The Big Picture
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising 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.”
Matt 28:19-20 NIV
A word from Pastor James Middleton
These words of Jesus have been the heartbeat at Austin Cove since the very beginning. Now, as we move into our next season in the life of the church, we feel God moving and stirring us to build upon what has gone before and to press into these words in new ways. We look to express our mission as a church as follows;
Our Mission:
Journeying with people towards Jesus
Our heart is to meet people where they are in their journey, in both life and faith, and then, step by step, we walk with them towards Jesus.
Our Vision Story
Between now and 2030 we will advance the Kingdom of God by engaging people throughout the Shire of Murray, the broader Peel region and to the ends of the earth, encouraging them to encounter God in transformative ways and equipping them to be sent as devoted followers of Jesus into the world.
Our pathway to following Jesus
We see three broad ‘steps’ on the pathway towards a person following Jesus.
Engage > Encounter > Equip
Engage
We will build connections with people in South Yunderup, the Shire of Murray, the broader Peel Region and to the ends of the earth and define our activities to intentionally reach each of these scopes.
Scopes
- Inner Circle: South Yunderup
- Middle Circle: Shire of Murray
- Broader Circle: Peel Region
- Outer Circle: To the ends of the earth
Encounter
We desire to see people encounter God in transformative ways. Encounters with God are fostered through relationships and environments. We can’t force someone to encounter God, but we can play a role in encouraging them by:
- Helping our people develop intentional relationships with those within their sphere of influence.
- Developing intentional environments that help foster connection and transformation.
- Championing faith commitment, baptism, and significant ongoing life change.
Equip
A transformed follower of Jesus will make a positive impact in the world. Part of our role as the church is to help train and equip followers of Jesus for this purpose.
Formation Environments
- Personal time with God (daily)
- Communal Gathering (weekly)
- Life on life spaces (fortnightly)
- Ongoing Training (as needed)
The Next 3-5 Years
As we journey towards this big picture as a church, we see the following 4 areas as a priority across the next 3-5 years.
1. Embed our discipleship pathway framework throughout the ministry of the church to foster a long-term disciple making impact.
We want to ensure that everything we do has the capacity to help someone along in their journey towards Jesus. Over the next 3-5 years we will use our discipleship pathway framework to focus our efforts to enable us to have the greatest impact possible for the Kingdom of God.
2. Develop a community centre in the Shire of Murray that enables us to connect with a broad range of people in the area and act as a base of operations for our work now and into the future.
Though the Church is people, we recognise a facility is helpful towards achieving God’s mission. As such, we don’t desire to build a church, but instead we seek to build a community centre that champions mental, spiritual, emotional and physical well-being throughout South Yunderup, the Shire of Murray, the broader Peel region and to the ends of the earth.
3. Expand our digital platform to enable a greater impact both locally and globally and to prepare us for the changing landscape around the world.
Our big world is becoming increasingly smaller as our capacity to connect around the world by digital means grows. With this change comes opportunities for Kingdom impact. We desire to develop a greater digital footprint to ensure we can begin a journey towards Jesus with people irrespective of physical barriers.
4. Build relationships with key organisations locally, nationally and globally to make a greater impact for Jesus to the ends of the earth.
Though we are one church in one small area of Western Australia, through partnerships with like-minded organisations we can amplify our impact. Across the next 3-5 years we will be seeking to make strategic partnerships with other groups to make a difference for the Kingdom of God. We’re better together.
Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6 NIV
Grab Your Shoes & Join Us For The Journey
We’re re-building our church and we’d love you too be part of the journey.
We’re a 10 year old church in the growing Austin Lakes development in South Yunderup with a passion to see families flourishing in South Yunderup, the Shire of Murray, the broader Peel Region and to the ends of the earth. We’d love some new families from the area to join us and be part of taking our story forward.
In the longer term we desire to build a community centre to champion families in the area. Come be part of the story.
Want to find out how you can be part of the story God is revealing through us? Why not catch up with our pastor, James, for a coffee.
You can call him direct on 0417 091 722 or use the contact form below and he’ll be in touch with you in the next few days.
