Our story
The story of our church began in September 1892 when a Mrs J B Moysey, who had for many years cherished the dream of a church in Dandenong, was forced due to failing health to give up her weekly trips to Berwick. She brought together a few local people for a Communion Service every Sunday, and thus the Dandenong Church of Christ was born.
Since then the church community have worshipped in 3 different chapels. The latest one was opened in 1990 at David St, and recently refurbished in 2019. As a Church of Christ, we can be confident that the biblical traditions of Communion and full immersion Baptism, instituted by our Lord Jesus Himself, have continued to be passed down to each generation and practiced with whole-hearted passion.
Our church has had an active missional presence in the Dandenong area. Several “tent missions” were conducted in the 20th Century in the heart of the Dandenong CBD. Many people came to faith upon hearing the Word of God preached publicly at these events. In the 1970s and 80s, “the Jesus Gang” played an important role in Dandenong North in sharing the Gospel with families facing poverty and marginalization.
Today our story continues to unfold as we respond to those from diverse cultural backgrounds. We sense that God calls us to truly be “a house of prayer for all nations”.
We Believe
One God, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
Our Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, His virgin birth, His sinless human life, His divine miracles, His vicarious and atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension, and His Second Coming in power and glory;
The Salvation of lost and sinful people through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ by faith apart from works, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit;
The Resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation;
the Holy Scriptures as originally given by God, divinely inspired, infallible, entirely trustworthy; and the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct;
The Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the believer is enabled to live a holy life, to witness and work for the Lord Jesus Christ;
The Unity of the Spirit of all true believers, the Church, the Body of Christ.
Based on the World Evangelical Alliance Statement of Faith
Churches of Christ
The Churches of Christ in Victoria & Tasmania, to which Dandenong Church of Christ belongs, is part of the larger Global Family of Christian Churches, Churches of Christ and Disciples of Christ. The Churches of Christ are not a denomination in the same way as the mainline churches, but is a movement committed to the unity of all Christians to truly be the Body of Christ.
The movement began over 200 years ago in both the UK and the US, as a protest against churches which seemed to be consumed with legalism, authoritarianism and exclusivism. The Churches of Christ family now have congregations in more than 163 countries.
A distinct ethos of Churches of Christ, is
In essentials, unity
In non-essentials, liberty
And in all things, love
Each Church of Christ is a separate self-governing congregation in its own right, but the churches come together voluntarily on a state and national level for conferences and to carry out functions too big for local congregations, eg. training of ministers; overseas mission etc.
Membership of Churches of Christ is by profession of faith and baptism; this being conducted by believers, ie. those who are old enough to make a commitment to Jesus Christ by their own conscious decision.
Baptism is by total immersion in water, as practised in the New Testament church, and is symbolic of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is observed weekly in services, is received by all who claim Christ as their Saviour, and is administered by the members of the church. It is an expression of our identity as God’s people, remembering the atoning sacrifice of Christ as we await his return to earth.
Here are some of the major distinctives in Churches of Christ:
Concern for Christian Unity
Commitment to Evangelism and Mission
Emphasis on New Testament teaching
Returning to the practices of the Early Church
A Simple Confession of Faith
Believer’s Baptism
Weekly Communion
Congregational Autonomy
“The Priesthood of all believers” (Lay Ministry)
For more information about Churches of Christ please click on www.churchesofchrist.org.au
Vision and Values
As a Kingdom Community, we seek to:
Be immersed in God's Presence
Live fruitfully as followers of Jesus, and
Share God's goodness and grace with others.
Ministry Team
Gabriel and Catherine Hingley began their ministry at Dandenong Church of Christ in February 2019. They have been locals to the area since 2005, when they moved from Sydney to Noble Park to join Urban Neighbours of Hope (UNOH). For many years they worked with a mission team in Noble Park, reaching out to people on the margins of society.
Gabriel and Catherine worked for CCVT for three years, encouraging churches in our movement to engage with their neighbourhoods in creative, Gospel-centred ways.
Gabriel and Catherine have a passion to see God’s Kingdom come to Dandenong and the surrounding region. Together with the church they want to make disciples who make disciples, continuing the work of the Lord’s Commission (Matt 28: 16-20). They love to work with people from different cultural backgrounds, as this is a reflection of the Dandenong neighbourhood, but more importantly a reflection of the Kingdom of God, where “every nation, tribe, people and language” will stand before the throne of God (Rev 7:9).
Our Board of Elders
Our current elders are Michelle Johnson (Chair), Les Russell (Treasurer), Morag Thorneand Nora Chatelier and Delvin Varghese.