What To Expect
But we don’t care how you’re dressed, how many tattoos you have, or what sports team you follow. We’re a church full of broken, struggling, imperfect people with every kind of story imaginable, and we’re saving a spot for you!
Yep, we’re a mess. We are broken people discovering healing together. Most of the people you meet when you come to an Ipswich Lutheran Church location will be nice and friendly. But you need to know, before you come, that we’re a bunch of people who don’t ‘have it all together’.
There are people attending, and even leading, who have major hurts, habits, and hangups in life. In fact, only one perfect person in all of history is allowed... Jesus. We’re a community of people who don’t have it all figured out, but are discovering what it means that the perfect God of the universe would rescue, adopt, encourage, and empower people like us to make a real difference in the world. That is who we are.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re planning to come to an Ipswich Lutheran Church service on a Sunday morning, check to see our times and locations. We suggest arriving a bit earlier to find a parking space and walk to our building. Our Host Team are ready to greet you from about half an hour prior to the start time, so we would love you to arrive early if you can. For more information about our service times and locations, go to our where we worship page.
It’s hard to give an exact time, as our song and message lengths (and other exciting things that are happening) can vary from week to week, but our services generally last an hour to an hour and twenty minutes, however we’d love you to stick around longer for a coffee so we can get to know you (and so you can get to know us!
Our pastors preach from the Bible. This means we open up the Bible before every message, hear it read, and then hear the pastor explain it and apply it. We usually work through message series. Sometimes looking at a small section of a particular bible book week by week, but we sometimes hear about what the Bible says about particular topics. Every so often we have a guest preacher who might give a talk outside of our regular preaching series.
Coming to a new place without knowing someone can be daunting. Rest assured do our best to be friendly and welcoming toward everyone who comes through our doors. If attending in person is a bit too much for now, that's completely understandable. You're most welcome to try joining us online or on the phone first. For more information about that, go to our where we worship page.
Absolutely! We have many families attending Ipswich Lutheran Church. All of our locations would love to welcome you and your family. You will find that all of our congregations will happiliy accomodate your family and their needs, no matter what the age of your kids. That being said, some of our locations have spaces set up that you may find more suitable for your family.
Each Sunday morning at our Bethany location we have Engage Kids Ministry (4-12 years of age) that begins partway through our worship service (this will be clearly explained) and runs through to the end of the service. If you want to know more, speak to a Host Team member – they’ll be able to point you in the right direction!
At Bethany and St John's locations we also have a space/area especially for younger children (0-4) that you might like to take advantage of if you feel your child is particularly unsettled.
- Val Lucas
If you are looking for these characteristics in a church this might be a good place for you.
- We are Christ-centred in all we do.
- We emphasise preaching that applies to the lives of Christians.
- We seek to be a people who depend on the Lord in prayer.
- We desire to reach the lost world around us.
- In terms of congregational singing we desire to worship God with biblical lyrics and music regardless of style.
- We endeavour to see each person grow in their faith, so we take discipleship seriously.
- We find our unity in Christ rather than in our backgrounds, ages, stages of life or some peripheral teaching or practice.
- We have a strong engage group network and encourage all people to connect and grow in fellowship.
- We have vibrant children’s, youth and young adult ministries.
However, if you are looking for the following characteristics in a church this might not be a good place for you:
- If you desire church to be an event to attend rather than a community to be a part of.
- If you are not seeking accountability to help you grow in the Lord.
- If there is a peripheral teaching or practice that is more important to you than the unity of the saints.
- If you want tradition or preference to be your guide rather than the Bible.
- If you are looking for the perfect church. We believe we have an incredible church – but we certainly are not perfect.
We believe the Lord has given us a fellowship of warm, friendly, growing people who take their faith seriously and want to make a difference in the world for Christ. If this resonates with you, then consider getting to know us and joining us in this God-given mission.
