About
Are you considering following Jesus or looking to learn more?
God, the creator of heaven, earth, and all living beings, made us in His image, granting us dignity, value, and purpose. However, instead of glorifying Him, we chose to sin, rebel, and distance ourselves from God. This choice subjected us to His judgment rather than grace and mercy.
Despite our actions, God compassionately entered human history as Jesus Christ, both fully God and man. Born of a virgin, He lived a sinless life, even as He faced the same temptations we do. Jesus willingly died on the cross, becoming the sinless substitute for sinful humanity. In doing so, He reversed our rebellion and took upon Himself the sins of those who would trust in Him.
Jesus' death in our place satisfied God's justice for sin and secured His grace and mercy for believers. After His crucifixion, Jesus was buried for three days before rising from the grave, demonstrating His authority over sin, death, and evil. He calls us to share this good news of a God who relentlessly pursues us with love.
Our Beliefs
The Trinity
We believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Creation
We believe God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is the creator.
The Church
We believe that through faith in Christ we are united with all other believers in Christ’s Body – the Church – and that this finds expression through our participation in a local church.
Our Witness
We believe we are called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ in word and action, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Unity
We believe we are called to unity within the local church and throughout the whole Christian Church.
Eternal Life
We believe in the resurrection of the dead and the gift of eternal life through Christ.
Salvation
We believe we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ alone.
The Word
We believe the bible (the word of God) points beyond itself to Jesus Christ (the Word of God) on whom alone our faith, hope and salvation rests
Marriage
We believe we are called to celibacy in singleness and loving faithfulness between a man and woman in marriage.
Holy Spirit
We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives and indeed the whole of creation.
Our Purpose
We believe our purpose in life is to love God fully and to love others as Christ has loved us and so participate in building God’s Kingdom of love, peace and justice.
Effects of Sin
We believe this sin resulted in a broken relationship with God, each other and creation (Gen 3: 8-24); and is further reflected in a broken world and in idolatry, immorality, dishonesty, greed, injustice, abuse (self, others and creation), selfishness and the like.
Prayer
We believe prayer is communicating with God (listening and speaking) and a means by which God connects us with and includes us in His will and purpose
The Bible
We believe the Bible, including the Old and New Testaments, is inspired by God. Our faith, teaching and lives are nourished and regulated by the truth of the biblical witness.
Repentance
We believe we are called to turn away from sin and to grow in Christ-like character exemplified in the fruit of the Spirit.
Humanity
We believe human beings are created in the image of God.
Sacraments
We believe Christ gave us two sacraments – baptism and the Lord’s supper – both of which remind us of and connect us with Christ’s death and resurrection.
Jesus
We believe in the Centrality of Jesus Christ: a. Fully God, fully human, b. Lived a life of perfect obedience, c. Died for our sin, d. Was physically resurrected, e. Will come again as the judge of all
Gifts
We believe all believers (regardless of age, gender, social standing or culture) are gifted by the Holy Spirit and all gifts lead to service that builds God’s kingdom.
Sin
We believe the essence of sin is rejection of and rebellion against God.
Our Values
Genuine Love
Offering hospitality and welcoming all out of God’s reconciling love, we will always humbly and sacrificially open our lives to friends and strangers alike. (Romans 12:12-14, 1 Peter 4:8-10, 3 John 1:7-8)
Empowering Leadership
Founded on servant-hearted and Godly leadership, we will make raising, training and equipping leaders a priority – not for just for our sake, but for the kingdom. (Hebrews 13:7, Romans 12:8)
Fervent Prayer
We will always and in all ways pray, knowing that only at God’s direction, in God’s time and in God’s way can we be the people God has called us to be. (2 Chronicles 7:14, Matthew 6:5-15, Ephesians 3:14-21)
Scriptural Discernment
Centering our lives on God’s written Word we will allow scripture and the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us as we encounter God’s living Word (Christ). (Matthew 22:29, Luke 24: 32-45, Romans 15:4-5, 2 Timothy 3:14-16, John 1)
Adventurous Faith
Acting out of the conviction that faith is an unfolding adventure that God call us into, we will allow risk and utter dependency upon God to mark our journey. (Hebrews 11, 12)
Creative Worship
We will creatively worship God with all that we are and all that we do, passionately seeking to find expression for people’s spiritual gifts to honor God. (Romans 12:1, 1 Corinthians 12)
Our Vision
Newlife exists to see more people more like Jesus by planting and leading thriving local churches.
Our vision is that by 2027 Newlife will be a movement of renewal in Australia with and through the Uniting Church.
Strategic Priorities
Social Transformation
As we journey together, we will inevitably encounter those in need of assistance. Instead of viewing the vulnerable as a distraction, we understand that helping them is central to our purpose. Reflecting God's heart of mercy and justice, we prioritise the renewal of our communities as a key aspect of our vision. We will achieve this in two ways: by ensuring that every Newlife church is committed to the renewal and transformation of their local community, and by establishing gospel partnerships with diverse cultural local and international communities.
Lighthouse Leadership
As we forge ahead with pioneering and innovation, we recognise that our experience can offer valuable guidance for others within our sphere of influence. Our goal is for Newlife to continue providing resources for renewal to the wider Uniting Church. We aim to achieve this by creating a network of churches for resource sharing and relationship building, as well as establishing a presence on councils within our denomination.
Digital Innovation
The message we bring is timeless, but the methods we use must be adaptable to the surrounding conditions. This is why we aim for Newlife to be a national leader in online and digital evangelism strategies. We'll see this through three key ways: Newlife Online will be marked as a thriving Newlife community. We will have meaningful digital presence at all locations. Newlife will develop resources to equip the Australian church in digital evangelism and ministry.
Church Multiplication
Multiplication is an integral part of Newlife's DNA, starting with the multiplication of disciples, which naturally leads to the multiplication of churches. We are dedicated to regularly and consistently planting churches, ensuring that all Newlife churches thrive in areas of evangelism, commitment, community, formation, and mission. To achieve this, we will focus on the regular and consistent planting of churches while maintaining the health and vitality of our existing churches.
Personal Formation
We firmly believe that our growth during the journey will determine whether we reach our destination. The central question is not about what we will do, but who we will become. That's why one of our strategic priorities focuses on personal formation, which involves discipleship—submitting our heart, soul, mind, and strength to Jesus' way. It's not just about changing our thoughts or behavior, but allowing ourselves to be shaped in His image. We'll achieve this by nurturing a prayerful attitude and developing deliberate discipleship pathways that cultivate leaders in ministry and the marketplace.
The Newlife Family of Churches has adopted a cooperative governance model based on the belief that together, churches can achieve more than they can individually. The model emphasises interdependence of multiple congregations while maintaining local leadership autonomy.
The Newlife Family Council provides spiritually led strategic direction for the family of churches. It consists of locally elected leaders/elders from all congregations who meet for a full leaders/elders meeting twice a year. This governance structure fits within the polity and regulations of the Uniting Church in Australia, which is organised into non-hierarchical, interrelated councils.
The Uniting Church acknowledges that Christ alone is supreme in His Church, and that it may speak to it through any of its councils. Government of the Uniting Church is unlike that of other churches, including its own predecessor denominations. The Newlife Family Council offers lines of accountability, but it is in no way outside the form and function that has guided the governance of the Uniting Church.
The Newlife Family of Churches is committed to seeing more people more like Jesus. Its multi-church strategy has the capacity to expand and develop as new church plants are added. This model supports the health of localised congregations and the continued vision of planting churches without compromising each other.
Newlife is dedicated to promoting healthy spiritual growth, providing pastoral oversight, and equipping members and adherents for engagement in worship, witness, and service in the world. The Newlife Family of Churches values shared mission, values, vision, beliefs, and strategic direction, and is resourced by Newlife College for vocational, missional, and ministry leadership training.
We are a vibrant worshipping community with growing ministries that engage children, youth, young adults and families of every generation. Our vision is to see more people, more like Jesus!
Newlife Church is a congregation of the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA). The UCA was formed in 1977 by the coming together of the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches. The missional and ecumenical vision of the UCA is beautifully articulated in The Basis of Union.
Meet the Team
Newlife Family Council
Dr Daniel Pampuch (Chair)
Mrs Adele Ramsay (Deputy Chair)
Mr Mark Peters
Mr Lance Robertson
Dr Shema Haima
Mr David Yates
Rev Bruce Moore
Mrs Racquel Brown
Ps Jon Morris
Ps Michael Hands
Secretary - Sue Moes
Elders
Mr Wayne Warwick (Chair)
Mr Martin Panter (Deputy Chair)
Ps Michael Hands
Dr Natasha Yates
Mrs Heather Clarke
Mrs Liz Giovas
Mr Andrew Whiting
Secretary - Debra Thompson
Staff
Aaron Moore - Creative Pastor
Andrew Goldie - Facilities
Anna Couston - Young Adults & Catalyst Pastor
Brad Foote - Seniors and Crossroads Minister
Byron Galloway - Video Content and Online Producer
Claudia Murphy - Finance Assistant
Courtney Lush - Youth Pastor
Daniel Pirotta - Finance Manager
James Hunt - Children’s Pastor Robina
Jane Peattie - Administration Officer
Jason Mountjoy - Community Life Pastor
Jessica Ter - Communications Coordinator
Jon Morris - Executive Pastor
Kiaan Boyd - Worship Coordinator
Liz Mcnamee - Executive Coordinator Administration & Human Resources
Marcelle Fricker - Small Groups and Pastoral Team Administrator
Mary-Ann Lush - Pastoral, Pathways & Newcomers Administrator
Matt Woodward - I.T Support
Michael Hands - Lead Minister of the Newlife Family
Naomi Dyson - Playgroup Coordinator
Nerida Findlay - Receptionist
Nicola Turner - Young Families Pastor
Ori Zacher - Engagement and Online Pastor
Sue Jeffries - Receptionist
Tracey Skewes - Payroll and Finance Officer
