Who We Are

WE ARE as Southside International Church

We are a multi-cultural congregation made up of at least 21 nationalities, speaking over 30 languages. We also incorporate a Mandarin speaking congregation. We belong to a group of more that fifty local churches in the Christian and Missionary Alliance of Australia (C&MA)

There has been a church meeting at this location for over 100 years. Two decades ago, it changed from the United Protestant Church to the Sunnybank Alliance Church, of the Christian and Missionary Alliance of Australia. Then in March 1990 the Lord led people in the C&MA to begin the Antioch International Church. Early in 2004 Antioch became Southside to more accurately reflect our local identity. We emphasise Christ as Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King seeking to build God’s Kingdom, specially among International people on the Southside of Brisbane.

We have an active involvement in overseas missions as a normal part of the church life, as well a desire to see people find new life in Christ, locally and country wide.

WE ARE as the Christian and Missionary Alliance of Australia Inc.

The C&MA is a worldwide Christian Missionary and Church planting movement. We are an Alliance of evangelical believers, joined together through individual Churches, committed to fulfilling the Great Commission given by our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are Christian because we believe and follow Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. We are Missionary because we are committed to reaching people everywhere (locally and overseas) with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The C&MA is committed to world missions, stressing the fullness of Jesus Christ in personal experience, building the body of Christ, and preaching the Gospel around the world.

We have cross-cultural workers in over 60 countries winning people to Christ, establishing them in “Great Commission” churches and training local leadership.

In Australia we have local churches in every State apart from Tasmania and Northern Territory. As a church planting denomination, it is our desire to have local churches in every sizeable population center.

Also 50 percent of our churches are intercultural, including of Chinese, Vietnamese, Hmong, Indonesian, Korea, Messianic Jewish and Spanish etc. speaking congregations. Our National Office and the Alliance College of Australia are located in Canberra.

History of the Christian and Missionary Alliance

The Christian and Missionary Alliance, or "the Alliance" as it is most often known, is an evangelical denomination with an Australian representation of some 40 churches. Internationally, the Alliance includes some 7,500 churches, 1,200 career missionaries, and 2.5 million members on six continents.

Founded in 1887 at Old Orchard, Maine, by Dr. Albert B. Simpson, a Canadian-born Presbyterian minister, the C&MA was originally established as an evangelical foreign missionary organisation that received support from an alliance of Christians from several denominations and nationalities.

A.B. Simpson entered the ministry at age 21, after graduating from Knox College in Toronto. He became pastor of the Knox Presbyterian Church, Toronto, and in his eight years there, saw some 750 persons added to the membership.

He then pastored a respected church in a major American city, but his spirit soon grew discontented as he assessed his congregation in light of the city and its need. During a time of fervent prayer, he became aware that before anything could happen in his church, something must first happen to him. As he sought and surrendered to God, Simpson experienced an anointing of the Spirit that transformed him and his ministry.

This experience not only revitalised his local evangelistic ministry but also touched his spirit with the plight of the unevangelised around the world. This burden for the whole world led him to accept a pulpit in New York. He wanted to be at the centre, in touch with the lives of those radiating to the ends of the earth.

He began publishing an illustrated magazine on foreign missions - believed to be the first of its kind. He founded the first bible institute in America in 1882 known as the Nyack Missionary College. He was the first to introduce the "faith promise" method for missionary support. Between 1884 and 1919 he sent 300 workers around the world including the Congo, West Africa, Jerusalem, the Philippines, Japan and South America.

The deep expression of his heart was revealed when he wrote:

"To the regions beyond I must go, I must go
Where the story has never been told;
To the millions that have never heard of His love,
I must tell the sweet story of old"

This experience was at the heart of Simpson's "Fourfold Gospel"--the Alliance emphasis on the believer's relationship with Christ as Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King--and sparked what was to become the Christian and Missionary Alliance of today.

The C&MA Statement of Faith:

There is one God, who is infinitely perfect, existing eternally in Three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ is true God and true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He died upon the cross, the just for the unjust, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures. He is now at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our great High Priest. He will come again to establish His Kingdom of righteousness and peace.
The Holy Spirit is a Divine person, sent to indwell, guide, teach, empower the believer, and convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.
The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the Divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice.
Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God; he fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and Spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful nature, and are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The portion of the impenitent and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment, and that of the believer, in everlasting joy and bliss.
Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become children of God.
It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly, being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for Holy living and effective service. This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.
Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body. Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age.
The Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and are redeemed through His blood, are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the head of the body, which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the Gospel to all nations. The local Church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, the edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the Gospel, and observance of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life; for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment.
The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent and will be personal, visible, and premillennial. This is the believers blessed hope and is a vital truth which is an incentive to Holy living and faithful service.