Statement of Purpose
Christian Life Fellowship exists to proclaim the salvation to all people and to make Jesus Christ known to everyone.
Our mission statement is: Jesus … to seek Him and serve Him, that others may know Him!
The Great Commandment: “Jesus said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself…’”
Matthew 22:36-40
The Great Commission: “Jesus said, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’”
Matthew 28:19-20
Family Church in Hillside Area VIC
We are committed to a life inspired by the Holy Spirit in order to live in the will of God and project the love of Christ to all.
Our goal is to herald the Kingdom of God by bringing the good news of hope and salvation into the lives of people.
Our purpose is thus achieved through:
Fellowship
This responds to God’s unconditional love by being a caring fellowship, open to all, and sensitive to one another by caring for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of each other;
Worship
It celebrates and experiences His awesome presence in our lives that God has given us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Worship with the guidance of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of our lives including actions such as: singing, prayer, giving and the sharing of communion.
Prayer
This is a means of having a close communion with God in words or thought involving praise, thanksgiving, confession, petition and intercession.
Discipleship
This is through committed study, worship and service strive toward personal growth, spiritual maturity and obedience to Christ in all areas of life;
Evangelism
It proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ through worship, study and personal witness, actively seek to share the good news personally within our sphere of influence and share in the task of communicating Him to the world around us, so that all people may come to accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord;
Service
This faithfully uses the gifts God has given us to meet the needs of others by being a servant people, involved in our community and world, as reconciling agents, alleviating suffering and exposing injustice.
Statement of Faith
We believe in the scriptures of the Old and New Testament in their original writings as fully inspired by God and accept them as the supreme and final authority for faith and life.
We believe in one God eternally existing as Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true Man.
We believe in the deity, personality, ministry and abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer.
We believe that humankind, male and female, was created in the image of God, with consequent dignity, delegated authority, and creation stewardship.
We believe that, as a result of the fall, all people are lost and sinful, and in need of salvation.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, a substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified and cleansed from sin.
Salvation is available to all, through the redemptive act of the Lord Jesus Christ, and is received through repentance, baptism and faith, apart from human effort.
We believe that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God.
The Holy Spirit indwells, empowers, equips, comforts, and corrects each believer, who is thereby obligated and enabled to live a holy life, and to witness through fellowship, worship, prayer, evangelism, discipline and service.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, His ascension into heaven, and His intercession on our behalf as High Priest.
We believe in the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ, when the Kingdom of God will be consummated.
We believe in the resurrection both of the just and the unjust, and the eternal blessedness of the redeemed and eternal banishment of those who reject the offer of salvation.
We believe that the one true church is the whole company of those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ and regenerated by the Holy Spirit. The local church on earth should take its character from that one true Church.
We believe that the new birth, including repentance, baptism and confession of Christ, is the prerequisite for church membership.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the supreme and only spiritual head of the Church Universal. As such, he appointed two sacraments – baptism and the Lord’s Supper to be observed as acts of obedience and perpetual witness of the Christian faith.
We believe that baptism is the immersion of the believer in water as a confession of identification with Christ in burial and resurrection. Baptism is done in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
The Lord’s Supper is the partaking of bread and wine as symbols of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ.
We believe that salvation is not limited to the needs of individuals, but has implications for all of life. Therefore, Christian ministry and mission should address the needs of: individuals, families, local communities, society as a whole and the entire created world.
The Beginning
Christian Life Fellowship is a fellowship of believers who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and strive to live out their faith as detailed in the Statement of Faith and Statement of Purpose.
Christian Life Fellowship is affiliated with Apostolic Christian Church – Nazarene across USA, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Africa and Papua New Guinea. This denomination originated in the Anabaptist movement of the 18th century in western Europe and spread to other continents through migration of its members over the last two centuries.
In Australia, it was first established in early 1960s by migrants from southern and central Europe. Fellowships were started in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Initially they were all ethnically based.
In 1981 an English speaking congregation was opened in Sunshine, Victoria. This congregation retained the same roots, however in order to manage its legal obligations, the congregation was incorporated in 2002 and adopted a new name – Christian Life Fellowship.
Its Statement of Faith is based on the Nicean Creed and the traditions of Protestant Christian Faith. This is also reflected in the Statement of Purpose developed by the fellowship to express the practices within this body of believers.