What we believe
At Burnie Anglican, we joyfully confess our loyalty as disciples of the King of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe his gospel is the good news of salvation, liberation, and transformation for all people, and we are committed to proclaiming his kingdom in our community and beyond.
The God We Worship
We believe in one God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—eternally existing in perfect unity and love. God is the creator of all things and the giver of life, worthy of all worship, trust, and obedience.
The Lord Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, fully divine and fully human. He lived the life we could not live and died the death we deserve. Through his atoning death and bodily resurrection, he secured forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and eternal life for all who turn to him in repentance and faith. He now reigns as Lord and will return in glory to judge the living and the dead.
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit gives life, brings people to faith, and transforms believers to become more like Christ. The Spirit equips God’s people for service, strengthens the church, and empowers us to live for God in the world.
The Bible
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God written. They are the ultimate authority in all matters of faith and life, containing all things necessary for salvation. We seek to read, preach, teach, and obey the Bible faithfully.
About Humanity
We believe that all people were created in the image of God to have fellowship with him, but are naturally inclined towards evil (sin). We all deserve God’s wrath and punishment for our sins. Yet there is no condemnation for those who believe and put their faith in Jesus Christ.
Salvation by Grace
We believe that the Jesus Christ died on the cross, and shed his blood as a punishment for the sins of the world. God poured out on him the wrath we deserve. This is the only way we can be saved is to put our trust in the sacrifice of Jesus in our place. His sacrifice has paid the price, the ransom, for our sins.
We believe we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Because God first loved us, we respond with repentance, faith, and lives marked by love, hope, and gratitude.
The Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ, of which Jesus Christ is the head. Every member of the church is called to serve God, according to the gifts they have been given, and according to their maturity of faith.
We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church—the global family of all who trust in Christ. Locally, we gather to worship God, hear his Word, share in fellowship, and build one another up in love.
As Anglicans, we stand within the historic Christian faith, expressed in the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed, and shaped by the teaching of the Thirty-Nine Articles and the rich heritage of the Book of Common Prayer.
Sacraments
We believe Jesus has given us two sacraments:
Baptism, as a sign of new life in Christ and entry into his church
The Lords Supper (Communion), a meal of remembrance – wine and bread help us to remember the body and blood of Jesus, the life he lived and the sacrificial death he died.
Christian Living
We believe God calls us to live lives of holiness, love, and obedience. The good works we do is a response to our salvation already gained through Christ. We do not work for that salvation, as Christ has already given it to us freely, by faith.We affirm God’s good design of humanity as male and female, and that marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman. We seek to live faithfully in all areas of life, trusting in God’s grace where we fall short.
Mission and the World
We believe Jesus calls us to make disciples of all nations. We are committed to sharing the gospel, serving our community, seeking justice, and caring for those in need as faithful stewards of God’s creation.
Our Hope
We believe Jesus will return to bring history to its fulfilment. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Until that day, we rejoice that God is at work by his Spirit, changing lives and building his church.
Fundamental Declarations
The Anglican Church of Australia makes, through its constitution, the following Fundamental Declarations:
The Anglican Church of Australia being a part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ, holds the Christian Faith as professed by the Church of Christ from primitive times and in particular as set forth in the creeds known as the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed.
This Church receives all the canonical scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as being the ultimate rule and standard of faith given by inspiration of God and containing all things necessary for salvation.
This Church will ever obey the commands of Christ, teach His doctrine, administer His sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, follow and uphold His discipline and preserve the three orders of bishops, priests and deacons in the sacred ministry.
Part I, Chapter I, Constitution of the Anglican Church of Australia
Upon their ordination, clergy in the Anglican Church of Australia are required to make an oath to uphold these declarations.
The Anglican Church of Australia, being derived from the Church of England, retains and approves the doctrine and principles of the Church of England embodied in the Book of Common Prayer together with the Form and Manner of Making Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests and Deacons and in the Articles of Religion, sometimes called the Thirty-nine Articles, but has authority at its own discretion to make statements as to the faith ritual ceremonial or discipline of the Australian Church and to order its forms of worship.
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen