About Grace

Meet the team

Grace is a presbyterian church, which means our ministry is overseen by a team of elders which includes our pastors. The elders are assisted by our deacons and other ministry leaders, including our Engage staff team who are devoted to evangelism, discipleship, and training among university students.

Engage Support and Women's Pastoral Worker

Engage Campus Ministry Team

L to R: Andrew Robinson, Hugh Wilson, Matt Kincaid-Lloyd, Laura Spence, Patrick Beamish, Bethany Piel, Travis Barth, David Richards, Rochelle Raggio.

Elders and Deacons

L to R: Alison and Caleb Gray, Gail and Stuart Johnson, Mel and Azriel Gray, Catherine and Russell Harrex, Laura and Ben Hudson, Kristy and David Richards, Ben and Mel Reshey, Bruce Muir. Not pictured: Bill and Karen Boyes, Neville and Jan Jopson, Josh and Megan Spence, Alison Muir.

Elders in bold, Deacons in italics.

Our story

Grace Bible Church began in 1999 with a vision to share the good news about Jesus with students at the University of Otago. In God's kindness, this campus ministry has grown into a city-wide church with people from all walks of life.

Grace Bible Church is characterised by: Reformed theological convictions held with a generous, evangelical spirit; biblical preaching and teaching that is faithful, focused on Christ, edifying, and practical; and a heart for God's mission as we commend Christ to our city and look to support and resource gospel work in NZ and around the world.

What we believe

Our full statement of faith is the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF). Written in 1647, the WCF is a rich and respected summary of Christian teaching in the Reformed tradition. Read the WCF, or read more about it.

Jesus: Full of Grace and Truth

To highlight two foundations:

First, we believe in a God of grace. God is gracious as our creator, giving life and every good thing; and as our redeemer, without whom human beings are lost in sin. The ultimate display of God's grace is the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us—for our forgiveness and salvation. At the heart of Christianity is not trying to impress God with our values, good works, or decency, but trusting and resting in his grace.

Second, we believe that the Bible is the supreme way God communicates with us. The Bible is God's true, trustworthy, and powerful word, containing everything we need to know God and to live a life that pleases him. Our calling is to listen to, trust, and obey what God is saying in the Bible.

We seek to live out these foundations by being devoted to faithful preaching and teaching from the Bible in our small and large gatherings. We seek to teach, pray, and sing in ways that celebrate and glorify God for his amazing grace. And we pray that our church life reflects, in our relationships with each other, that same grace he has shown us.

Structure and governance

Grace Bible Church belongs to the Grace Presbyterian Church of New Zealand (GPCNZ)—a nation-wide denomination with 25 churches from Auckland to Invercargill. Our church seeks to operate according to biblical principles, with a presbyterian structure, as set out in GPCNZ's Book of Church Order. This means our church is led and overseen by our team of elders (or 'presbyters'), who are accountable to and supported by the churches which make up the Southern Presbytery and their elders, who, in turn, are a part of the national Assembly of the GPCNZ denomination.