Preamble
The Ararat Community Church Inc., is an autonomous local church affiliated with a group of autonomous churches in Australia known as the Christian Revival Crusade Inc., and trading as “CRC Churches International”.
This co-operative fellowship of churches is based on mutual love, respect, loyalty and recognition of each others sovereignty as expressed in the Charter of the Christian Revival Crusade.
The Ararat Community Church Inc., accepts the Charter and State and National constitutions of the Christian Revival Crusade, and finds expression through its members working together on the same principles, and recognising that the sovereignty of each member is limited by the rights of other members in the Church.
Ararat Community Church Vision & Mission 2008-2010
Why we exist: Our vision is that the Ararat Community Church is to be:
“Shining the light of hope in our community, by encouraging all to know Jesus Christ”.
(1 Peter 2:9, Acts 26:23, Matthew 5:14-16)
What we do: Our mission is to exalt the Lord in everything we do and train the saints for the work of ministry.
Grow in our relationship with God (John 8:31, Colossians 3:16)
Serve our wider Community (Matthew 12:18, Ephesians 3:7-9)
Communicate the message of Jesus (Acts 20:24, Philippians 1:27-28a)
Build the Church community (Hebrews 6:10, 6:1)
Church Objectives
The purposes for which the Church is established are:
1 To develop a strong, united, worshipping, and caring local church as a spiritual home for Christian believers.
2. To establish a base from which its members can propagate the message of the Word ofGod and the Christian Gospel, as commanded by Jesus Christ in the great commission of (Matt 28:81-20; Mark 16:15-20).
3. To engage in Evangelism by all means, such as Public meetings, Films, Radio, Television, Printed page, Magnetic Tapes, and other means of communication.
4. To establish other self-governing, self-propagating local churches according to the New Testament pattern, as the opportunity affords.
5. To uphold the Biblical concept of the family as the basic unit of society.
6. To provide Christian Education for all age groups, and to encourage training for active ministry at home and abroad.
7. To release the Divinely bestowed Ministry Gifts of Christ into full operation within the church and the body of Christ
8. To support and engage in Missionary enterprise in other lands with a view of establishing indigenous local churches.
9. To encourage an attitude of Christian Fellowship toward all believers in Christ, irrespective of doctrinal or denominational differences.
10. To honour all civil governing authorities according to the Scriptures.
11. To co-operate with other self-governing local churches, which are affiliated with the C.R.C. Churches International, in achieving the afore-going objectives.
Declaration of Faith
The Church believes in and presents the following basic truths:
1. The Holy Scriptures – their inspiration and infallibility.
2. The Godhead – comprising Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
3. The Lord Jesus Christ – His humanity, deity, virgin birth, sinless life, atoning death for the sins of the world, resurrection for our justification, ascension to the Father’s right hand, and personal return to reign upon earth at the end of this age.
2. Salvation – by repentance, faith in, and confession of Jesus Christ as Lord, producing an upright and moral life, according to the Bible, leading to good works.
3. The ordinances – Water Baptism, for all believers by immersion, and the Lord’s Supper, celebrated in remembrance of Christ and in accord with His instruction.
4. Divine Healing – secured for every believer through the atonement of Christ; and deliverance from all bondage to the power of Satan.
5. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit – with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.
6. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit – for the equipment of ministry and the edification of the church: the fruit of the Holy Spirit as the expression of Christian character in believers.
7. The Church Universal – comprising of born again believers of all nations and denominations under the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ.
8. Bible Prophecy – its fulfillment in world events, heralding the climax of this age and Return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
