“Being committed to a local congregation is an important aspect of Christian life.”
What does it mean to be a “Presbyterian” Church?
The name “Presbyterian” is taken from the Greek word for elder. We are a church whose leadership structure is based on elders, who operate under the headship of Jesus Christ. Each local Presbyterian church is lead by a group of elders, sometimes called the Session. Individual churches, in turn, are grouped into regions which are overseen by groups of representative elders, called a Presbytery. All of the Presbyteries in NSW are overseen by a yearly Assembly – again consisting of elders.
Clarence Town Presbyterian Church is a member of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.
Our Elders
Gil Oakley
Gil enjoys spending time in God’s Word daily but his favourite passage is about the Grace of God John 3:16-18.
‘God seems to be using me more lately and I’m enjoying the journey as long as He is at the helm and navigating the ship.’
Elder Steve Bignill
STEPHEN BIGNILL
Steve is our latest addition to the Eldership team. Ordained in January 2022, Steve is married to Leisa and has three adult children. Steve has been a member of the Clarence Town Presbyterian Church since 2019 and is currently our Men’s Ministry Coordinator.
“Jesus is my rock and salvation!”
PHIL ANDERSON
Phil has been an Elder in the Presbyterian Church since the early 1990’s and was inducted into the Clarence Town Eldership in 2019. Phil is currently the church Session Clerk and is married to Sue.
“I am the way the truth and the life”
Jeff Hetherington
Jeff is an Elder and has been with Dungog- Clarence Town Presbyterian Church for about 13 years, and was Session Clerk for about 5 years.
He has 4 adult children and 5 grandchildren. He loves the beauty of God’s creation and worship music is a passion.
‘In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall guide thy paths’ Prov. 3:6
Our Methodology
We believe the Presbyterian form of Church governance is a is a biblical way of leading churches. Our attitude to the Bible is evangelical. This means our teaching is focused on understanding the Bible, from the small details, to the broad sweep of how the whole Bible fits together. We are committed to the Gospel, the good news about Jesus. The Gospel is the most important thing we can share with people.
Our theology is Reformed and Calvinistic. This means we focus on the sovereignty of God in all of life, especially salvation. Our doctrinal position is summarised in the Westminster Confession of Faith. While this is the official position of the Presbyterian Church, members are not required to agree with every detail of it. If you openly commit to being a member of God’s Kingdom, you can be a member of the Presbyterian Church!
Our Churches
