Riverview Church

Riverview Church is a charismatic evangelical Christian church situated in Burswood, an inner suburb of Perth, Western Australia, and was originally established in 1979. The church is the largest in Western Australia with 4,500 members, led by Senior Minister Haydn Nelson.

Services

Riverview hosts 3 services per weekend at Curtin Stadium and averages 4500 people in attendance.

Riverview Kids

A service that runs for children aged 2 months to year 6. Riverview Kids services are provided at all services.

Riverview High

Riverview High is an environment exclusively for high-school aged students. It meets every Friday of the school year at Riverview Church.

Riverview Media

The church also broadcasts its services on television, via a program called Riverview TV that currently airs across 54 countries, over various networks.

History

The church was founded by the former pastor, Phil Baker's father, Brian J. Baker, who was born in England and with his wife, Valerie, migrated to New Zealand in 1972 and ran various ministries there.[1] They subsequently trained at Rhema Bible Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma under Pastor Kenneth E. Hagin, and started the Inner City Faith Fellowship at Holmes Hall in Belmont, a suburb of Perth, on 9 December 1979. The church moved five months later to Brisbane Street, five blocks north of Perth's central business district.[2] Baker was ordained by Hagin in 1980. At this time, the Bakers were assisted by Pastors Mark and Joanne Willhite and Pastors Mike and Randa Moorhead from Kansas City, who returned overseas after helping to establish Faith Christian Academy, which in February 1982 commenced teaching 70 school students from years 1 to 10 within the church's building.[3]

The church changed name to Rhema Faith Fellowship in 1982 and again to Rhema Family Church in June 1985, also moving to its current premises at Thorogood Street, Burswood (then called Victoria Park), which previously operated as a warehouse.[4] The school, renamed Rhema Christian Academy in 1985, had grown to 200 students by the following year and had moved to premises in Colombo Street, across Albany Highway from the church.[3] A bible school (Rhema Bible Training Centre or RBTC) was opened, and in the spirit of its evangelical traditions, started churches around Western Australia and Australia, as well as over 100 home groups operating in Perth's suburbs.[4] At its peak in the late 1980s, Rhema claimed to have over 3,200 members at its church in Victoria Park and was the biggest single church in Western Australia.[5] By 1989, the church also offered a children's ministry during its main service for those up to the age of 15, divided into four age groups.

In April 1989, Brian Baker and his youngest son, Barnaby who was a Youth pastor in the church, travelled to the USA and both spoke at a number of churches, mostly in Texas and California. On their return, Brians wife Valerie who had been a pastor in the church and leader of the ladies ministry had decided to resign from the ministry. On 30 April 1989, Brian Baker announced that he would also resign from the ministry as their marriage had finally failed. Brian then appointed his older son Philip as the pastor and leader of the church. Philip was well known to the congregation as a teacher in many of the main services and Brian believed that the transition would save the church from disintegration after his and Valerie's resignations. Philip also a graduate of Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa had been working with his father in the church in recent years as the Dean of RBTC and previous pastor of the Children's ministry in the church. Philip and his wife Heather had been running a children's ministry in New Zealand prior to their return to Perth.[6] Phil instituted a financial management plan for the church to handle mounting debts and liabilities arising from the late 1980s recession,[7] including disbanding the nationwide Rhema branding for churches started by RBTC graduates and loosening the relationship with the school, now renamed Regent College.[8] Under Phil Baker's guidance in 1991-1992, the church started periodic "Guest Sundays", a mix of dramatic arts and multimedia presentation designed to reach those outside the church, made plans for a television presentation called "Rhema Live" and introduced the slogan "the church for people who don't like church", which they maintain to the present day.[9]

In 1997, Phil and Heather Baker established Riverview Church in the same building as the old Rhema fellowship, with a more ecumenical focus than its past incarnation, with a membership base that has grown consistently during the early 2000s. Phil was president of the Australian Christian Churches network[10] and regularly wrote to newspapers and made media appearances representing the charismatic movement's point of view on a range of issues. The church also expanded to new campuses in Joondalup and Cockburn Central.

In June 2009, Phil Baker suffered a benign brain tumour, which had to be removed. The subsequent operation resulted in complications which meant his recovery time was increased greatly. In November 2010, Pastor Haydn Nelson was named Senior Minister of Riverview Church. Under his leadership the church has continued to grow. The two suburban Riverview campuses were re-established as independent churches: Northreach Community Church in the north and The Red Door Community Church in the south.

References

  1. ↑ "Brian and Valerie Baker". Rhema Life 1 (2) (Perth). July 1986. p. 3. Accessed at Battye Library, Perth.
  2. ↑ "Back to Belmont!". Rhema Life 1 (2) (Perth). July 1986. p. 1.
  3. 1 2 "Rhema Christian Academy History". Rhema Life 1 (4). September 1986. p. 12.
  4. 1 2 "Our 7 Year Celebration". Rhema Life 1 (6). December 1986. pp. 1, 17.
  5. ↑ "Down Long Routes Along The Road To Heaven". The Sunday Times. 12 April 1987.
  6. ↑ "Vessels change, anointing remains". Rhema Life. June 1989. p. 7.
  7. ↑ "Church's Foundation Strong". Rhema Life. June 1989. p. 7.
  8. ↑ Telecom Australia (1990) [1989]. White Pages - Perth 09.
  9. ↑ Rhema Life Magazine, Summer 1991
  10. ↑ "Episode 78 - Riverview Church - Pastor Phil Baker". George Negus Tonight (ABC). 22 June 2004. Retrieved 2007-03-03.

External links

Coordinates: 31°57′59″S 115°53′36″E / 31.966458°S 115.893354°E / -31.966458; 115.893354

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