The potter's House christian fellowship
We are part of a world-wide fellowship and move of God, active for over 45 years.
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The Church
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Our History
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Our Vision
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Statement Of Faith
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The Potter’s House Parramatta exists as a local congregation to witness to the world of God’s love as revealed in His Son Jesus Christ, our crucified, risen, exalted and soon returning King.
We seek to teach the Word of God and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our goal is the shaping and equipping of our church family so that disciples will be nourished and empowered to fulfill their God ordained purpose and ministry. As members of the church our desire is to bring glory to God through our public and private lives. We do this by rejoicing in Christ Jesus; increasing in knowledge of God through the study and application of the scriptures; by growing in Godly character; by practicing Biblical fellowship; by serving one another with our spiritual gifts, our time and our money, and by proclaiming the Gospel in Parramatta, surrounding suburbs, and to the ends of the earth. |
We have a large number of ways that we serve the community and minister to people both within and outside the four walls of the church building.
These include:
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The Potter’s House Christian Fellowship is a Christian Pentecostal church organisation founded by Pastor Wayman Mitchell in Prescott, Arizona in 1970. The official organisation title is Christian Fellowship Ministries or CFM.
The Potter’s House is a Pentecostal bible-based fellowship of 2500 churches in 115 nations throughout the world with 61 ministering evangelists. The name comes from an Old Testament verse of the Bible: Jeremiah 18:2 ‘Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.’ In 1970 Wayman and Nelda Mitchell moved to Prescott to take over a small, struggling congregation. Shortly after arriving, God saved a number of young hippies who were very different than anyone in the church. But as they were welcomed, God began to pour out His Spirit on the congregation.
As Pastor Mitchell sought to reach young people, they saw the possibilities of the “coffee-house” concert ministry. At the first concert they ever tried as an evangelistic tool, more than 200 young people attended, with many saved. Out of this a regular concert ministry was birthed. Two nights a week, bands played, testimonies of salvation were given and the Gospel was preached, with many being saved each night. |
From the beginning, Pastor Mitchell understood that concert ministry was to be a training ground of ministry development. It was run by young people who were committed to Jesus and His church.
People who had been radically converted sought to share with others what God had done in them. Personal evangelism began to be one of the basic foundations of the church. Then came impact teams: Groups of people that would travel to other nearby cities to help people there experience what God was doing here. Over time, God began to reveal His plan of discipleship: Training young couples for ministry within a local church. In 1973 the first couple was launched directly into the ministry – and God blessed them! Churches then began to be planted throughout the southwestern United States, and then further across America as converts prayed for the Gospel to be preached in their hometowns. In 1978 the first couple was planted into another nation – Australia; and we discovered the Gospel worked there, just like it did in the USA. After that, churches were planted in Mexico, Holland and Germany then as we came to understand God’s global mission more and more, churches began to be planted throughout the world. |
Evangelism: The Gospel taken outside the four walls is the absolute foundation of our church, in obedience to Mark 16:15 And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature'… We emphasize personal evangelism, and a large variety of outreaches to share the Gospel.
Conversion: We witness, testify and preach for a decision. The Gospel has the power to save and transform lives. 1 Peter 1:23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever… The bulk of our congregation consists of people converted here by the Power of God. The Local Church: God has placed everything necessary to accomplish His will in the setting of the local church. Ephesians 1:22-23 …the church. Which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. God’s will is accomplished in us and through us as connect and commit ourselves to a local church. Discipleship: God intends for calling to Him, and for Him, to be accomplished through being trained and equipped within the setting of a local church. Therefore, the highest calling of a Pastor and congregation is to obey God’s command in Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. |
Church Planting: The result of disciples being raised up is that they be released into the harvest field. Matthew 9:37-38 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." We send couples to plant brand new congregations, with the aim of reproducing our vision in a new area.
