Church Planting
Our focus is to promote the planting of new churches in the PCV which will be:
A: Clear about the Gospel.
We need to communicate the gospel in a way that is free from the confusing evangelical subculture jargon that sometimes dominates our churches. Many in our culture confuse the Christian message of Grace with the religious message of seeking to impress God by our own efforts. Revive seeks to plant churches that will communicate the heart of the Biblical gospel message in language that our culture can understand.
B: Missional.
Australia is no longer a part of "Christendom". People will not just come to our church because we open the door and put a sign out the front.
A missional church shows understanding and respect for those who don't believe yet. A missional church understands that people have problems with hypocrisy in the church and have questions about injustice and suffering. It will show concern for the broader issues in society and not just focus on our tribe.
We recognize that the mission field is no longer just overseas but right here in Victoria. In Melbourne there are vast numbers of people who have no connection with the church.
C: Equipping People.
We want to plant churches that are not simply places that people attend but are bodies that people are members of. Churches need to be places where people are discipled, trained and equipped to be active in the service of Christ in the church, the work place and the wider world.
D. Diverse.
While the gospel message remains the same at all times and places, Victoria is a multicultural state and so our churches are not going to look or feel the same in every place. We want to take the gospel message to every corner of our state where it is not heard, especially the unreached subcultures and suburbs of Melbourne.
E. Church Planting Churches.
Church planting is not something that you do once. We want to plant churches that will plant many more churches and make church planting part of the normal DNA of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria.