Our History

Development of Chinese Alliance Churches in Australia

（Update January 2019）

History of the Christian & Missionary Alliance
(C&MA)

Founded in 1887,
just over 100 years ago, the C&MA has a relatively short history as
compared to the Christianity and the Orthodox which can be traced back to 2000
years and 500 years ago respectively。

The C&MA was founded by Dr. Albert B. Simpson (1843-1919), who was originally raised in a Scottish Presbyterian tradition.  After his graduation from a theological college, he was called to serve in Presbyterian churches in Canada and in America successively.

Being influenced by
the sacred movement and evangelistic upsurge that prevailed during the period, Simpson’s disagreement with
the traditional Presbyterian view on the church’s mission was soon
getting more intense. In 1881, as he decided to follow the bible‘s teaching to be
baptised again, he resigned from the Presbyterian Church where he had grown up and
served for many years. He went ahead to hold evangelistic meetings and planted
a church — the Gospel Tabernacle — in 1882. However, Dr. Simpson and, later,
the C&MA had been influenced, to certain extent, by the Presbyterian
etiquette and the (moderate) Reformed Theology. One of the distinct features of
the C&MA is that it has adopted the Presbyterian’s system on pastoral
workers’ identity and role in the church. 
This makes it different from the pure congregational church system.

In addition to
preaching and pastoring, Dr. Simpson launched two cross-denominational gospel
ministries with a group of like-minded people. 
Firstly, he organised a group of Christians, who were eager to pursue
deeper spiritual life, to meet regularly and to promote evangelism and healing
ministries. Secondly, he promoted the global missions through publications and
an organisation. For Simpson, these two ministries were in fact a joint
movement with the same purposes: to let God’s people experience
the life of Christ deeper and wider in their lives and to bravely undertake the
mission that had been neglected for a long time.  Later in 1887, these two ministries brought
about two organisations, namely, the Christian Alliance and the Evangelical
Missionary Alliance. In 1897, these two organisations (which were originally
under the same movement) merged into one, which then became today’s Christian &
Missionary Alliance.

During the 40 years
from the 1910s to the 1940s, the C&MA was actively exploring her identity
and mission. Structure-wise, the C&MA wanted to be transited from a
ministry under Dr. Simpson’s
vision and charisma to a sustainable spiritual movement which had a clear
direction and an effective organization. In ministry development, she had to
coordinate various developing mission fields, growing local churches, and the
relationship with Christian groups in the North America. In theology, the
C&MA wanted to establish her own identity on faith and doctrinal statement
from different spiritual thoughts and movements, and to define her similarities
and differences from other spiritual movements so that the C&MA would not
be excessively affected by various spiritual movements which were also
developing at that time.

Having gone through
a long period of instability, the C&MA had made a great progress on her
missionary work after the World War II. In the 50s to 70s, the C&MA
gradually established a localisation policy which encouraged and assisted
various mission fields to develop into independent churches, returned the church
management power to the hands of local believers, and empowered local leaders
to explore their own models for church and ministry. These movements were
definitely a booster for the C&MA church development in different parts of
the world.  In 1975, the C&MA
established the Alliance World Fellowship, which marked a new way of
cooperation and church relations. The C&MA was no longer just a spiritual
movement in the North America, but a global movement.

The C&MA had
been striving to maintain her status as a mission movement (not only a mission
organisation) by setting up a training centre for missionaries (established in
1883 and later known as the Nyack Missionary College), publishing publications
and sending out missionaries to different parts of the world. In the 1910s,
many independent churches in the North America linked to the C&MA and many
churches were built in overseas mission fields. However, the C&MA still had
no intention of becoming a formal denomination, worrying that the flexibility
of unifying their believers and the spirit of establishing this spiritual
movement would be compromised if she became a denomination. In fact the
C&MA in the 1930s was substantially a denomination without such a name.
However, not until 1974 did the C&MA formally recognise herself as a
denomination.  Since then, the C&MA
transited from a spiritual movement to a missionary denomination.

However, being a denominational organisation, how
the C&MA maintains the original spirit of the movement, especially her
focus on evangelism and missionary work, has remained to be the key concern of
each C&MA member.  The C&MA first
started as a gospel movement, then became a denomination.  Therefore, to be a gospel movement is far
more important than being a denominational organisation.  She must continue to be a gospel movement in
order to live up to the name of Christian &Missionary Alliance.

Brief Introduction of Australian Chinese C&MA

Chinese Alliance Churches

The C&MA had a late start in Australia, the
first of her church being established in 1969; the first Chinese C&MA
church was only established in the mid-1980s.

1. Perth Alliance Church (established in 1986)

Perth Alliance Church, being the first Chinese Alliance church, was established by Rev. Jonathan Kaan, who was sent by the Canadian Chinese Alliance Churches Association. Rev. Kaan, together with a group of believers, planted the PAC in March 1986 (Easter) in Perth, Western Australia. This church was a multicultural and multi-language spiritual family. With one heart in the Lord, the church has fulfilled social responsibilities and responded to social needs by spreading the gospel to the Henan, Hebei and other ethnic communities. Besides, through pastoring by cell groups, believers have rooted their spiritual lives in Christ and spread the gospel to the ends of the earth.

2. Perth Alliance Church North (established in 2003)

Under
the leadership of Rev. Thomas Auyeung, Perth Alliance Church North was planted
in October 2003.

Current Ministries:

• Sunday
  Services:
• Perth
  Alliance South: Cantonese
  9:00am; English 11:00am; Mandarin 11:30am

Address: 324 Belmont Avenue, Cloverdale

Email: perth@iinet.net.au

• Perth
  Alliance North: Cantonese
  10:00am; Mandarin 10:00am

Address: Hamersley Community Centre, Belvedere Road, Hamersley

Email: graceac@perthac.org.au

• Average
  Attendance: 460 including
  children
• Leadership
  Team: 7 Pastors; 2 Elders;
  11 Deacons
• Ministry
  Committees: 5
• Fellowships(or
  cell groups): 27

3. Sydney Chinese Alliance Church (established in 1987)

Rev. Jonathan Kaan planted Sydney Chinese Alliance Church at the Easter in 1987. They first gathered in Kingsgrove Uniting Church. In 1996, they bought a church building, which was originally belonging to the Fiji Islands Assemblies of God Church, at 40 George Street, Rockdale as their permanent site. This was also a new milestone in this church’s development.  Their first Sunday service was held on 4th August 1996.

With the growth of the second generation of believers,
the church started their English service in July 2001 to build up the new
generation. In September 2004, another church was planted in Hurstville i.e.
Sydney South Alliance Church. As the church saw a growing population of
Mandarin speaking Chinese in the region, they started a Mandarin service in
October 2011.

Current Ministries:

• Sunday
  Services: English 9:30am;
  Mandarin 11:00am; Cantonese 11:30am
• Average
  Attendance:  120 including children
• Leadership
  Team: 2 Pastors; 5 Elders;
  7 Deacons
• Ministry
  Committees: 3
• Fellowships
  (or groups) : 8
• Address: 40-42 George Street, Rockdale
• Contact: (02) 9556 3771

4. Chinese Alliance Church of Victoria (established in 1987)

In March 1987, the Foreign
Missionary Society of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Hong Kong sent a
missionary, Mr. Samuel Ho, to Melbourne to plant the first local Chinese
Alliance Church, named Christian Alliance Church of Victoria. They first used
St. David Uniting Church for their service and then moved to Canterbury Girls
High School for meeting until they bought their own premises at 17 Livingstone
Close, Burwood in 1993.

The
early Chinese Alliance Church of Victoria was Cantonese focused. However, in
order to meet the needs of the second generation, they started an English
service in 1993.

Current Ministries:

• Main
  Services: Cantonese
  10:30am  English 5:00pm
• Average
  Attendance:  200 including children
• Leadership
  Team: 3 Pastors; 3 Elders;
  7 Deacons
• Ministry
  Committees: 2
• Fellowships
  (or groups): 15
• Address: 46-48 Montclair Avenue, Glen Waverley
• Email: cacv@cacv.org.au

5. Chinese C&MA Church of South Australia (established in 1987)(renamed to Cowandilla C&MA Church of South Australia in 2017)

Rev. Jonathan Kaan and a
small group of believers began to meet in an English church in a residential
suburb of Woodville Gardens, Adelaide on 8th November, 1987. As the
congregation has grown over the years, the church moved to its current meeting
place at 10 Brooker Terrace, Cowandilla in 1989. Subsequently, the church
bought over the premises in April 2015 and renamed the church to be Cowandilla
C&MA Church of South Australia in August 2017.

The church started with Cantonese and
Mandarin bilingual service, and then slowly added an English congregation in
2001 to meet the young generation needs. The English ministry has become
self-managed congregation under the guidance of the Elder Board in October
2018.

Current Ministries:

• Main
  Services: Cantonese
  11:30am; Mandarin 11:30am; English 11:30am
• Address: 10 Brooker Terrace, Cowandilla, SA 5033
• Average
  Attendance:  215 including children
• Leaderships: 2 Pastors; 
  2 Elders; 10 Deacons
• Ministry
  Committees:  3
• Fellowships
  / Small groups: 13
  (average attendance 152)
• Other
  Ministry: Opened an
  Alliance Chinese school in February 1995 and passed it on to the  Parents Association to continue the operation
  in 2010.
• Email: ccmasaadmin@ccmasa.org.au

6. North Side Chinese Alliance Church (established in 1998)

Rev. Zhao Shi Chang and his
wife, of Vancouver Chinese Alliance Church, came from Canada to Sydney in March
1988 to plant the North Side Chinese Alliance Church. The first Sunday service
was held on 12th June 1988 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ryde. Rev.
and Mrs. Zhao returned to Canada in December of that year and Pastor Daniel Tam
took over the church and continued to minister the church. They held their
Sunday service (11:45am session) in Epping Uniting Church in December 1989,
they also hired West Ryde Primary School as venue for their Sunday School and
Choir rehearsal. Pastor Tam was ordained in February 1992. They bought a
property at 57A Carlingford Road, Epping as their current permanent site in
March 1993.

In February 1995, they planted a church in
Baulkham Hills, by using the small hall of an Anglo Alliance Church for their
first Sunday service. Rev. Patrick Suen came from Hong Kong to Sydney to
minister the church in September 1995. The Baulkham Hills Chinese Alliance
Church became an independent church in July 1998. They invited the church
founder, Rev. Zhao Shi Chang, from Canada to Sydney in August to attend their
10th Anniversary Celebration Ceremony. Rev. Daniel Tam resigned from the North
Side Chinese Alliance Church in September 1998. Rev. Constant Chow became the
Consulting Pastor and ministered the church in December 1998. In December 1999,
Rev. Chow became the Senior Pastor until now. 
The induction service for Rev. Constant Chow and English Pastor Rhys
Tregenza was held on 5th December in that year.

The Church bought and renovated a house
next door in March 1999 for Sunday school, fellowship, library, office etc. In
February 2000, the Deacon Board passed a resolution on Rev. Almon Li’s church
plant proposal and authorised him to recruit and train the church plant’s core
workers. The church plant, Hills Christian Alliance Church, became an
independent church in October 2002.  In
July 2000, an Extraordinary General Meeting was held to pass the resolution on
building a church at the original site i.e. 57A, 59 Carlingford Road, and the
resolution on the Hills Christian Alliance Church plant proposal and budget.  The new church building was completed in end
2005 and the Dedication and Thanksgiving Service was held on 4th December in
that year.

Ms. Jessie Wei was sent to Kenya in Africa for a two-year mission
trip on 7th May 2006 to support the local bible translation ministry with her
IT profession. She was the first missionary sent by the North Side Chinese
Alliance Church. The church had also sent two other couples from their
congregation to overseas for mission, one pair of the couples are still serving
in overseas.

Five Elders were elected in November 2007 and they, together with
the pastors, formed the first Board of Elders (2008-2010). The term of deacons
was also changed from two years to one year.

Current Ministries:

• Main
  Services: Cantonese
  9:00am; English 9:00am; Mandarin 11:00am
• Average
  Attendance:  1460 including children
• Leaderships:
  6 Pastors; 5 Elder; 10
  Deacons
• Ministry
  Committees: 2
• Fellowships
  (or groups): Cantonese: 8
  fellowships and 34 small groups, English: 3 groups, Mandarin: 3 groups
• Address: 59 Carlingford Road, Epping
• Email: nscac@nscac.org.au

7. Hebron Chinese Alliance Church (established in 1987)

Rev. Peter Yip, sent by
C&MA of Canada in 1989, planted this church. The first combined Sunday
service was held in Parramatta on 4th June 1989 at 2:00pm. They bought a
building located at 51 Hawkesbury Road, Westmead as their church property in
September 1991.  The church moved into
the new building in December 1991 while the Dedication Ceremony was held in
June 1992.

Current Ministries:

• Sunday
  Services: Cantonese
  8:45am; Mandarin 9:15am and 11:15am; English 9:15am and 4:00pm;
• Average
  Attendance: 480 including
  children
• Leadership
  Team: 8 Pastors; 6 Elder;
  7 Deacons
• Ministry
  Committees: 3
• Fellowships(or
  groups): Cantonese 9,
  Mandarin 7
• Address:  51
  Hawkesbury Road, Westmead

Church Plant:
Rhodes Alliance Church was planted on 2nd June 2018 by 50 members of the
Cantonese and Mandarin Congregations. 
The bilingual service is held on every Saturday at 5:00pm.

8. Brisbane Chinese Alliance Church (established in 1992)

Brisbane Chinese Alliance
Church, founded in 1990 and first known as Antioch International Church, was
established in Sunnybank Hills by a group of local Chinese Christians. The
church had been ministered successively by Rev. John Mui, Rev. Ho, Rev. Kim Goh
and Pastor Elwin Lai.

Due to
rapid growth of attendance, the Antioch International Church gradually
developed into an independent church with a Board of Deacons being set up in
1995. As the service venue in Sunny Bank Hills became insufficient, they
decided to split into two independent churches: Southside International Church
and Brisbane Chinese Alliance Church.

The
BCAC started to build a new church building at Rochedale in 2005, turning an
important page in their history. During the building project, they had various
kinds of fund-raising events: garage sale, lunch fund raising, talent show, and
the Opera “The Pilgrim’s Progress” in 2007 etc. Thanks for the Lord’s guidance
and blessing, the new building was completed in March 2009 and the BCAC was
rooted and built up in Rochedale.

Since
then the BCAC had been growing rapidly. 
The “adult” congregation gradually developed into a Cantonese
congregation, serving the first generation Cantonese immigrants of different
ages including university students, working people, retirees etc. The then “young
people” started an English congregation to serve the second generation of the
Cantonese immigrants as well as non-Cantonese speaking people of all ages. The
Mandarin Congregation was also established in 2011 with rapid development.

Current Ministries:

• Sunday
  Services: Cantonese
  9:00am; Mandarin 11:00am; English 11:00am;
• Average
  Attendance:  280 including children
• Leadership
  Team: 3 Pastors; 9 Deacons
• Ministry
  Committees: 4
• Fellowships
  (or groups): 11
• Address: 983 Rochedale Road, Rochedale
• Email: info@bcaccmaa.org

9. Baulkham Hills Chinese Alliance Church (established in 1995)

Baulkham Hills Chinese
Alliance Church (BHCAC in short) was planted by the North Side Chinese Alliance
Church on 12th February 1995.

The church was planted by 20 lay believers
from the North Side Chinese Alliance Church under Rev. Daniel Tam’s leadership.
They started their service and called a new pastor. Thank God for bringing Rev.
Patrick Suen and his family from Hong Kong in September 1995 and Rev. Suen started
his ministry on 1st October in that year.

Since
February 1995, the Church had used the small hall of the Hills Alliance Church at
Baulkham Hills for their Sunday service. The Senior Pastor of this English
church, Rev Terry Davidson, also shared the Dining Room of his house, just
adjacent to the small hall, for Sunday school ministry as a temporary measure.
During that period, the Church received financial and physical support from
their mother church as well as the Hills Alliance Church to build a classroom
for Sunday school purpose. The classroom was completed in 1996 and a dedication
ceremony was held on 4th August in that year.

After
establishment in 1995, the church was growing strong and rapidly within a few
years. BHCAC became an independent church in July 1998. With an increasing
number of attendance, the small hall and the Sunday school classroom were no
longer large enough to cope with their needs. The church decided to move to
Crestwood High School on 25th April 1999 for services.

Due to
the continuous growth of the church and for long term development, they started
to search for their own church premise since 1998. Thank God for His guidance
that, after a few years of searching without success, BHCAC eventually found
their permanent church site in October 2004. The Church’s Dedication and
Thanksgiving Service was held on 3rd July 2005.

Current Ministries:

• Sunday
  Services: Mandarin 8:45am;
  Cantonese 10:10am; English 11:45am
• Average
  Attendance:  320 including children
• Leadership
  Team:  4 Pastors; 10 Deacons
• Ministry
  Committees: 3
• Fellowships
  (or groups): 28
• Address: 2/4 Gladstone Road, Castle Hill
• Email: admin@bhcac.org.au

10. Christ Community Alliance Church (established in 2000)

Rev. Alfred Tai and his
wife Sarah established a church with eight overseas students at the Easter in
2000. To start their church, it took them a year of door knockings (over 600
houses) and gospel sharing in Glen Waverley, Melbourne.

Current Ministries:

• Sunday
  Services: Cantonese/Mandarin  2:45pm
• Address:
  46 Montclair Ave, Glen
  Waverley, VIC 3150
• Email:
  ccac.org.au@gmail.com

11. Hills Christian Alliance Church (established in 2000)

Hills Christian Alliance
Church was planted by the North Side Chinese Alliance Church. Looking back, God
gave the vision to Rev. Almon Li and his wife in 1999. Thanks to God for the
mother church to share the vision that it was the right time to send a pastor
and a group of dedicated brothers and sisters to plant a new Chinese church.

Rev. Almon Li started to look for the right
people for preparing the church planting after their mother church passed the
church planting plan in January 2000. The core team was formed and started
training and operation in March of that year. Within half a year of preparation
and training, their first open day was held at the Pennant Hills Community
Centre on 23th September 2000 and their first service was held on 1st October
2000 with a total attendance of 70 people.

Mandarin
Church Plant started service in October 2006. A group of believers who had the
heart to share the gospel to the Chinese from the Mainland China, were sent out
to set up the new Mandarin Church Plant. At about the
same time, the church began an English ministry and the attendance was growing.
Since June 2017, the Mandarin Church Plant returned to the Hills Christian
Alliance Church as the Mandarin Congregation. At present, Hills Christian
Alliance Church is one church with 3 congregations.

Current Ministries:

• Sunday Services: Cantonese 9:30pm; Mandarin 9:30am; English
  9:30am
• Average Attendance:  around 210 including children
• Leadership Team: 5 Pastors; 
  8 Deacons
• Ministry Committees: 3
• Fellowships(or groups): English 5 ; Cantonese 11; Mandarin 2
• Address:
  • Cantonese
    & Mandarin Services: Pennant Hills Community Centre, Cnr Ramsay Rd &
    Yarrara Rd, PENNANT HILLS NSW 2120
  • English
    Service: 3/340 Pennant Hills Road, PENNANT HILLS NSW 2120
• Email: admin@hillscac.org

12. Sydney South Alliance Church (established in 2004)

Sydney South Alliance
Church was planted by the Sydney Chinese Alliance Church. The resolution on
planting a church was passed by the Extraordinary General Meeting held on 9th
November 2003 and accepted by the National Board. A Commissioning Service was
held for Pastor Franko Chen on 29th August 2004 and a church planting team was
sent to Hurstville to set up the church plant. The church plant was called
Sydney Chinese Alliance Church Hurstville at that time and their first service
as well as the Sunday school ministry began on 5th September 2004.

The
church plant used a piano studio for service in the first year.  One year later (i.e. 7th August 2005), they
then used Hurstville Boys’ High School hall for services.4 years later after
planting, the church was approved to become an independent church.  The ceremony was held on 11th November 2007
and the church was formally renamed as Sydney South Alliance Church.

Due to
the renovation of Hurstville Boys’ High School, they could not use the
classrooms anymore and their Sunday school ministry was greatly affected.
Therefore, the church started thinking about having their own property for long
term development. A purchase committee was formed in 2012 to study the church’s needs and review the financial status.
After multiple rounds of searching, the purchase committee found a warehouse in
Beverly Hills that could be reconstructed as a worship venue. A resolution on
purchasing the warehouse and renovating it into a church was passed in an
extraordinary general meeting held on 5th May 2013.

Then it took 4 years to work with
Council, tendering and renovation. Finally the first Sunday service was held on
16^th July 2017. The Church Dedication Service was on 17^th
September 2017 and we invited Rev Patrick Suen and Rev Ming Leung to solemnize
the ceremony.

