contributing to a Small Group home ministry
discovering & using our spiritual gifts
stewarding our time and resources

Send
We grow as we mentor and encourage each other to serve the Lord Jesus Christ using the gifts He has given us to bring the message of Jesus to the world. We call this sending well-equipped disciples of Christ to serve him with the gospel.
(Luke 10:27)

We do this by:
encouraging each other
equipping people for ministry
maintaining an outward focus on all our ministries

God
God is the Creator and Ruler of the Universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
(Genesis 1:26, 27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2)

Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin by dying on the cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
(Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 1:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 4:14-15)

Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth and guidance in doing what is right. He gives spiritual gifts to all believers for works of service. As Christians we seek to live under His control daily.
(John 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; 14:16-17; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 1:13)

Bible
The Bible is God's Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian believes and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error.
(Psalm 12:6; 119:105; Proverbs 30:5; 2 Timothy 1:13; 3:16; 2 peter 1:20-21)

Human Beings
People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God's creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called 'sin'. This attitude separates people from God, brings all mankind under His judgement and causes many problems in life.
(Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; 59:1-2; Romans 3:23)

Salvation
Salvation is God's free gift to us but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's way of salvation can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. We experience salvation when we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.
(John 1:12; 14:6; Romans 5:1; 6:26; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:26)

Eternal Security
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot 'lose' it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.
(John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10; 14:1; 1 Peter 1:3-5)

Eternity
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in unison with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
(Matthew 1:18; 2:44,46; John 2:25; 3:16; 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelations 20:15)

Doctrine means 'to teach'. Biblical teaching is a major component of church life within Reformed Churches, as we believe this is paramount to lives changing to conform to the will of God. Doctrines help us do this, as they communicate succinctly the truth of the Bible in specific areas. As one commentator has said: "Doctrines are organized statements of the teaching of Scripture for the use of the Church." (H. Berkhof in Encyclopaedia of the Reformed Faith, (D.K. McKem ed) Westminster/John Knox, Kentucky, 1992, p.106).

Copies of our doctrines are available upon request.

Reformed Churches are also Confessional Churches. Confessions are not intended to be innovations, but rather faithful expositions of Scripture. The Christian Reformed Churches of Australia subscribe to the:

Apostle's Creed (pdf file)
Nicene Creed (pdf file)
Athanasian Creed (pdf file)

Belgic Confession
Heidelberg Catechism
Canons of Dort
Westminster Confession

(cf. RCA Book of Forms, Reformed Churches Publishing House, 1991, pp. 11-17)

Copies of our creeds and confessions are available upon request.

Sacraments are symbols used by God to connect with us in a unique way to reassure us of His forgiveness and love. These symbols/sacraments are known as 'signs' and 'seals'.

Signs in that they are physical symbols of a spiritual reality, and Seals in that they guarantee that what is symbolized is real. Sacraments inspire us to remember what Jesus has done for us on the cross, and reminded us that Jesus promised to always be present with us.

Christ instituted two sacraments, (1) Baptism and (2) the Lord's Supper.

Scripture clearly teaches that the sacraments are only for those who can receive them in true faith (i.e.: believers).

Baptism
In Baptism the sign is water - which points to the blood of Christ. The seal is the guarantee that as surely as water washes away dirt, so surely Christ's blood cleanses us from all our sins. We believe that all those who believe in Jesus, and their children, ought to be baptised because they have entered into God's covenant of Grace.
(Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:39; 1 Peter 2:9)

Lord's Supper
In the Lord's Supper the sign of bread and wine point to the body and blood of Christ. The seal in the Lord's Supper is the guarantee that as we share in the bread and wine we are reminded that his sacrifice paid the price for us to be in renewed relationship with our Creator God.
(Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 26:26-29; John 10:11, 26-30; 1 Corinthians 11:24-26)

To be able to take part in the sacraments, we need to examine ourselves to see if:
We do deplore our sin
That we trust in Jesus alone for our salvation
Are willing to live life committed to God out of thankfulness and love for what He has done through Jesus Christ

Following World War II, migration of young, energetic people seeking a new life hit an all-time high. European migrants headed for America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. NCC is a direct result of migrants coming from the Netherlands to Queensland.

Upon arrival in a strange land with a different climate and language, the migrants maintained close contact with each other for both social and spiritual needs. As a result, many from Christian Reformed Church backgrounds in Europe met to worship their faithful God in a new country.

NCC is the result of one such group. Several families moved to the Gold Coast and began worshiping together in the 1980's. After using various facilities, land was purchased and a building erected in 2001. God has blessed our church over the years, and it is our prayer that He will continue to bless His people as we strive to serve Him in our community.

The origin of the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia (CRCA) stems directly from the Protestant Reformation, which was a religious revolution and renewal from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries. All Protestant denominations stem from this Reformation. Beginning with the Lollards and such men as John Huss and John Wycliffe, the Reformation is most clearly identified with the revolt of Martin Luther (a Roman Catholic Priest) in Germany. It was further brought about by John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland and John Knox in Scotland.

The Reformation centred on questioning the authority of the then Roman Catholic Church with its emphasis on tradition and dictatorial teaching. A culmination of abuses and scandals within the church, Renaissance learning, fall of Constantinople and collapse of the Feudal system, found that the world was ripe for a religious reformation that would touch all corners of God's earth.

This Reformation was a call back to the Bible, with emphasis on:

1. God's Word alone is the final authority by which humankind is to live...
2. We are saved by Grace, through faith in Jesus Christ alone - not by works or deeds...
3. All Believers have direct access to God through Christ with no need for any other intermediary...