ABOUT US
Eastern Eyre Baptist Fellowship was planted as Cleve Baptist Church in 2019 to fill a void of evangelical, bible-teaching churches in Cleve and surrounds. In 2023, the congregation set out to become an independent fellowship, finally incorporating as Eastern Eyre Baptist Fellowship. In 2024, EEBF became members of Fellowship of Evangelical Churches of Australia (FECA) in order to maintain fellowship and accountability with other Christ-centred, like-minded churches.
Statement of Faith
We are living in an age in which the evangelical church is threatening to undermine and abandon the precious doctrines of the Word of God. Such a reckless departure from the foundations of the Christian faith is not something that has happened over night, but has been a gradual compromising of convictions, once held dear at a personal level in the Christian’s heart, that have been distorted by the influences of the world and a lack of sound Biblical teaching to the contrary.
However, it is our firm belief that the church of God must look no further than the Word of God to “grant to us all things that pertain to life and godliness“, (2 Peter 1:3-5) and “that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
With that in mind this document presents our convictions regarding the key theological truths of the Bible, built on the foundation laid by the apostles (Ephesians 2:19-22) and confirmed throughout the centuries by approved men of God. Perhaps the most comprehensive and purest compilations of these truths are the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) and the Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) from which this document draws much of its content and seeks to reflect the Biblical understanding of and the church father’s confirmation of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. It is intended that it will give the reader an understanding of “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.“
Ephesians 4:13
What We Believe
THE BIBLE
We believe the Holy Bible was divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit inerrantly revealing the will of God in all things necessary to our salvation and lifestyle.
2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21
GOD THE FATHER
We believe there is only one sovereign God eternally existing, revealing Himself as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe God is the creator of all things and the supreme ruler and sustainer of the universe.
Genesis 1:1; 1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Matthew 28:19; Ephesians 1:11; Ephesians 4:6
GOD THE SON
We believe Jesus Christ born of the virgin Mary is fully God who lived as a sinless man, died for our sins and physically rose from the dead, ascended to heaven and intercedes for us there.
Matthew 1:20-25; John 1:1-18; Hebrews 1:3
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe God’s Holy Spirit is present in the world convicting of sin, regenerating those who repent and believe, sanctifying believers and leading into truth as it is in Jesus.
John 7:39; John 14:15-18; John 16:7-11; Acts 2:33
SIN
We believe sin and death came into the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience of God’s command and every person has rebelled against God and so is separated from God by personal sin.
Genesis 3:1- 24; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:15-23
SALVATION
We believe sinners can be reunited with God through the death and resurrection of Christ by grace through faith for those who personally repent, seek forgiveness, and believe in Christ’s redemptive work on their behalf and receive the gift of eternal life by divine healing for the eternal consequences of sin.
Isaiah 53:5-6; Matthew 13:15; Romans 5:6-21; 2 Corinthians 5:17
THE CHURCH
We believe the Church is the community of individuals with Christ as the head who confess Jesus Christ as Saviour and strive to live their lives according to Scriptures.
Acts 2:42-47; Ephesians 4:11-16
THE LORD’S SUPPER
We believe the Lord’s Supper/Communion is a means of grace symbolising Christ’s death, resurrection and return celebrated by those who affirm Christ as Saviour.
Exodus 12:1-14; Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
BAPTISM
We believe in baptising believers by full immersion where possible, symbolizing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as a public declaration of having accepted Jesus Christ as one’s personal Saviour.
Matthew 3:1-17; Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 2:37-41
THE END TIMES
We believe Christ will return to judge each person according to faith and deeds. Those who are in Christ will be given eternal life, those who are not to eternal separation.
Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 1:7-8; Revelation 22:7-20
Our Distinctives
WORSHIP
Our worship services include corporate singing and prayer, children’s ministry, stewardship, communion and biblical teaching/preaching, always endeavouring to be God honouring and Christ centred in all that we say and do.
Acts 2:42; John 4:23-24
BAPTISM
In obedience to Scripture we practice believer baptism by immersion when possible.
Acts 2:37-41
LORD’S SUPPER
We celebrate the Lord’s Supper (communion) every Sunday in worship using bread and non-alcoholic juice. All believers may join in this act of worship.
Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
MARRIAGE
The marriage covenant is a sacred and lifelong covenant between a man and a woman. Further, the practice of same-sex intimacy is contrary to God’s will as given in scripture. Also, divorce is never a first option but only after biblical considerations and counselling.
Ephesians 5:31-33; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Matthew 19:3-9
MINISTRY
God gives ministry gifts according to His grace to all for the benefit of His church and acknowledge the biblical distinction in the roles God has ordained for men and women.
Romans 12:6-8; 1 Timothy 3:1-12; Titus 2:1-8
SOCIAL JUSTICE
We believe that Scriptures call us to defend the disenfranchised, support the poor, strengthen the weak, aid the sick; treating all with love and compassion.
Matthew 25:35-40
MISSIONS
We are a great commission church and actively involved in supporting local and international missions with a focus on evangelism, discipleship, education, health and care for the poor.
Matthew 28:18-20
SANCTITY OF LIFE
Life is a gift from God starting in the womb. We believe in the sanctity and preservation of life and thereby do not support abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia or eugenics.
Psalms 139:13-16
ALCOHOL
Scripture, medicine and experience indicate the detrimental effect of alcohol on the human body and society; therefore, we discourage the glamorisation of alcohol selling and consumption. We encourage non-consumption or prayerful, responsible moderate consumption for our people.
Proverbs 20:1, Ephesians 5:18
CREATION
We hold to God creating all things from nothing (ex-nihilo), for and through His Son Jesus in six (6) literal twenty-four (24) hour days. In this we reject any form of a creation account that involves long-age theories such as theistic evolution, gap-theory, or day-age theory.
Genesis 1-3; John 1:3-4
CHRIST’S RETURN
We believe that Jesus Christ will come again and that the faithful, past and present, will be joined with the Lord for eternity. We hold to the primacy of this biblical promise rather than focusing on the uncertain topics of the timing of Christ’s return or what some term pre- or post- tribulation rapture.
Acts 1:7-11; Matthew 25:31-34; John 14:1-3
Geoff Rissmann
Geoff grew up on a farm near Goondiwindi, Queensland, and moved to Cleve with his wife Elyse in 2017 to work as an agronomist. In 2019, they were led to plant a church in Cleve, and in 2022 Geoff reduced his agronomy to four days a week allowing time to spend providing pastoral care, and taking on more regular preaching. Geoff and Elyse are serious about spiritual and physical growth of the church and are doing their bit to help with five children.
Thomas Higgins
Thomas grew up on a farm near Currency Creek on the Fleurieu Peninsula and moved to Cleve with his wife Stacey in 2012. They joined Eastern Eyre Baptist Fellowship in 2019 and along with their four children are actively involved in all aspects of church life.