The Vision for Risen Church
Our vision is for Brisbane city & Griffith University campus to know Jesus and grow in him for his glory.
Our vision is that our city and the nearby campus would come to know Jesus. We think the gospel, the great news about Jesus, is powerful. It is the power of salvation. We want those who haven’t met Jesus to meet him in the pages of the Bible.
The gospel is also the power of change and transformation. As we come to understand who God is and all he has done for us in Jesus we see the new life we can have in Jesus. And we trust that God will change us because of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Five IDEAS that capture our LIFE TOGETHER AS A CHURCH
Jesus has risen and this changes everything. We see this in the first church in the book of Acts.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke breadin their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
ACTS 2v42-46
From this passage are five ideas that capture our Risen Church vision.
1. GRow in our Love for God
Love is the most powerful motivator in our lives. We live for what we love. For Christ’s love compels us. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Our goal as a church is that we grow in our love for God and giving him the glory. This happens as we are devoted to the New Testament (the apostles’ teaching) and the rest of the Bible. Our goal springs not from law or duty but from being loved by God. 2 Corinthians 5:14
2. Church is a family of God who love being together
Risen Church is a family of believers who love God and love being together. Christians call each other brothers and sisters, for in Christ we brothers and sisters in the family of God.
Risen Church are brothers and sisters who are devoted to each other. For, if we belong to Jesus we belong to each other and are to be devoted to each other.
3. Becoming more and more like Jesus
God calls every Christian to imitate Jesus. We long for this in our lives.
We are hungry for the Bible because we are hungry to be like Jesus. We long for our lives to be ones of deep fellowship with God, filled with godliness and holiness.
Our goal is to share Jesus and grow children as disciples of Jesus. We long to see kids won to Jesus, be his disciples who then disciple others.
4. Sharing Jesus in loving relationships
As a church, God’s people, we want to love the lost. This is a great call on our lives. We aim to share Jesus in loving relationships. We’re a church on mission.
The content of the gospel is Jesus’ lordship over everyone everywhere. The extent of the gospel is everywhere because Jesus lordship is over everyone, everywhere.
The great news is that we share Jesus together as a church. Each of us has different gifts and skills and together, we share Jesus in loving relationships from the pages of the Bible.
5. Growing in serving each other and others
There is an urgency to ministry because the end is near. We serve each other and others with God’s strength through his gifts for the glory of Jesus. 1 Peter 4-11
We want to grow in our gifts and skills to love and disciple others. We want to be equipped to work and serve with each other. Ephesians 4:12.
And, we want to discover our gifts, knowing we’ve got more gifts and skills than we know! Using all our gifts and skills for our brothers and sisters.
Why Another Church in Brisbane? And Why the Southside?
The local area is one of rapid growth and change with 240,000 people in Nathan ward. In the last five years, almost half of 240,000 moved into or within the area and a third were born overseas.
The area is a hub through which we can reach the city. The nearby main roads: Pacific Motorway, M2, and Mains road, are arteries our city. Adjacent is the QE II hospital creating another network of relationships through which we can reach Brisbane City.
We’ve only been going for a short time but already, in God’s kindness, we’ve seen a number of families and individuals discover Jesus and start following him.
Why Griffith University?
The opportunities are incredible.
Since opening in 1975, Griffith has grown from a small, single campus of 451 students to a remarkable, comprehensive university with over 50,000 students across five campuses in South East Queensland and a network of 200,000 graduates spanning the globe.[1]
Risen Church will focus on the two main campuses in Brisbane, Nathan and Mount Gravatt which between them have 20,000 students. These students come from all over Brisbane, Australia and the world. There are good churches on the Southside of Brisbane but none with a specific focus on the gospel opportunities at Griffith University.
As we’ve reached out to students we’ve discovered a hunger for connection, for love and for Jesus.
The long term plan
Currently, we meet on Sunday mornings, right next to the campus, reaching out to the city and the local community. We have kids church for the children at Risen and there is discipleship with the highschool youth.
We run outreach activities to connect with students, discipleship groups and other activities on the campus.
Our next step (part of our long term plan) is to start an evening congregation meeting on the campus to reach out to more students and young professionals. We are currently gathering a core of students to disciple them and share this vision with them.
[1] universitiesaustralia.edu.au Griffith University Profile