Parkdale Church of Christ - seeking God, learning to live the Gospel together

Parkdale Church of Christ is a community of faith. In other words, we are a group of people who come together because we are followers of Jesus, and we want to do this in company with each other. We like a relaxed style of worship and church governance, believing it to be similar to the practices of first-century Christians while at the same time meeting twenty-first century needs. We meet in a chapel, but the 'Church' is our people, those who are called out by God and choose to be followers of Jesus. We seek to put our faith into practice, to travel the journey of faith and experience God's presence in our lives every day, as we relate to other people. 

We believe the Good News of Jesus Christ has power for healing and freeing souls today, but that the Good News needs to be set out in language that is meaningful today. So many of the words Christians use carry negative meaning for non-Christians, because of the abuses of the past, for which we should be ashamed. Yet the power for healing that we are talking about is real and urgent for the deep struggles of the 21st century, struggles such as dealing in your heart with fear, acceptance, time-poverty, materialism, life-work balance, the dignity of all human beings, meaninglessness, loneliness, depression and belonging. Science provides us with information and knowledge; but true wisdom comes from beyond, beckoning us to explore matters of the spirit that cannot be measured and tested scientifically.

Everyone is welcome at our services, which have a relatively informal style. We do not use a prescribed form of service, though we do have a regular order of doing things most weeks, and it causes considerable confusion when we change it! Any person who believes in and accepts Jesus as their Lord and Saviour is welcome to participate in the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion, or Eucharist) regardless of denominational affiliation. Leadership in services is open to all members, and we call women as well as men into ministry. Children are most welcome at our morning service; we have an area for those who like to make a lot of noise (and why shouldn't they?), and we have a Sunday School which operates during part of the morning service in term-time so that the children may be present at the Lord's Supper.

We also have a variety of meetings, which are described elsewhere on this website. Some of these are practical, some study-oriented, others devotional and prayer-oriented. 

Our chapel is fitted with a hearing aid loop to assist those who are hard of hearing. 

Our services are recorded, and are available on audio CD for those who wish to review the message or to pass on to others.

About the Churches of Christ

Churches of Christ commenced approximately 200 years ago in the US when Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone moved away from the Presbyterian tradition and commenced a movement which continues today, desiring to return to the idea of a New Testament Church. Our emphasis is on the New Testament, and we regard Holy Communion (known as the "The Lord's Supper") and "Believers Baptism" as key sacraments of the Church. Our theology is trinitarian and conventional; most would describe us as "low church". Our ministers do not use special titles or clothing, and we call women to ministry as well as men. A calling to ministry leads to endorsement as a minister by our Conference, and ordination for those who so desire after endorsement. Members of a congregation are able to lead worship, preside at the Lord's Supper and preach without being ordained: we encourage the ministry of all believers in practice as well as in theory.

Parkdale Church of Christ was founded in 1923. It is a member of the Victorian and Tasmanian Conference of Churches of Christ. A booklet describing the history of Parkdale church is available through the church office, or may be downloaded here. Each church is independently governed by its own board; we have no hierarchy of control, but do share some services between Churches where this makes sense - such as property funding, insurance matters, overseas aid, and training for ministry.

See this website for more information about Churches of Christ in Australia. There is also a good article in Wikipedia.