Presbyterian Church of Victoria Website

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OFFICE MOVE

Due to extensive repair work over the next six months the office of the General
Assembly will be temporarily relocated from Thursday 3rd November 2011
until further notice to

SUITE 303
530 LITTLE COLLINS STREET
MELBOURNE VIC 3000

Mail will be redirected to the new address so you can continue to address mail
to the 156 Collins Street address.

Arrangements have been made for the phone numbers (9650 9311 Fax: 9654
5018, 9655 14xx) to be redirected to the new office. However we will not have
the same number of lines available which may result in an engaged signal from
time to time. It may be more efficient to use the direct numbers at the

temporary office as follows:

John Wilson, Clerk 9909 7518
Michael Ellison, General Manager 9909 7519
John Vandenberg, Accountant 9909 7517
Ros Grant 9909 7516
Sharee Barnett 9909 7521

The Ministry Development Committee will not relocate its office

but will remain at 156 Collins Street Melbourne, on the Second Floor.

However, please note that the MDC's direct phone numbers will be

suspended during the renovations, so please use the following numbers;

Director - Rev Dr Robert Carner   0419 780 810 or 03 9650 9313

Secretary - Ben Palmer   03 9650 9313 or 0458 780 810

Email will continue with no change to addresses.

PCV Moderator

Rev Dr Robert L Carner

Robert has a passion for evangelism, church planting and church revitalisation.  He is married to Coral and together they have two adult sons, Daniel and David.

His introduction into ministry started in 1985 serving as a state director for the Watchman Fellowship, a counter cult ministry.  He trained in the USA at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson Mississippi, and at Denver Seminary in Denver Colorado. His doctoral thesis followed his passionate need to explore the biblical basis of marriage and divorce focusing on divorce recovery. Additional qualifications in counselling came through Contact Jackson, Institute of Christian Counselling (Bris) and the Medical Registrar of Australia.

Robert's Australian ministry started in 1989 in Melton Victoria as a church planter. This was followed by serving in a second church plant on Queensland's Gold Coast, where not only was church-planting a primary mission, but he experienced an unplanned  crash course in ministering to Muslims, as Queensland's largest mosque and the Presbyterian church shared a common boundary line while both were in their infancy and developmental stages.  The Lord used this as a means to create within Robert and his wife a strong desire to work with Muslims, to see them released from the bondage of deception.  In 2001 he returned to the Presbyterian Church of Victoria where for the past decade he has served in the same role (under different titles); as Home Mission Director, Healthy Church Director and now Director of Ministry Development.

Prior to becoming a Christian, Robert spent a year serving the USAF in the Vietnam War followed by a season as a Jehovah's Witness, again creating in him a passion to reach cultists for Christ. Many opportunites to write and lecture in Bible Colleges in the USA and Australia have emanated from this experience.  Prior to his deliverance from spiritual blindness he studied Pre-Law, Professional Management and the necessary prerequisites that supported 12 years work as an aircraft electrician, engineering lab tech and engineering lab supervisor, prior to surrendering his secular career to serve the Lord in full-time gospel ministry.

For 26 years he has been most content to focus on a life of serving the Lord Jesus Christ and encouraging others to do likewise.

We Are Part of the Presbyterian Church of Australia

Together with the Presbyterian Church in each of the other states, we form the Presbyterian Church of Australia, which came into being on 24 July 1901 as the mainline Presbyterian denomination in this country in historic continuity with the Church of Scotland and the Free Church of Scotland, accepting the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as our supreme standard and only rule of faith and practice, and the Westminster Confession of Faith with slight modifications as our subordinate standard.

We Are Christians Who Believe the Bible

We believe that the whole Bible is the Word of God in written form, that the Bible is not mistaken in anything it says, that it is the final authority for the church's beliefs and practices, and the ultimate guide for all mankind. Therefore we believe that hearing God's Word carries with it the responsibility to obey God's will. To help us understand the Bible we accept and use the Westminster Confession of Faith as a reasonable summary of the Bible's teaching.

We Are Christians Who Proclaim God's Promises

God gave mankind a message of Good News ('the Gospel') through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a message which demands a response from all people everywhere.

We seek to proclaim the good news that when people put their trust in Jesus Christ and obey His commands their sins are forgiven, they live under God's blessing day by day, and they receive the assurance of eternal life.

We Are Practical Christians

We aim to provide opportunities for people of all ages to learn how to respond to this good news, and then to become effective followers of Jesus Christ. As they do this they progress in the Christian faith through Bible study, prayer, fellowship with other Christians, and service to others.

We Are Relevant Christians

We believe that the Bible's message provides tried and true answers for every modern problem and issue. As we worship God we seek to maintain a simple format with emphasis on the practical teaching and application of God's Word, the Bible, to the needs of our world.

We Are Australian Christians

Since 1823, Presbyterian Churches have taken an active part in Australian society. Subsequently, Australia has become a home to people of many ethnic and cultural backgrounds. So has the Presbyterian Church, with people of many different origins worshipping in our local congregations as well as in congregations which cater for specific ethnic groups, such as Arabic, Chinese, Cook Island, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Portugese, Samoan, Spanish.

We Are 'Presbyterian' in Church Government

The spiritual leaders of the Presbyterian Church are called 'ministers' (who are particularly responsible for preaching) and 'elders' (who join with the ministers in exercising pastoral care and oversight in the congregations and courts of the church). These words are English equivalents of the Greek word 'presbyter'. Ministers and elders are elected by members of our congregations from among themselves, being those whom the members believe are spiritually qualified to lead and care for them.

Each congregation looks after its own affairs under the general guidance and oversight of the presbytery, a gathering of ministers and elders from the several congregations in the local area. The General Assembly of each state provides leadership in wider areas of the church's work such as social services, chaplaincy work in the defence forces, hospitals and other institutions, training of ministers, mission and evangelism, and Christian education. The General Assembly of Australia deals with matters of doctrine, overall standards of training of ministers, receiving ministers from other churches and the church's mission to the world.

Church Office Address

(Temporary Address)
Suite 303
530 Little Collins St
Melbourne Victoria 3000

Phone: (03) 9650 9311
Fax: (03) 9654 5018
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Moderator:

Rt Rev Robert L Carner
C/- Presbyterian Church of Victoria Office
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Assembly Clerk:

Rev John Wilson
c/- Church Office
Phone: (03) 9650 9311 Fax: (03) 9654 5018
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Deputy Clerk:

Rev Peter Phillips
1 Warrnambool Rd
Terang, 3264, Victoria
Phone: (03) 5592 1041
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Business Convener:

Convener: Rev Jared Hood
3 Walker St, The Basin, Vic, 3154
Phone: (03) 9761 2680
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Law Agent:

Mr Brian D Bayston BComm LLB
c/- Church Office
Phone: (03) 9650 9311 Fax: (03) 9654 5018


Date of Next General Assembly:
October 2012