Vision & Beliefs
Our Vision
We aspire to be a NETWORK of diverse communities of disciples living for Jesus and loving like Jesus.
Our Mission
We exist to make mature disciples who will innovatively take the Gospel to our neighbourhood, our networks and the nations
Our Theological Culture
Evangelical
We believe in the supremacy of Christ, the seriousness of sin, penal substitution, justification by grace, God’s sovereignty, regeneration by the Holy Spirit, coming judgment, ongoing sanctification, the priority of evangelism, the authority of Scripture, the centrality of Bible teaching, and the importance of the local church.
- Biblicism: A devotion to the Bible as God’s word;
- Crucicentrism: The centrality of the cross of Christ in evangelical teaching and preaching;
- Activism: Cooperating in the mission of God through evangelism and charitable works;
- Conversionism: The conviction that each person must turn from their sin, believe in the saving work of Christ, and commit themselves to a life of discipleship and service.
Reformed
Charismatic
We believe in the ongoing operation of all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament (in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4). We hold a continuationist view and believe that the gifts are to be used for the edification of the church.
We emphasise:
- being filled with the Spirit
- expecting God to speak through Scripture (as ultimate authority)
- expecting God to speak through other means such as prophecy
- experiencing the transformative work of the Holy Spirit
Anglican
Our Distinctives
Expectant Prayer
We are committed to praying without ceasing, humbly presenting all our thanksgiving, petitions, confessions, concerns and every pastoral situation and ministry to our heavenly Father, believing He really can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
We believe in the power of prayer to radically transform lives and grow God’s kingdom.
We seek to cultivate a radical hunger for God by contending in prayer for revival, with an expectancy to experience and witness the Spirit’s transformative presence and power at work in God’s church and in our local communities.
We believe that unless the Lord builds the house, the workers labour in vain.
Joyful Gatherings
We are committed to Spirit-filled gatherings, soaked in prayer, shaped by God’s word, with excellent preaching and worship, which engages both head and heart, with opportunities to teach, admonish and encourage one another, both formally and informally.
At The Bridge Church we gather to:
- Encounter God
- Encourage one another (Heb 10:25)
- Edify the saints in orderly, intelligible manner (Eph 4:12-13; Cor 14)
- Equip the saints for works of service (Eph 4:11-13; 1 Cor 12-14)
- Empower the saints for gospel proclamation (1 Peter 3:15-16) & for holy living (Heb 10:23)
- Evangelise any unbeliever in our midst as they declare ‘God is really among you’ (1 Cor 14:25)
Real Relationships
We are committed to being a church family that really does life together, with relationships marked by openness, authenticity, closeness, accountability, submission, humility, selflessness, genuine care and love (living out all the Biblical ‘one another’ verses).
We value the posture of authenticity where church is a safe place to be vulnerable, real and truthful. Christ sees us in all our brokenness and beauty, so we are set free from all facades.
Engaging Evangelism
We are committed to reaching the lost with the gospel of Jesus, in Kirribilli, Neutral Bay, Macquarie Park, Rozelle and beyond, through personal evangelism and community engagement. We are committed to equipping every member to share their personal testimony and be bold in personal evangelism.
We have a genuine concern for the marginalized and the needy in our neighbourhood, being committed to merciful justice and seeking to love them through deed and declaration.
Deep Discipleship & Training
We are committed to equipping every member of the Bridge Church to grow actively in their discipleship to Jesus:-
Individually growing from abiding in a deep relationship with God;
Communally growing relationally within a Discipleship Community &
Deliberately growing deliberately at their stage and season.
We abide in Jesus by saturating our lives in Scripture and prayer and all other spiritual practices.
We aim to make every disciple a disciple-maker by equipping and empowering disciples to follow one another as they follow Christ.
We are committed to raise up the next generation of leaders for God’s church.
Radical God-centred Generosity
We are committed to developing a culture of people using their time, talents and money to serve eagerly and sacrificially – enabling the saints to discern their gifts, equipping the saints to improve their gifts and empowering the saints to use their gifts, striving for excellence for God’s glory.
We value the attitude of humility in all God’s people, asking God’s Spirit to rid us of arrogance and pride, as we seek to serve others sacrificially.
Our faith in Jesus overflows in generous acts of service, so we are known in our community as a church that is eager to do good.
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Statement of Faith
From the time of the Apostles, Christians have laid out doctrine in brief, definitive statements. As an Anglican church, we affirm the truths as laid out in the Nicene and Apostles Creeds. We also affirm the truths expressed in the ’39 Articles’ of the Anglican Church.
The following statement of faith seeks to set forth in a concise fashion the cornerstone truths of our church, as guided by Scripture – enabling us to show our unity in Christ and guarding the church from error.
