Sunday services

You are most welcome to join us as we come before the throne of our great Savior.

• Every Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
• St Chad’s Church building (on the map, it’s called St Chad’s Communication Centre Trust), at 2 Devon Street, Rotorua.

What to expect

It would be fair to call us conservative. We believe that worship must follow the pattern laid down by God in scripture, and this pattern is captured well in the rich Reformed tradition of the Lord’s Service.

We incorporate modern ideas about worship only when they naturally build upon the scriptural pattern.

• We use a traditional style of call/response liturgy

  Churches have used these throughout history to draw every member of the congregation into active participation. We have made our liturgy to be easy to pick up, and you are welcome to follow along on your phone. View it online »

• We read plenty of scripture

  We favor word-for-word translations over thought-for-thought ones, because although they are a little harder to follow, they preserve God’s actual words. However, you are welcome to follow the reading using any Bible you are comfortable with.

• We focus on understanding & applying God’s word for all of life

  Our sermons are not especially long or academic, but they are solid food. We teach our people how to interpret each passage in light of Scripture’s full patterns, and how God’s law directs every aspect of our lives. Listen to past sermons »

• We gather together in one body, not online

  This is what Christ commands and blesses (Heb 10:25). Online meetings are not a legitimate form of worship. Learn more »

• We sing psalms & traditional-style congregational hymns

  We include at least one psalm in every Lord’s service, because God has given us an inspired songbook to shape our souls, and has instructed us to use it as a means of being filled with both the Spirit and his Word (Col 3:16; Eph 5:19). We also sing many hymns, but we stick to ones that were written for congregations, not soloists. This doesn’t necessarily mean old—it just means they are easy to pick up, and easy to sing, so everyone can praise God together. We strongly favor hymns whose sound reflects the majesty of God. Popular examples include Crown Him With Many Crowns and Behold Our God. Learn more »

• We include children in our worship

  Thanks to the glorious promises of God, children are part of the body of Christ. He bids us to let them come to him (Mt 19:14), so we are careful to include them in our worship. We have no cry room at our current building, but God does not mind the yawping of babies before his throne.

• We celebrate the Lord’s Supper every week.

  This is because, in the scriptural pattern, the highest point of worship is a communion meal with God. Anyone who is baptized and walking with the Lord is welcome at our communion table, including children. Please note that we follow the pattern of the Last Supper by using wine, not grape juice. Learn more »