VENEW Church is a new type of church – it is, essentially, a group of micro churches meeting in different suburbs in a variety of locations across the east of Melbourne.

Micro churches, in most cases, do not meet in a church building but at a home, a restaurant, a cafe or other neutral places. Most emphasize that the mission of the church needs to be better known than the church as an institution. Many capitalize on the strengths of small-scale ministry dynamics to give maximum focus on Christian discipleship.

Leanne Hill shares the journey of Venew with us.

Venew Church

We came together as a group of family and friends who realised that we were looking for a different type of church but is still centred around worship, community and mission and that was real and relevant.

We wanted to be a community that is distributive in nature where numbers of smaller communities form who can then come together to share our stories and celebrate what God is doing in our midst. “

The name Venew came about as a play on the word venue and the word new, where we gather in different places and spaces and in new forms of church.

Jesus moved in a variety of circles; a smaller circle with His closest disciples, a larger circle of twelve and of course He interacted with people in broader circles from different walks of life. Similarly, we also meet together in different circles: we start off within our own family circles and then we add on friendship circles, relationship circles and eventually throughout our whole lives, we would’ve accumulated being part of all kinds of relationship circles around dinner tables, desks, meeting rooms, you name it!

As Venew Church we know that people are designed to be part of a variety of circles as well. But a circle isn’t just a shape, it’s somewhere God places us for the purpose of us experiencing and practicing the discipline of being present with and for people. One of our most basic human needs is to find a place of belonging therefore our circles are designed to not only help people find a place of belonging but also grow in relationship with God and other people. 

Our monthly gathering is where we find ourselves in a larger circle. It is in this circle where our smaller circles come together to share stories for inspiration and for worship.

While each of our micro churches might look a little different or be located in different places, the thing that brings us all together is the fact that we value the same thing—relationships. For us, relationships are central, worship is authentic and we hold to the idea that love knows no bounds.

We invite you to join us on the first Saturday of each month at Ferntree Gully Baptist Church at 6pm. Our smaller circles take place in a number of different places and spaces. Whether it’s in a lounge room, a cafe, around a dinner table or while engaging in a particular activity our smaller circles are where conversations are rich and relationship flourish.  We have number of opportunities where people can widen their circle. Opportunities for people to connect, and grow, where they are able to engage in training opportunities through a variety of courses or seminars.

About: The BUV Micro Church Network has recently been established to work with, equip, encourage and empower leaders to develop different types of churches. It exists in order to enable the leaders of Micro Churches to be able to do what they are called to without being bogged down by the weight that is now associated with establishing and running a traditional church. In May we welcomed two new Micro Churches into the BUV family at the May Members Dinner – Venew Church in Melbourne’s East and GT Church in Drouin.  For more info on the BUV Micro Church Network click here.