The Christian City Church Movement

In 1980, a pastor from New Zealand, Phil Pringle, responded to the call of God to start a church in Sydney, Australia. The initial vision was to see a CITY won to Christ.

That church began with 12 people meeting in a small rented hall. Today, a congregation of over 2,500 meet for inspired praise and worship, and preaching of the Word in a large and beautiful church in Oxford Falls on Sydney's north shore.

With the expansion and growth of the congregation, came the challenge from God to plant churches in ten major cities of the world: seeing cities as large urban mission fields...a challenge for the church of the 90's.

There are many Christian City Churches within Australia and New Zealand and churches have now been "birthed" in London, Glasgow, Hong Kong and Paris.

Christian City Church Penrith
In March 1992 Pastor Mark Saundercock led a team of church planters from Phil Pringle's church (then at Brookvale, North Sydney) to the city of Penrith in the western suburbs of Sydney. During the first month, services were held on Sunday evenings in the Penrith R.S.L. (which could stand for "Rejoice your Saviour Lives" but in fact stands for "Returned Serviceman's League").

The team saw rapid growth through conversions and through people embracing the vision, excitement, style and spirit of the Christian City Church movement.

By December 1992 a congregation of around 80 people had developed - including a nucleus of musicians, leaders and workers who were very capable of carrying the church into the future. At this time it became obvious to Pastor Mark that one of the local attendees, a man by the name of Phil Jagger, was called by God to take on the future role of pastoring the church.

Phil, ordained in March of 1993, along with his wife Lyn have capably pastored and developed the church to the end of 2008. The congregation reached a peak of 190 people with vibrant services and powerful ministry. Pastor's Phil and Lyn transitioned the church through a number of moves which finally saw the church meeting in a beautifully renovated office block in the main street of Penrith (1st Floor, The NK Centre, 450 High Street Penrith).  Phil & Lyn's heart - to see the Western Suburbs of Sydney greatly impacted by the Gospel and by the Church of Jesus Christ and to see lives impacted for good - has become a part of the ethos of Christian City Church Penrith.

At the end of 2008 after 17 years of fruitful ministry, Pastor's Phil and Lyn retired as the senior ministers of the church, handing the reins over to Pastors Dave and Emma Barter - a vibrant young couple raised up from within the ranks of the church.

At the time of writing, this event has only just taken place, so there is an air of expectation and excitement as we look forward to history being written on this page as a result of Dave and Emma's leadership.