Churches of Tasmania

Hadspen is a dormitory town on the South Esk River approximately 10 kilometres south west of Launceston. It dates back to a village near Reibey’s ford established in the 1830s. It is surmised that George Frankland (Surveyor-General 1827 to 1838) named the settlement after an Estate in his native county, Somerset. Hadspen’s Grace Presbyterian church is a recently established religious community. In 2019 a group of Presbyterian Churches in northern Tasmania began to work toward forming a new church to serve the south west corner of Launceston and the nearby towns in the Meander Valley and Northern Midlands. Initially worship was held in a private home but since 2021 the church has established itself at the Hadspen Memorial Centre. Grace Presbyterian Church is part of the Presbyterian Church of Tasmania and Australia, holding to the Westminster Confession of Faith. The community describes itself as catholic, evangelical and reformed. There are currently 14 active Presbyterian churches i...

Rocherlea is an outer northeastern suburb of Launceston. The area was previously known as Rocher’s Lane, which was the location of Rocklands, a house built by Charles Rocher, a barrister of the Supreme Court. The suburb was developed in the 1960s with the construction of public housing. Rocherlea’s Full gospel Church is located in a former supermarket on Blackwood Drive. The church was established in 2013 and is associated with ‘Australian Christian Churches’, a movement of Pentecostal Churches in voluntary cooperation. Before 2007 ‘Australian Christian Churches’ was known as he Assemblies of God . The Assemblies of God in Australia was formed in 1937 and currently consists of over 1,000 churches with over 375,000 constituents, making it the largest Pentecostal movement in Australia.  

Granton is a suburb of Greater Hobart and is situated approximately 20 kilometres north of the city centre. Originally known as South Bridgewater, it was renamed as a tribute to Charles Henry Grant, one time General Manager of the Main Line Railway which opened in 1876. The Exclusive Christian Brethren, now known as the Plymouth Brethren, originated in Plymouth, Great Britain in the 1820s. By the mid 19th century the Christian Brethren became established in Australia. The 'Exclusive Brethren' is a restrictive group which broke away from the original Christian Brethren in 1848. In 2012 the Exclusive Brethren adopted the name 'