At Providence, what we share with other Christians is much more important to us than what makes us distinct. We cherish above all the Lord Jesus Christ, his life-giving Spirit, and the way the Son and the Spirit lead us back to the Father. This we share with all Christians everywhere. And what we share matters most.

The Gospel Coalition’s Confessional Statement forms the doctrinal basis of the Providence Churches. This statement commits us to a trinitarian, evangelical, and broadly reformed theological foundation. The statement can be found here.

The unique values of a Providence Church

Providence churches are diverse in the way they go about their mission and ministry in their local areas. We celebrate this diversity. However, there are some values we share, some things we treasure together, that give Prov churches their common personality and likeliness. For example:

We value a rich expression of corporate worship
At a Providence church service, you might be singing a contemporary song, reciting an ancient creed, and praying a Puritan prayer before hearing an exposition sermon engaging with contemporary culture. We love this! And we believe that our common worship is a crucial moment in our formation as the people of God.

We value wrestling deeply with our cultural context
Our churches were born from the observation that Perth, a modern Western city, is a missionary context. Our secular, post-Christian culture poses both challenges and opportunities for the good news of Jesus. We love to think deeply and critically about our culture: affirming what can be affirmed, rejecting what Jesus calls us to reject, and thinking like missionaries about what faithful proclamation of Jesus looks like in our city at this time.

We value not quarrelling over disputable matters
We were not born out of a doctrinal division or split but rather out of a missionary impulse to reach more people. We take theology very seriously and gladly take our stance on key issues—including issues where our stance is not the popular one. However, we strive to not quarrel over disputable matters, and seek, wherever the scriptures allow, to bear with one another and accept each other, knowing that we come from many backgrounds and histories.

We value what came before us
We are an independent church by history and governance, but we do not value independence as a posture or stance. Rather, we rejoice and celebrate our connection with the history of what came before us and our fellowship with all of God’s people today. Part of why we say Creeds and pray ancient prayers is to foster this spirit of thankfulness for our continuity with God’s people across time and space.