Who We Are
HELPING PEOPLE experience the JOY of walking with Jesus – in every way, on every day.
Our Vision
“We exist to become a multi-generational, disciple making church family, inviting people into life giving relationship with Jesus”
Our Values
OUR HISTORY
The first Wesleyan Methodist ‘service’ was held in Wangaratta on 18 September 1977 at ‘The Centre’ in Chisholm St, Wangaratta. This service was the initiative of Lindsay & Phyllis Thomas with a few others, & around 20 people attended. The church was officially recognised & members inducted by then National Superintendent Jim Ridgway in 1978. Phyllis & her son David & his family still call this church ‘home’. Over the next several years, the church was served by interim or part time ministers, but worship & children’s ministry were early priorities.
The first full time pastor appointed to the church was Rev Ray & Gwen Akers who focused strongly on evangelism & discipleship. A decision was made to call Ray’s brother Alan & his wife Loris Akers to the church as full time ministers before Ray & Gwen returned to Melbourne. During the late ’80’s and early ’90’s the church welcomed many new families. Some of those families included future church staff, including Ange & Dave van der Leeuw and Barb & Bill Detlefsen. Barb served for many years as the church’s counsellor and pastoral care worker, and Ange has served as our pastoral care worker, Senior Pastor and currently the Associate Pastor.
As the church grew in the early 2000’s, God led the church to purchase the block of land where the church is presently located. The church continued to meet at the local TAFE building as the building work progressed. The church remains indebted to the faithful work of many people, including Baris & Olga Walker among others, who oversaw construction on the corner of Great Alpine & Parfitt Rd. The building was dedicated & formally opened in July 2005.
During this period, many of the church passions of today evolved further in this time – a heart for families, the next generation & our local community. The church experienced significant growth at this time, and many enduring ministries were started such as “Family Matters Playgroup”, which has been serving families in Wangaratta for nearly 20 years. The arrival of Pastor David & Rhonda Lloyd in 2008 saw continued ministry development in children’s & men’s ministry, along with the introduction of night services. Ange Van der Leeuw was appointed to her pastoral care role in 2013 while she also served as chaplain at the local hospital.
During the 2010’s the Lloyd family were called to pastor the Kyabram Community Church; and Pastor Alan stepped back to a part time role. The church appointed Ange van der Leeuw to Senior Pastor at this time. Kane Crawford moved to the area with his wife Natalie to take up a Children’s & Families worker role. During this time many connections with the local community were strengthened. Kane & Natalie moved back to Melbourne at the end of 2019.
As the world grappled with the challenges of COVID-19, so did the church. We went through a range of changes including moving services online off and on for 2 years, Pastor Alan retiring after years of faithful service & Pastor Ange stepping back from Senior Pastor to Associate Pastor. In 2021, we welcomed Pastor Steve & Amanda Van Der Poel from Brisbane to the role of Senior Pastor.
As we look back, there is so much to be grateful for – the ongoing development of buildings, people reached with the gospel, people who were and are loved & discipled by others in our church. We praise God for all that He has done & His faithfulness to His church.
But we are greatly optimistic about the future. The church continues to grow & is beginning to outlive its facilities. The Play Group & Kids Church continue to serve many local families, and the church is involved in a range of local initiatives taking the message of Christ to our community. There are still many people to be reached for Jesus, and we’d love you to be part of the adventure God has for us!
What to Expect
We’re a family friendly church with space for everyone. Our church services have a relaxed and casual feel. We intentionally try to point people away from us & towards Jesus at every opportunity.
Our service starts at 10am & finishes around 11.15am. You’re welcome to stay for tea, coffee & morning tea afterwards. Feel free to dress in something relaxed or comfortable. Some wear smart casual & others prefer laid back. Nothing special is needed, but modesty is encouraged. We’d love you to join a mid week small group or our prayer meeting at the church at 5pm every Sunday afternoon.
We believe that God extends His undeserved love & grace to everyone regardless of age or background, and we value the contribution everyone can make to this community. If you’re still searching, there’s plenty of room for you, your family & friends.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Wesleyans believe in one God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the Saviour of all who put their faith in Him alone for eternal life.
We believe that those who are made new in Christ are called to be holy in character and conduct, and can only live this way by being filled with the Lord’s Spirit.
We believe in the Bible and its sufficiency to establish our faith and conduct.
We believe God wills for people everywhere to know Him and be made new in Christ.
We believe that the purpose of the Church is to worship God in spirit and in truth, and to reach a lost and fallen world with the gospel of Jesus Christ through its worship, witness, and loving deeds.
The following are terms descriptive of who Wesleyans are and why they do what they do. They describe the “soul of the Church”:
BIBLICAL AUTHORITY: The Bible is God’s holy Word. It uniquely and infallibly reveals God’s plan for His people and how to live out that plan, individually and corporately. Beliefs, practices, priorities, and our mission are to be anchored in clear biblical teachings.
CHRISTLIKENESS: Jesus Christ is the defining feature of God’s will and relationship with all humankind. In Christ is found both newness of life and the highest and clearest example for godliness. People made new in Christ find Him to be the source of faith, hope, and love in both the inner life and in our outward actions engaging a world desperate for hope and life.
DISCIPLE-MAKING: Making disciples is a clear mandate from Christ. This requires a strong missional focus on evangelism and training in spiritual growth and holy living. Done effectively, this will produce and promote growth and health in and among the churches.
LOCAL CHURCH CENTERED: The denomination exists to help local congregations grow and multiply, be more healthy, and more authentically reflect God’s plan. Local churches are the most fundamental and strategic points of evangelism and discipleship. The challenge of the denomination is to keep finding the best ways to serve, strengthen, and multiply congregations.
SERVANT LEADERSHIP: Wesleyans respect leadership that is placed over them, while realising that the authority and effectiveness of spiritual leadership is not primarily bestowed, but earned, and is characterised by a loving and willing heart of obedience that serves God and mankind gladly. Wesleyans desire to be leaders in serving.
UNITY IN DIVERSITY: There is intrinsic value in every person. Biblical unity becomes all the more important and beautiful in the light of the wide-ranging differences in personalities, cultures, races, languages, talents, and perspectives. Finding unity and mutual love in Christ eliminates devaluation and deprivation of life to one another.
WHAT IS A WESLEYAN?
We are a gathering of local churches and ministries from around Australia serving together under the umbrella of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia. We find our roots dating back to John Wesley who was a key component of 18th Century revivals in England. His desire was to spread the message of Scriptural Holiness around the world. This is our mandate today. From these beginnings came the ‘Holiness Movement’ and at its heart is the message of perfect love, which is to love God with all our heart, with all our mind and with all our strength and our neighbour as our self. (Mark 12:30-31 NIV)
We, the Wesleyan Methodists of Australia, are a part of a wider church that is connected together under the name, the Wesleyan Church. We are now found in over 80 nations. In 2011, worldwide Sunday morning worship attendance was 475,000 persons in more than 5,000 congregations. Worldwide total membership was 368,000.
In 1946, the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia was officially formed in Melbourne under the leadership of Kingsley Ridgway. While the initial beginnings were slow, we have now spread across the country with around 95 churches. Our people come from a variety of backgrounds, cultures and communities. While we do celebrate our diversity, we also acknowledge the values that hold us together – such as our love for the word of God, the bible, our commitment to Christlikeness, our passion for disciple-making, and our call to servant leadership.
The message we share is a message we are experiencing everyday.
It is a message of hope, it is the message of love, and it is the message of life.
It is the message of Christ and the Cross.