What We believe
About God
We believe that there is one unique, living and true God, the Maker and Supreme ruler of heaven and earth. He eternally exists in a loving relationship of Father, Son and Spirit – one God in three persons. God is immortal, eternal and sovereign in all things; creation, revelation, election, redemption, preservation, judgment and establishing his kingdom. God is inexpressibly glorious and unchangeable in his holiness, justice, wisdom and love. God is worthy of all glory, honour and praise. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
About The Bible
We believe all Scripture is God-breathed. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament is the divinely inspired and infallible Word of God. It is the supreme and final authority for all matters of faith, conduct, experience and opinions. The Scriptures are sufficient both for knowing God and for equipping us with everything we need for life and godliness. (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
About Humanity
We believe that all men and women are created in the image of God, with inherent and equal dignity, value and worth. Human beings enjoy a unique dignity in creation, a dominion over the created order and a unique relationship with God. We believe God made us male and female and gave us the gifts of marriage (between one man and one woman) and singleness, both of which point to the gospel in different and valuable ways. We believe marriage is the proper place for the expression of the natural instincts and affections with which God has endowed us and the basis of the family. Since the Fall, human nature is universally corrupted, sinful, positively inclined to evil and totally depraved. We are all guilty before a holy God, we are all under the wrath and just condemnation of God, we are all unable to turn to God ourselves. We are lost and without hope apart from salvation in Christ. We all need to be born again, justified, forgiven and reconciled to God in Christ. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; Ephesians 2:1-3)
About Jesus Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, fully God and truly human. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. In taking on human flesh, he entered fully into human experience, endured temptation, lived a sinless life in perfect obedience to his Father. He taught with authority and all his words are true. Yet he suffered at the hands of men and was crucified. We believe the Lord Jesus accomplished redemption for the church through his death on the cross – as a representative, substitutionary sacrifice for sinners. We believe he was buried but on the third day God bodily raised him from the dead, defeating the power of death and sin and Satan. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, as intercessor, advocate and ruler over all. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. (John 1:1-2, 14; Rom 3:24; 1 Pet 1:3-5; Acts 1:9-10; 1 Jn 2:1-2, 1 Pet 4:5; 2 Tim 4:1)
About Salvation
We believe that salvation is a free gift that comes only by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation cannot be earned or deserved by human merit or good works. There is only one name under heaven by which we can be brought into relationship with God, the name ‘Jesus Christ’. Through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, our representative and substitute, the guilt, penalty and power of sin can be removed. In his death, God demonstrates his own love for us most perfectly and establishes his victory over Satan. God foreknew, predestined and choses those who are to be saved. The Holy Spirit enables the sinner to be regenerate or born again – that is to repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ – guaranteeing us forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life. In Christ, God mercifully imputes to believers the righteousness of his Son, so that they are declared righteous in his sight and pardoned of all sin. In Christ they are adopted into the family of God, progressively sanctified by the Holy Spirit for holiness and are preserved for the coming Kingdom and New Creation. The proper evidence of regeneration is voluntary obedience to the gospel, the holy fruits of repentance and faith, and newness of life. As saved sinners, we now enjoy the blessing of union with Christ and assurance of right relationship with God, yet we await the final consummation of our hope with the return of Christ, the resurrection of our bodies and life with him eternally. (Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Romans 8:1, 38-39; Titus 2:11-15)
About the Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit indwells all true believers and seals them for the day of redemption. He is co-equal with the Father and the Son, yet His role is to bring glory to Jesus Christ, convicting the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. The Holy Spirit regenerates sinners so that they are born again, that is given a new heart which turns to Jesus in faith, guaranteeing forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life. The Spirit works to illuminate believers’ minds to grasp the truth of Scripture. The Spirit’s ongoing work is to sanctify the believer, transforming us more into the image of Christ, especially through the word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness and prayer. The Spirit produces fruit in the lives of believers and empowers his people for witness and service. The same Spirit grants gifts to all believers – not for self-indulgence or personal satisfaction – but for the privilege and responsibility of the building up of God’s church and empowering God’s people for worship, service and mission. (John 16:8-11; 1 Corinthians 12:7-14; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 4:7-8)
About the Church
We believe the universal church is the bride of Christ and the body of which Christ is the head. The church is composed of genuine followers of Jesus Christ and exists to worship, serve and glorify God. All members of the universal church are to be vitally committed members of a local gathering of believers, led by godly and accountable elders. By God’s grace, God brings us together as a family of believers, indwelt by his Spirit, diverse yet united in Christ. The visible, local church is a community of men, women and children, gathering regularly around God’s word for worship and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, seeking to use their gifts to build the church in love and to bear witness to Christ. The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between churches by mutual love, care and encouragement. (Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:19-22, 4:1-11, Titus 1:5-11, Hebrews 10:25)
About the end times
We believe that the end of the world is approaching; that at the last day Jesus Christ will visibly, bodily and personally return to the earth in glory, to establish his kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost – that a solemn separation will take place, the lost will be judged to endless punishment and the saved to eternal life with Christ. God will preserve and keep all who truly belong to Christ for that last and great day. Those who live by faith in Christ will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy in fellowship with God in the promised New Creation. God will make all things new and will be glorified in all things forever. (2 Thessalonians 1:8-10; Revelation 21-22)