A Gospel inspired adventure

Providence began in 2009. Under Nigel Gordon’s leadership, St Matthew’s in Shenton Park sent a small group out on an adventure in mission. Their key conviction was that Perth had become a mission context of its own, requiring missionary tactics. Working as house churches, they were committed to telling the gospel, building gospel community, and doing the good deeds that flow from the gospel. By doing so, they were able to present Jesus to the secular people of Perth in a way they could access and understand.

In those years, people who had no previous contact with Christians were suddenly in the orbit of the gospel in remarkable ways. And those in the core team were stretched and grown as disciples of Jesus.

In 2011 they were able to plant a second church in Midland which grew and flourished under the leadership of Steve McAlpine. And in 2014, St Matthew’s released an even larger group—mainly young adults—to seed Providence City church with an evening congregation. On Pentecost Sunday in 2014, Rory Shiner became the second senior pastor of Providence City. Then, in 2021 we planted another Providence church in Bayswater. As a partnership from City and Midland, Paul Young led a team of 40 kingdom-minded people into the adventurous waters of starting a church.

We give thanks to God for his extraordinary kindness and grace in leading us so far. As we reflect on our story, we are struck by the kingdom-generosity of a church such as St Matthew’s, by the original conviction that Perth is a mission field, and that to reach it with the good news of Jesus will take creativity, sacrifice, and passion. As we change and grow, we cherish the lessons from our past and seek to take them with us into the future.