Church Structure 

Tasman Church is an independent, self governing congregation, but we affirm the Biblical requirement and expectation of cooperation with other orthodox believers for the presentation and propagation of the faith, and for the building up of the Body of Christ. 

Church Leadership

Elders are appointed as primary leaders of the congregation for the church’s spiritual and prayer, the reading of Scripture, along with various other mechanisms which serve to draw our hearts and minds toward adoration and praise of God. While we seek to reflect contemporary styles in terms of music, we also recognise that the operational well-being. The elders are to function as willing shepherds, and are to lead the fellowship toward spiritual maturity by means of personal example and sound teaching. Others in the church also share in the tasks of ministry in the congregation alongside the elders, each one serving in order to bring glory and honour to the name of Christ.

Church Life

Community 

We believe where conflict or sin occurs in the church community, a biblical process such as stated in Matthew 18:15-20 should be followed to seek correction, forgiveness, restitution and reconciliation. While we come to God as individuals, we recognise that we have mutual responsibility for each other and are called to teach, encourage, admonish and correct one another with an attitude of humility and love.

Men and Women In Ministry 

We value the unique contributions of both men and women to the life of the church. Both men and women are free to give personal testimony, participate in and lead times of worship, discussion and collective prayer. Both men and women can fill administrative positions where their God-given abilities will ably serve the corporate body, and can represent the fellowship in delegated positions in roles inside and outside the church. Women are, however, restricted from serving as elders, and from delivering authoritative Bible teaching to the gathered congregation.

Outreach 

While we believe that the primary purpose of the local church is to encourage worship, fellowship, teaching, and service, we also recognise that every congregation has both the privilege and responsibility of reaching out to others with the Good News of the gospel. With this in mind, each member of the congregation is encouraged to develop relationships with those who do not know Christ and thus be a witness for Him in both word and deed. From time to time the church will organise specific events where the gospel message will be presented so that church members can invite unsaved friends along. The gospel message will also be preached as appropriate on Sunday mornings, and in the various ministries that operate during the week.

We encourage all members of the congregation to be actively involved in spreading the gospel message nationally and internationally, whether through prayer, by contributing financially to individuals and organisations, or by other means such as short-term or long term mission involvement. In addition, the congregation collectively supports national and international mission work through prayer, the giving of finance and by occasionally inviting visiting speakers to address and inform the congregation in regard to missions. 

Ministries And Service 

We have a number of ministries operating at the present time, including mainly music, Youth Group, Sunday School, Friends and Neighbours, Home Groups and Tasman Bay Christian School. In addition to these, there are a variety of opportunities for service and involvement in the life of the church both inside and outside the Sunday services. We encourage all church members to participate in some form of ministry as a way of serving and building up the body, and reaching out to unsaved people with the gospel. 

Sunday Morning Service

Teaching 

Weekly teaching of the congregation is an extremely valuable tradition which is designed to help church members grow in their understanding of God’s Word and the application of God’s truth to daily life. Various teachers are invited to speak at the church, and an overall teaching plan is overseen by the elders. Every effort is made to ensure that gifted speakers take the great majority of the teaching load. 

Communion 

We hold that it is the right and privilege of all believers to take part in communion, but we encourage parents to take responsibility for deciding when it is appropriate for their children to do so. We encourage all who take communion to do so with respect and humility, recognising that this special meal is taken in remembrance of the Lord’s death until he comes again for all who belong to Him. 

Baptism 

We hold baptismal services as required and encourage all those who have placed their faith in Christ to outwardly express their commitment by being baptised in public. We do not baptise infants, but are happy to publicly dedicate newborn children of Christian parents and encourage church members to share in the responsibility of assisting children toward personal faith in Christ as they grow up. 

Offerings 

Weekly free will monetary offerings are collected on Sunday morning for the purpose of expanding and building up the body of Christ both locally and internationally. The gifts received are distributed carefully and prayerfully, and the congregation is regularly updated as to how much has been gifted and how these gifts have been used. 

Worship 

The concept of worship is far wider than the Sunday experience, but time is set aside each week so that we can collectively offer worship to God in a fitting manner. Such worship can include singing, prayer, the reading of Scripture, along with various other mechanisms which serve to draw our hearts and minds toward adoration and praise of God. While we seek to reflect contemporary styles in terms of music, we also recognise that the church is made up of both young and old, and therefore seek to reflect this in the songs sung each week.

While we acknowledge that there are a wide variety ways in which worship can be expressed, Tasman Church does not consider itself a “charismatic” fellowship. We do not encourage the public expression of worship in tongues, however we accept that some church members may choose to speak in tongues in the privacy of their own homes. If anyone in the congregation believes that God had laid something on their hearts that should be formally shared with the congregation, one of the elders should be approached and made aware of the situation so that the elders together can assess the value and validity of the insight before it is shared with the wider church community.