Current Ministries:

• Main
  Services: Cantonese
  10:00am
• Address: 1/159-163 Penshurst Street, Beverly Hills
• Average
  Attendance:  80 including children
• Leaderships: 1 Pastors; 5 Deacons
• Ministry
  Committees: 6
• Fellowships
  / Small groups: 5
• Email: admin@ssac.org.au

13. New Hope Community Church (established in 2005)

New Hope Community Church was established in July 2005
as an independent church set up by a group of believers. Pastor Robert Chua and
the believers saw the gospel needs of the immigrants and students from China
and hoped to spread the gospel to them, and to train them so that they could
testify for God when they went back to China.

At
first, they met in a garage of one of the believers with around 20 people who
were mostly university students. Then, they moved to Calamvale Salvation Army
Church for services until now. The church joined the C&MA in June 2011 as
an affiliate church and then became a developing church in June 2014.

Current Ministries:

• Sunday
  Services: English/Mandarin
  4:45pm
• Average
  Attendance:  120 including children
• Leadership
  Team: 2 Pastors; 3 Elders;
  6 Deacons
• Ministry
  Committees: 2
• Fellowships
  (groups): 6
• Address: Corner Kameruka Street & Mt. Lindesay
  Highway, Calamvale
• Email: Robert.chua@newhopechurch.org.au

14. Gracious Glory Christian Church (established in 2017)

Gracious Glory Christian
Church, established on 2nd July 2017, first started as an independent church
and then joined the C&MA in October 2017. The church is currently hiring
the Scout & Guide Hall, the Crescent in Beecroft for Sunday services (9:30
am) which are conducted mainly in Cantonese with simultaneous interpretation in
Mandarin.  Apart from Sunday services,
there are two family groups for brothers and sisters to have fellowship and
sharing.  On outreach ministry, they have
an English tuition class at 10am on Monday in order to serve the community and
share the gospel.

Current Ministries:

• Sunday Services: English with Mandarin simultaneous interpretation at 9:30am
• Average Attendance:  30
• Leadership Team: 1 Pastor; 6 Deacons
• Ministry Committee: 1
• Fellowships (groups): 2
• Outreach ministry: 1
• Address: 1 The Crescent, Beecroft, NSW 2119
• Email: info@g2c2.org.au

15. Rhodes Alliance Church (established in 2018)

Rhodes Alliance
Church (RAC) is the church plant of the Hebron Chinese Alliance Church (HCAC).
Looking back, God gave Rev Kelvin Kam, the Senior Pastor, and the Board of
Elders of HCAC in early 2016 the vision of church planting. Thank God for His
guidance and blessing that the vision was endorsed by all three congregations
in the mother church. All agreed that it was the right time to consider church
planting. Rev. Joseph Kao and his wife, together with 48 brothers and sisters
from both Cantonese and Mandarin congregations, were sent to establish a new
Chinese church plant at Rhodes.

Rev. Kao conducted a
series of training sessions brothers and sisters and led the planting team to
pray for the lost souls in prayer walks at Rhodes community. Worship services
training were held twice a month to prepare the planting team for the
challenges ahead. By God’s grace, RAC managed to hire the Rhodes Community
Centre as their service venue.

After one year’s
training and preparation, RAC officially commenced its bilingual service on 2nd
June 2018, with an attendance of 85 adults and 11 youths/children including
some visitors who came to celebrate their opening. Thereafter, the average
weekly attendance is about 60+ adults and 6-10 youths and children.

Currently, there are
6 cell groups, 3 in Cantonese and 3 in Mandarin. Everyone in the church
planting team is involved actively in newcomers caring ministry. The Church
connectsthe non-believers through their weekly dinner fellowship and
visitations.

Current Ministris:

• Sunday Service: Bilingual (Cantonese
  and Mandarin), Saturday 5:00pm
• Average attendance: 70+ (including
  youth and children)
• Leadership Team: 2 pastors, 2
  elders, 2 deacons, 1 member
• Rhodes Ministry
  Committee: 14 members 
• Family Groups: 6 (3 Cantonese,
  3  Mandarin)
• Address: Rhodes Community Centre, 63 Blaxland Road, RHODES
• Email: Rhodes@hcac.org.au