Hope Community Church

Summary Statement

We are an Apostolic Church,

·        We use the  New Testament Church as our Model

·        We are a gathering of “sent ones”. We are a sending Church

·        We have New Testament leadership structures

Our Purpose is to make a difference for the Kingdom of God so that more and more people get to experience a life changing relationship with Jesus.

·        We are committed to the ministry of reconciliation

·        We are committed to the ministry of sending

·        We are committed to the ministry of giving

We believe that through a life-giving relationship with Jesus we can and will impact our families, our friends, our city, our nation, and the nations for God.

Our Leadership Structure

The Overseers provide outside accountably and can dismiss the Pastors.

Matthew & Kathy Bolte are the founding Pastors of the Church.

The Council governs the Church and is appointed by the Pastors.

The Admin Team has financial responsibility and is appointed by the Council.

The Pastoral Team has pastoral responsibilities and is appointed by the council

 The Interim Advisory Council this council will assume the function of the “The Council”, “The Pastoral Team”, and “The Admin Team” during the early stages of the Church’s life. The founding Pastors will invite appropriately gifted persons to join this team.

  THE DETAILS

  Hope Community Church is an Apostolic Church.

1.We use the New Testament Church as our model.

The following teachings/examples of the Apostles we see as foundational to our understanding of Church.

A: Jesus is the cornerstone (Eph 2:19-22)

B; The Old & New Testaments are foundational (Eph 2:19-22)

C: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors & Teachers working to build the Church (Acts 11:19-30 & Eph 4:11-16)

D; Communion was important and regular (Acts 2:42-47)

E: Regular large gatherings for celebration (Acts 2:42-47)

F: Regular meetings in homes for fellowship (Acts 2:42-47)

E: The Salvation of many was expected (Acts 2:42-47)

G: Miracles were expected (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 11:19-30 (NIV)

¹⁹ Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. ²⁰ Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. ²¹ The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

²² News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³ When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. ²⁴ He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

²⁵ Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶ and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

²⁷ During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) ²⁹ The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. ³⁰ This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV)

¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)

¹¹ It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹² to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

¹⁴ Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶ From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

2. We are a gathering of “sent ones”. We are a sending Church.

As Jesus sent us ( John 20:21)  we also send out others in His name ( Acts 13:1-3). The Greek word for Apostle means “sent ones”. Thus we are an apostolic Church. We are sent with a mission and purpose and we send out others for that same purpose.

A: to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:18-20)

B:. to proclaim the good news about Jesus to the whole of creation. Mark 16:15)

C: to speak words of forgiveness (John 20:21-23)

D: to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Mark 16:15 (NIV)

¹⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

John 20:21-23 (NIV)

²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Acts 1:8 (NIV)

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

3.We have a New Testament Leadership Structure

We see five fold ministry callings (Eph 4:11-16) operating in the New Testament Church (Acts 11:19-30). We view these ministries as fundamental for the healthy functioning of the Church today. Thus we are an Apostolic Church.

These ministries are:

A: Apostle, has a heart for the big picture and a desire to impart vision to others. This person is the leader.

B: Prophet, has a heart for holiness and justice and a desire to see others flow with the Holy Spirit.

C. Evangelist, has a heart for the lost and equipping others to reach the lost.

D: Pastor, has a heart for the members of the Church and seeing that their needs are met.

E: Teacher, has a heart for expounding the truth of the Word of God and seeing that others are well grounded in the Scriptures

These five ministry callings will be represented in the leadership structures of Hope Community Church.

Hope Community Church VALUES

Hope Community Church is a Church built on Life Giving relationships. You will see that our values revolve around the following seven relationships.

1. Our relationship with Jesus. He is the one who came to give us life.

2. Our relationship with ourself. We cannot love others unless we love ourselves.

3. Our relationship with our family. It is here that we put into practice the basics of holy living.

4. Our relationship with our home group. It is here that we learn to grow together as believers

5. Our relationship with our local Church. It is here that we learn about being part of a body.

6. Our relationship with the Citywide Church. We are part of God’s plan for this city.

7. Our relationship with the worldwide Church. We are part of God’s plan for the nations.

Intimacy with the Father is Primary

We highly value our relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ as our primary commitment and seek to serve Jesus as Lord through the whole of our lives

Romans 8:15 (NIV)

¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Worship

We highly value worship, as we seek to respond to God's desire for a people who worship Him in Spirit and truth. We value contemporary worship styles while honouring the styles of the past. We will endeavour to keep abreast of recent developments.

John 4:23 (NIV)

²³ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

Prayer

We highly value personal and corporate prayer and we will strongly encourage members of this church to grow in their prayer life.

 Isaiah 56:7 (NIV)

⁷ these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

Authority of Scripture

We highly value the Bible as the full revelation of Jesus Christ and seek to approve all things according to the Word of God. We are committed to believing God to fulfil every promise contained in Scripture.

2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

Reformation & Renewal Witness

We value the fundamental confessions of the Christian faith (the Apostles and Nicene Creeds). In addition, we value the truths restored to the church through the Reformation and the renewal movements of the Holy Spirit during the twentieth century.

