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Statement of Faith

(Adopted at MTC Board meeting held 6 August, 2019)

Our Vision:

That Mt Tamborine Convention (operating as Mt Tamborine Conference Centre) will be widely recognised throughout Australia as unrivalled in both location and delivery of Spiritually–enriching experiences, through:

  1. Seeking to undertake high-quality evangelical bible teaching conventions and events for greater engagement in ministries and missions.
  2. Purpose-built facilities and accommodation catering for a variety of church and community needs
  3. An engaging and welcoming MTC community throughout the precinct
  4. A focus on cross-cultural global mission.
  5. A place of warm Christian fellowship co-operating heartily with all recognised Christian churches and Christian organisations.

God’s purpose is to bring His blessings to all the nations of the world (Gen 12:2, 3). That promise of blessing, which touches every aspect of human life, is ultimately fulfilled through the life, death, resurrection, ascension and future return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

All of the people of God are called to participate in His missionary purpose, wherever He may place them. The central vision of the Mount Tamborine Convention is to see the people of God equipped, encouraged and refreshed to fulfil that calling, directed and guided by God’s Word in the power of the Spirit, for the glory of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Our Priorities:

There are three fundamental convictions which shape all that we do: hearing God’s Word, becoming like God’s Son and serving God’s mission.

Hearing God’s Word: The Scriptures are the foundation for the church’s life, growth and mission, and Mount Tamborine Convention is committed to preach and teach God’s Word in a way which is faithful to Scripture and relevant to Christians of all ages and backgrounds.

Becoming like God’s Son: From its earliest days the Keswick movement (which influenced the early development of Mount Tamborine Convention) has encouraged Christians to live godly lives in the power of the Spirit, to grow in Christ-likeness and to live under his Lordship in every area of life. This is God’s will for his people in every culture and generation.

Serving God’s mission: The authentic response to God’s Word is obedience to his mission, and the inevitable result of Christ-likeness is sacrificial service. Mount Tamborine Convention seeks to encourage committed discipleship in family life, work and society, and energetic engagement in the cause of world mission.

Our Ministry:

Mount Tamborine Convention: the events

Mount Tamborine Convention (MTC) exists to host conventions at the Mount Tamborine Conference Centre. The Easter Convention is held over Easter and provides Bible teaching for all ages, vibrant worship, a sense of unity across generations and denominations, and an inspirational call to serve Christ in the world. In addition to this major event MTC runs, partners and supports over 12 quality bible conventions throughout the year appealing to all ages.  We are developing a new apologetics conference for 2020, called SALT Conference (Seeking Answers, Living Truth).  We truly live by our motto, “All one in Christ Jesus”.  Mt Tamborine Christian Convention provides life-enriching experiences through:

  • High-quality Bible teaching
  • A focus on world mission as a means of global transformation

Mount Tamborine Convention and Keswick: the movement

For 140 years the work of Keswick Convention which originated in the town of Keswick in the United Kingdom has impacted churches worldwide. Today the biblically based teaching focus of the ‘Keswick message’ continues to impact the UK, as well as many parts of Europe, Asia, North America, Australia, Africa and the Caribbean. Mount Tamborine Convention has had links with Keswick since its early days. Keswick Ministries today is committed to strengthening the network in the UK and beyond, through prayer, news, pioneering and cooperative activity.

Mount Tamborine Convention: Resources

Mount Tamborine Convention makes bible teaching available through MP3 resources, Podcasts and books available through the office and, as appropriate, downloads through the Mount Tamborine Convention website.

Our Beliefs:

Mount Tamborine Convention has adopted the following statement of beliefs as an elucidation for today of our original and official constitutional doctrinal Statement of Faith of the essential truths of Christianity, as revealed to us in the Bible, which we desire to shape every aspect of our ministry.

This Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs.  The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of humankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe.  For the purposes of Mount Tamborine Convention’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, the Mount Tamborine Convention Board is Mount Tamborine Convention’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.

If you are unable to affirm this statement for any reason, then please speak to an appropriate Mount Tamborine Convention representative.

I believe in:

  1. The divine inspiration, authority and sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures as all that is necessary for faith and life. (Psalm 19:7-11; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
  2. The unity of the Godhead with the distinction of Persons in that unity namely the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit to Whom equal honour is due.  (Genesis 1:2, 26; Deuteronomy 6:4; John 1:1, 2; 5:17, 22-23; 14:25-26; 16:7, 27, 28; Philippians 2:6; Hebrews 1:1-3)
  3.  
    1. That the Son of God truly became man being begotten of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. (Matthew 1:20-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:14; Romans 8:3; Galatians 4:4)
    2. That His death was a sacrifice to God and a turning away of God’s wrath for the remission of sins. (Romans 4:25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:12-14)
    3. That He was raised bodily from the dead. (Matthew 28:5-7; 1 Corinthians 15:20)
    4. That He ascended to the right hand of God and is now the all-sufficient High Priest of His people. (Mark 16:19, 20; Luke 24:50, 51; Acts 1:9; Ephesians 4:8-10; Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:25)
    5. That He will come again to receive His people unto Himself and to consummate His Kingdom. (Isaiah 9:6, 7; Daniel 2:44, 45; 7:13, 14; John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18; Luke 1:32, 33)
  4. That in consequence of the fall of Adam, all mankind became “lost” and at “enmity against God”; that all mankind is also “without strength” to do the will of God.  (Psalm 53:2, 3; Luke 19:10; Romans 3:19; 5:6; 12-19; 8:5-7)
  5.  The work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration, sanctification and assurance. (John 3:5-8; 16:8-11; Titus 3:4-7; 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 14; 1 Peter 1:2)
  6.  
    1. That the justification of the sinner before God is by faith alone.  (Romans 3:21-26; 4:4, 5; 5:1; Galatians 2:16)
    2. That every justified one is united to Christ and also born of God. (John 1:12, 13; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23)
    3. That such new birth results in and is made evident by holiness of life and good works. (Ephesians 2:10; 4:24; Titus 3:4-8)
    4. That holiness of life and good works are summed up in the law of love for God and neighbour. (Matthew 22:36-39; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8)
    5. That love restricts sexual intimacy to the marriage union of a man and a woman for life to the exclusion of all others (Genesis 2:24; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20); and love values all human life as sacred and defends and protects it from conception through to natural death.(Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 139)
  7.  
    1. That with the bodily resurrection and ascension of Christ and the sending of His Spirit, the resurrection age has begun. (Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 2:14-36)
    2. That through their union to Christ in the Spirit, believers participate now in the resurrection age by faith. (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:1)
    3. That believers live also in this age of sin and death, and groan along with the whole creation as they wait eagerly for adoption to sonship, the redemption of their bodies. (Romans 8:9-23; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:1)
    4. That at the end of this age the dead will be raised either to life or to condemnation and that the blessedness of the righteous and the punishment of the unrighteous will be alike eternal. (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:46; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Acts 17:31; Romans 14:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philemon 3:20-21; Revelations 20:11-15)
  8. We believe that the true church is that which is gathered around Christ in heaven, and all who share in Christ are united in sitting under the authority of His Word irrespective of denomination or class group: “All One in Christ Jesus”. (Ephesians 4:4-16). 

Note: This Statement of Beliefs is also that of the Katoomba Christian Convention (KCC).

Our Values:

Mount Tamborine Convention is committed to the deepening of the spiritual life in individuals and church communities through the careful exposition and application of Scripture, with an emphasis on the following themes:

Lordship of Christ
To encourage submission to the Lordship of Christ in all areas of personal and corporate living;

Transformation by Word and Spirit
To encourage active obedience to God’s Word through a dependency upon the indwelling and fullness of the Holy Spirit for life-transformation and effective living;

Evangelism and Mission
To provoke a strong commitment to evangelism and mission in Australia and worldwide;

Whole-life Discipleship
To stimulate the discipling and training of people of all ages in godliness, service and sacrificial living, equipping them to participate in the mission of God in every area of life;

Unity
To provide a practical demonstration of evangelical unity across denominations and across generations;

Marriage and Family
To model and teach Christian marriage as biblically defined in a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman, and to encourage people of all ages to express biblical values in sexuality and family life.

Our Unity:

Mount Tamborine Convention with the Keswick movement worldwide has adopted a key Pauline statement to describe its gospel inclusivity: ‘for you are all one in Christ Jesus’ (Gal 3:28). The Convention works with evangelicals from a wide variety of church backgrounds, on the understanding that they share a commitment to the essential truths of the Christian faith as set out in our statement of belief.

All who speak on behalf of Mount Tamborine Convention are asked to display sensitivity and generosity of spirit on the wide range of issues where evangelicals, in good conscience, hold a variety of opinions. Founded on our unity in Christ and our shared understanding of evangelical truth, we expect those who minister among us to expound scripture with clarity and faithfulness, but respectfully ask them not to use the Convention platform to campaign for particular positions on secondary issues. Recognising that Scripture allows for legitimate difference on such matters (Romans 14: 1-15: 13), we lay these aside for the purpose of our ministry together.

Our Work Together:

We are committed to Christ-like relationships of honesty, generosity and integrity in all areas of our work together. We want our relationships to be governed by fundamental Biblical imperatives- 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 (NIV).

  • 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

These Biblical imperatives include:

The dignity and worth of all human beingsGenesis 1:26-27 (NIV)

  • 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
  • 27 So God created mankind in His own image,
    in the image of God He created them;
    male and female He created them.

A willingness to forgive and restore broken relationships – Colossians 3: 13 (NIV)

  • 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Mutual help, encouragement and support – 1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NIV)

  • 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Openness, integrity and honesty in speech and behaviour – Ephesians 4: 15 (NIV)

  • 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

A commitment to one another through sacrificial service – Galatians 5: 13 (NIV)

  • 13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

A commitment to team work, serving under the guidance of the designated team leader – Hebrews 13: 17 (NIV)

  • 17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

The centrality of prayer, seeking God’s grace for all aspects of our relationships and ministries – Ephesians 6: 18 (NIV)

  • 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Our Witness:

As a matter of Christian integrity and consistency, all aspects of our work must reflect gospel values, so that our witness to Jesus Christ is commended, and not compromised.

Because of our reputation as a Christian organisation and ministry, all staff, visitors and members of the public with whom we have contact can expect to be treated in ways which reflect the values we have articulated above.

Since our speakers, staff members and volunteers often have contact with churches and Christian agencies in Australia and overseas, we expect anyone representing the organisation to maintain biblical standards of speech, behaviour and lifestyle that commend the faith that we profess.”