Riverview Church - History

History

The church was founded by the former pastor, Phil Baker's father, Brian J. Baker, who was born in England and with his wife, Valerie, migrated to New Zealand in 1972 and ran various ministries there. They subsequently trained at Rhema Bible Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma under Pastor Kenneth E. Hagin, and started the Inner City Faith Fellowship at Holmes Hall in Belmont, a suburb of Perth, on 9 December 1979. The church moved five months later to Brisbane Street, five blocks north of Perth's central business district. Baker was ordained by Hagin in 1980. At this time, the Bakers were assisted by Pastors Mike and Randa Moorhead from Kansas City, who returned overseas after helping to establish Faith Christian Academy, which in February 1982 commenced teaching 70 school students from years 1 to 10 within the church's building.

The church changed name to Rhema Faith Fellowship in 1982 and again to Rhema Family Church in June 1985, also moving to its current premises at Thorogood Street, Burswood (then called Victoria Park), which previously operated as a warehouse. The school, renamed Rhema Christian Academy in 1985, had grown to 200 students by the following year and had moved to premises in Colombo Street, across Albany Highway from the church. A bible school (Rhema Bible Training Centre or RBTC) was opened, and in the spirit of its evangelical traditions, started churches around Western Australia and Australia, as well as over 100 home groups operating in Perth's suburbs. At its peak in the late 1980s, Rhema claimed to have over 3,200 members at its church in Victoria Park and was the biggest single church in Western Australia. By 1989, the church also offered a children's ministry during its main service for those up to the age of 15, divided into four age groups.

On 30 April 1989, Brian J. Baker retired from the ministry, handing over to his son Phil and his wife Heather, who had been running a children's ministry in New Zealand. Phil instituted a financial management plan for the church to handle mounting debts and liabilities arising from the late 1980s recession, including disbanding the nationwide Rhema branding for churches started by RBTC graduates and loosening the relationship with the school, now renamed Regent College. Under Phil Baker's guidance in 1991-1992, the church started periodic "Guest Sundays", a mix of dramatic arts and multimedia presentation designed to reach those outside the church, made plans for a television presentation called "Rhema Live" and introduced the slogan "the church for people who don't like church", which they maintain to the present day.

However, numbers declined during the early 1990s, especially after the trial and conviction in September 1993 of Gary Holmes, the church's overseas missions director, of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy while at another church, New Day, in 1983, and subsequent media scrutiny of the church, which was labelled a "fringe religion" in bold headlines. In 1996, the church was finally forced to close, and the Moorheads started Rhema Bible Church and a related construction and development company on the Gold Coast, while Rhema graduate and former champion tennis player Margaret Court opened Victory Life Centre in Osborne Park with several former Rhema pastoral and administrative staff.

In 1997, Phil and Heather Baker established Riverview Church in the same building as the old Rhema fellowship, with a more ecumenical focus than its past incarnation, with a membership base that has grown consistently during the 2000s. Phil is president of the Australian Christian Churches network and regularly writes to newspapers and makes media appearances representing the charismatic movement's point of view on what it feels are key issues.

The church has recently begun to move into multi-site services, with meetings held at North (Joondalup), South (Cockburn Central), and City Burswood) sites. However, its ambitious Orange County, California site proved to be unsuccessful and Riverview withdrew after eighteen months. With an official launch date of 4 March 2007, the (former) Destiny People's Christian Church led by Wes and Ellie Beavis joined Riverview Church as its fourth campus. Connect and Worship Pastors Mark and Ali Cullen moved to California from Australia in December 2006 to assist and support the launch and subsequent growth of the church. With little progress being made, Riverview sent Pastors Marcus and Alyson Passauer to take over the leadership of the campus in December 2007. The campus faced continuing financial challenges and no upward trend in attendance. Due to budget cuts the Cullens were released in June 2008. Shortly after this Riverview made the decision to cease it's involvement in Orange County and the Passauer's returned to Australia in August 2008. The "campus" (which met in a movie theater) was handed back to the leadership of Wes and Ellie Beavis and is continuing as Destiny People.

In June 2009, Phil Baker suffered a benign brain tumour, which had to be removed. The subsequent operation resulted in complications which meant his recovery time was increased greatly. As of the beginning of 2010, Pastor Haydn Nelson was named Senior Pastor of Riverview Church.