 Matthew 13:52 (NIV)

⁵² He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

The Power of the Holy Spirit

We value the empowering of the Holy Spirit as an essential enablement for ministry. We seek to exercise the gifts of the Spirit and mature in the fruits of the Spirit. (Acts1:8)

Acts 1:8 (NIV)

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Go to the Nations and Make Disciples

We value the commitment to fulfil the Great Commission given by Jesus to the church, to preach the gospel to every person, seeking to call them to become His disciples. We will endeavour to multiply this ministry by our commitment to identifying, equipping, sending, and supporting believers to go into the harvest field

 Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV)

³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

The Local Church

We value the ministry of the Spirit through the local church and seek to express our faith by belonging to a local church and to exercise our ministry by the power of the Holy Spirit as part of that Body. We see the local Church expressing its life in regular large gatherings for corporate worship and teaching and in small gatherings in homes for fellowship and encouragement.

 Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Everyone a Minister

We affirm that every member of this Church (young and old, male and female) is a minister. And we seek to help them to develop and exercise those ministries.

Acts 2:17-18 (NIV)

¹⁷ “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. ¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

The Unity of the Spirit

 We value working in unity with other believers and with other churches / ministries. We desire to co-operate with other churches / ministries in our region in order to proclaim the Gospel to every person.

John 17:21 (NIV)

²¹ that all of them may be one Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

The Pursuit of Holiness

We are committed to becoming like Jesus. We desire that our personal lives and our relationships will reflect more and more of His character.

1 Peter 1:16 (NIV)

¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Marriage and Family

We recognise marriage and family as the crucial basis for church, society, and personal growth and are committed to excellence in this area. We value Christ’s call to be celibate in singleness and faithful in marriage.

Genesis 2:24 (NIV)

²⁴ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Cross Cultural Relationships

We value our relationships with believers from different cultures and in particular our connection with the churches of the South Pacific.

Revelation 5:9-10 (NIV)

⁹ And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. ¹⁰ You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

Care for the Needy

We value giving generously to the Lord’s work particularly to the needy.

 James 1:27 (NIV)

²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Hope Community Church

 Doctrinal Statement

1. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

2. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His sacrificial and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal immanent return in power and glory to judge the living and the dead.

3. We believe salvation is a free gift of God. The death of Christ on the cross is the only sufficient payment for our sins. All have sinned, but all can be saved. This salvation is available for any who put their trust in Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Those trusting in Jesus should repent of sin, confess their faith and be baptized. Thus we receive the free gifts of forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

4. We believe that Christians are called to live a life of holiness by the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit.

5. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, with His fruits and gifts abiding in the Body of Christ.

6. We believe the Church Universal is the body and bride of Christ and is comprised of all who confess Him as Lord and Saviour.

7. We believe the Bible to be the only inspired, authoritative, infallible Word of God and  is the final authority in the affairs of the Church.

8. We believe in the resurrection and judgement of the saved and the lost, one to everlasting life, the other to everlasting damnation.

Hope Community Church

Leadership Structure

The Overseers

The following persons/groups have been selected for their Spiritual maturity and insight to provide accountability for the Church and its leadership. Any of these people can be contacted at any time if members of the congregation are concerned about any aspect of the Churches functioning. In particular any three of the overseers can, in agreement, discipline or dismiss the Pastor of Hope Community Church

 The overseers and their primary area of oversight are shown below;

Ps Darren Nosworthy Chairman of the Overseers ( COC Townsville) ph 4723 2978

 Cassowary United Church, Lae, PNG  Apostolic Oversight (Mother Church)ph  0011 675 472 2662

  Ps Stuart Hall  Theological Accountability ( Wesleyan Methodist, Townsville) ph 4728 9815

 Ps Peter Patterson Ministry Practice ( AOG, Townsville)  ph 4721 5716

 Ps Roy & Janet Funu  Prayer Life ( Church of Christ , Buderim) ph 5477 5085

 Mr Brian Pickering Spiritual Oversight (Australian Prayer Network) ph 02 9876 2419.                                              www.ausprayernet.org.au

 Ps Brian Medway  National Oversight  (Crosslink Christian Network) ph 02 6230 6270.                                     www.crosslinknetwork.com.au

The Founding Pastors:  Matthew & Kathy Bolte. They are responsible to  provide  vision, direction, and leadership for the Church. They are accountable to the Overseers and a responsible for ensuring that they are well informed about the affairs of the Church

 The Council

Hope Community Church will be governed by an Apostolic Council working with, and appointed by,  the founding pastors. This council will reflect the five fold ministry callings of Eph 4:11.

 The responsibilities of the council will be;” to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up  until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.( Eph 4:12-13 )

 The Pastoral Team

The responsibility for the spiritual wellbeing of the members of Hope Community Church will be overseen by the Pastoral team. They are accountable to and appointed by the council.

 The Admin Team

The financial and logistical affairs of Hope Community Church will be the responsibility of the Administrative Team. They are accountable to and appointed by the council.

 The Interim Advisory Council

This council will assume the function of the “The Council”, “The Pastoral Team”, and “The Admin Team” during the early stages of the Church’s life. The founding Pastors will invite appropriately gifted persons to join this team.