Australian Free Church
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Australian Free Church is a
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
denomination in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.


History

The Australian Free Church was established in 1979 when Eric Turnbull (1928-2013) was removed from being a minister of the
Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia The Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia (PCEA) is a small Presbyterian denomination which was formed in Sydney on 10 October 1846 by three ministers and a ruling elder. As of December 2024 it consists of 11 pastoral charges with a total of ...
. According to Rowland Ward and Robert Humphreys, this was for "refusing to desist from teaching that the
King James Bible The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by ...
is the very Word of God to the exclusion of other translations,"Rowland Ward and Robert Humphreys, ''Religious Bodies in Australia'', 3rd edition ( Wantirna, Victoria: New Melbourne Press, 1995), 88. such as the NIV or NASB, although the church's website states that it was formed "out of a desire to maintain the standards of doctrine, worship and church government held by our Scottish spiritual forebears." The church website also states they "use the Authorised Version (KJV) as the most faithful English translation."Australian Free Church
/ref> Turnbull was the minister at East St Kilda and took the more active part of the congregation with him. After several moves a church building was purchased in Chadstone in 1988. A number of people in Hamilton also adhered to the Australian Free Church. In 1994 the Australian Free Church applied to join the
Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland (FPC Church; , ) was formed in 1893. The Church identifies itself as the spiritual descendant of the Scottish Reformation. The Church web-site states that it is "the constitutional heir of the historic Chu ...
but their application was declined. They have fraternal relations with the
Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) (abbreviation: FC(C), Scottish Gaelic: An Eaglais Shaor Leantainneach) is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination which was formed in January 2000. It claims to be the true continuation of the Free Church of ...
. The first Presbytery of the Australian Free Church was constituted in 2002.


Statistics

There are currently congregations in Chadstone, Beaufort and
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
. The Rockhampton congregation was received in 2009 and had previously been a congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church that had withdrawn from that body, but subsequently broke up. The Deep Lead/Stawell Congregation was established in early 2012-but disassociated in 2014, the minister subsequently being called to a Reformed and Presbyterian Congregation in Rockhampton. The total following is about 15 people including three ministers, one with seven children residing in Beaufort (Vic).


Theology

The Australian Free Church holds to the historic Presbyterian confessions, these are: *
Westminster Confession of Faith The Westminster Confession of Faith, or simply the Westminster Confession, is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it becam ...
*
Westminster Shorter Catechism The Westminster Shorter Catechism is a catechism written in 1646 and 1647 by the Westminster Assembly, a synod of English and Scottish theologians and laymen intended to bring the Church of England into greater conformity with the Church of Scot ...
*
Westminster Larger Catechism The Westminster Larger Catechism, along with the Westminster Shorter Catechism, is a central catechism of Calvinists in the English tradition throughout the world. History In 1643 when the Long Parliament of England called the Westminster ...
Standards
, Australian Free Church


See also

* List of Presbyterian and Reformed denominations in Australia


References


External links


Official site
Christian organizations established in 1979 Presbyterian denominations in Australia Presbyterian denominations established in the 20th century King James Only movement Reformed denominations in Oceania {{Presbyterianism-stub