World Evangelism: From the earliest Bible record, God’s vision is worldwide testimony and impact. The gospel message and the vision God has revealed to us is not simply American, but God-inspired; so therefore it works, and is relevant in every nation and culture of the world. Mark 16:15 all the world/every person…Matthew 28:19 all the nations… Our job as believers, and as the local church is to pray, train, invest, send and support workers to go into all the world! |
• There is only one God, and that He is eternally existent in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• God the Father is the Creator of the universe. He created man in His own image for fellowship, and called man back to Himself through Christ after the rebellion and fall of man. • Jesus Christ is eternally God. He was together with the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning, and through Him all things were made. He left Heaven and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary; henceforth, He is forever one Christ with two natures--God and man--in one Person. • The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord, and giver of life, who was active in the Old Testament, and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost. He empowers the saints for service and witness, cleanses man from the old nature, and conforms us to the image of Christ. • The baptism in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues, subsequent to conversion, releases the fullness of the Spirit, and is evidenced by the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit. • In the Bible containing the Old and New Testament is alone the only infallible, inspired Word of God, and that its authority is ultimate, final, and eternal. It cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any regard. The Bible is the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction, and reproof. It contains all that is needed for guidance in godliness and practical Christian conduct. • Christ's vicarious death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world. Its benefits of healing (body, soul, and spirit) are provided for in the atonement as well. |
• That salvation is a free gift of God, based on the merits of the death of His Son, and is appropriated by faith. Salvation is affected by person repentance, belief in the Lord Jesus (justification), and personal acceptance of Him into one's life as Lord and Savior (regeneration).
• The Christian life is to be one of consecration, devotion, and holiness. The shortcomings of the individual are because of the still progressing sanctification of the saints. The Christian life is filled with trials, tests, and warfare against a spiritual enemy. For those abiding in Christ until their deaths or His return, the promises of eternal blessing in the presence of God are assured. • The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God among the saints through the Spirit. Every believer born of the Spirit has a place in the church designated by God. A place where Christ is working in the lives of the called out ones and calling ministers to the great commission to go into all the world and make disciples of every nation. • In the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is the outward sign of what God has already done in the individual's life and is a public testimony that the person now belongs to Christ. It is identifying with the death and resurrection of Jesus and is done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Lord's Supper is a commemoration of the death of the Lord and is done in remembrance of Him until He comes again; it is a sign of our participation in Him. • In the bodily, personal, second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the saints, the millennium, and the final judgment. The final judgment will determine the eternal status of both the saints and the unbelievers, determined by their relationship to Jesus Christ. |
meet our pastors
Pastor Rob & Ann (Senior Pastor)
Rob Walsh was converted to Christ in 1983 from a lifestyle of alcohol and drug abuse. After entering full-time ministry in 1986, he has been the Senior Pastor of The Potter’s House Parramatta since April 1990.
With Pastor Rob’s diligent preaching and strong emphasis on evangelism and discipleship, the church has grown and planted churches. Pastor Rob and his wife Ann have been married for over 40 years and have three married adult sons and 9 grandchildren. Two of their sons, David and Joshua along with their respective wives Sam and Maz, are in full time pastoral ministry while their third son Luke and his wife Alanah hold ministry responsibilities within the Parramatta Church. |
Pastor Dave & Sam (Assistant Pastor)
Dave was born into a Christian family and from an early age, he knew what Jesus did for him on the cross. Also, growing up in a church filled with mostly converts, he saw first hand how sin had destroyed people's lives.
As a result, while still a teenager, Dave decided to surrender his life to Jesus and accepted Him as his Lord & Saviour. From that point on, Jesus gave him a vision for his life. He married Sam and pioneered a church in Camden for many years. Since returning to Parramatta, they have led a youth bible study and taken up the ministry responsibility of Assistant Pastor. |
get connected with local teams
One of the best ways to grow as a Christian is to get connected with like-minded people. Our Connect Group leaders in the suburbs around Parramatta will help you know & connect with God and other people in the church.
meet our Evangelists
Rod & Tyanne
Born in Sydney, Australia to parents of mixed race from the Fiji Islands.
After a childhood of very typical South Pacific upbringing (church, music, family and traditional culture) Rod moved to Newcastle where he began to experiment with drink, drugs, music lifestyle, all kinds of Spirituality, Eastern Mysticism & Material Arts. And everything changed on the day he met Jesus. |
Cory & Sharon
Cory & Sharon have been happily married since salvation for 28 years. They have five sons together, all of whom are living for God today in Parramatta Church.
Cory's testimony is very supernatural in nature which includes his mother being involved in witchcraft and several very personal demonic encounters which God used to lead him to Jesus in May 1994. |