Staff

Parky has a small team working to help the community:

• Peter Birt leads the team at Parkerville
  His office days are Monday to Thursday
  peter@parkerville.net.au
• Sue Ludemann is our worship pastor
  Her office days are Monday and Wednesday
  sue@parkerville.net.au
  
• Jill Birt is our childrens and missions pastor
  Her office days are Monday and Wednesday
  jill@parkerville.net.au
  
• Dan McGrechan is our student and youth pastor
  dan@parkerville.net.au

About Us

Parkerville Baptist Church is a community of people who seek God.

Statement of Faith

Statement of Principles and Faith

We accept and proclaim the historic truths of the Christian faith including the following;
God and the human race

• We hold that the Lord our God is one Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that he fulfils his sovereign purposes in creation, revelation, redemption, judgement and the coming of his kingdom -by calling out from the world a people united to himself and to each other in love.
• We acknowledge that though God made us in his own likeness and image,conferring on us dignity and worth and enabling us to respond to himself, we now are members of a fallen race; we have sinned and come short of his glory.
• We believe that the Father has shown us his holy love in giving us Jesus Christ, his only Son, for us, while through our sinfulness and guilt, we were subject to his wrath and condemnation; and has shown his grace by putting sinners right with himself when they place their trust in his Son.
• We confess Jesus Christ as Lord and God; as truly human, born of the virgin Mary; as Servant, sinless, full of grace and truth; as only Mediator and Saviour, dying on the cross in our place, representing us to God, redeeming us from the grip, guilt and punishment of sin; as Victor over Satan,  rising from death with a glorious body, being taken up to be with his Father, one day returning personally in glory and judgement to establish his kingdom.
• We believe in the Holy Spirit who convicts the world in regard to sin, righteousness and judgement; who makes the death of Christ effective to sinners, declaring that they must turn to Christ in repentance and directing their trust towards the Lord Jesus Christ; who through the new birth makes us partake in the life of the risen Christ, and who is present within all believers, illuminating their minds to grasp the truth of scripture, producing in them His fruit, granting to them His gifts, and empowering them for service in the world.

The Scriptures

• We believe that the Old and New Testament Scriptures; are God-breathed, since their writers spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit; hence are fully trustworthy in all they affirm; and are our highest authority for faith and life.

The church and its mission

• We recognise the church; as the body of Christ who is its head, held together and growing up in him; both as a total fellowship throughout the world, and as the local congregation in which believers gather, governed under Him by the believers who are its members
• We practice the Baptism of believers by immersion on their profession of faith in Christ as symbol of their fellowship in his death, burial and resurrection and identification with his church. We celebrate Communion to remember the sacrifice of the body and blood of our Lord.
• We recognise the commission of Christ: to proclaim the Good News to all people. making them disciples, and teaching them to obey him; and
• We acknowledge the command of Christ, to love our neighbours, resulting in service to the church and society, in seeking reconciliation for all with God and their fellows, in proclaiming liberty from every kind of oppression; and in spreading Christ’s justice in an unjust world…until he comes again.

Our Vision

We are a community of people that is so overwhelmed by God’s love and grace that we are compelled to create pathways that lead people to God.  Because of his great love for us we are committed to treating people with grace and acceptance no matter where on their journey they are. We are willing to step out in faith no matter where God leads us. We will remain responsive to God’s leadership. As such we commit ourselves to prayer, Scripture and Godly leadership as the foundation of our corporate life.
We will not settle for anything less than what God has planned for us.

An Influential Community

• We believe that Parkerville Baptist Church should work in harmony with our community.
• We will look to develop a seamless relationship demonstrated by the community having trouble distinguishing where the church finishes and the community begins.
• We will generously love the community by providing help without expectation.
• We will intentionally look for new and creative ways of meeting our community’s needs and reaching out to people. Whether this is through the use of coffee shops as a way of helping lonely people find friendship, busy people find rest and interested people find out more about God or whether this is through creating a “holistic health centre” that provides medical, psychological, counselling help and life skills like parenting, financial management and health management we will serve the community.
• We will intentionally value-add to the community by providing access to spiritual input and guidance. We will do this by not only going to them when requested but also making our facilities, services and programs accessible and relevant to the community. Although our worship services will have a primary focus of building up believers we will endeavour to make them relevant and engaging for community people as well.
• We will graciously transform the community by sharing the good news about Jesus with them in a gentle and persuasive way. We will do this through genuine friendships and honest sharing where we listen to their story and share our own.  To do this we will release people to minister in their community by not overburdening them with Church responsibilities.
• We will actively involve ourselves in our world community by advocating justice and equality for all people. Responding to Jesus’ instructions we are committed to a range of missional ministries. We will audition, train, enable and support people from our church to be involved in short and long term mission as based on their ability and passion.
• We will not settle for anything less than being a real influence in our community.

A Transforming Community

• We believe that Parkerville Baptist Church should be a place where everyone can grow in their relationship with God. This will happen as people find that they belong, are accepted, and are exposed to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
• We will build nurturing relationships by helping people be authentic and accountable in close relationships, group relationships and in congregations. We will do this in groups of two or three where mutual encouragement and accountability can be meaningfully practised. We will do this in small groups where we can enjoy life and laughter together. And we will do this in congregations where we can enjoy God in a large gathering.
• We will encourage people to use their God given gifts and resources to build God’s kingdom. This will require providing help in discovering their spiritual gifts and finding an arena of service that fits with their passion. We will promote excellence and whole hearted commitment in all our areas of ministry.
• We will teach and model an open handed approach to giving, inspired by Jesus’ sacrifice for us, so that we are noted for our generosity and responsiveness.
• We will encourage spiritual vibrancy by teaching and modelling how to apply spiritual disciplines to individuals’ lives. We will make sure every person has the opportunity to live in a meaningful relationship with God.
• We will enable people to be a life changing influence in their communities by equipping them to share their story in a sensitive and relevant way. We will hold each other accountable in our commitment to transform the community.
• We will not settle for less than being a group of people who are transformed by God.

A Growing Community

• We believe that Parkerville Baptist Church should develop resources and programs that fit with our mission of creating pathways that lead people to God. We will be known for well maintained facilities, good financial management and carefully structured programs.
• We will build an auditorium that can hold more than 500 people and use it for multiple congregations. We will also develop appropriate facilities to support these congregations. The aesthetics and care of the facilities will reflect community values and standards. We are committed to these facilities simply as a means of achieving our mission.
• We will develop and value leaders. We recognize that leadership is imperative both for the church and the community and as such we will identify, equip and empower people whom God has gifted for this role. We will nurture leaders in our care and hold them accountable for the way in which they lead.
• We will develop and sustain programs when they are needed to achieve our mission. We will not hesitate to close programs that are no longer relevant. We will initiate new programs, which support our mission, as God provides leadership for them.
• We will not settle for anything less than doing the very best with the resources that God gives us.

Our Values

Baptists of WA

Parkerville Baptist Church is a member of the Baptist Union of WA, and you can find out more by visiting baptistchurch.net.au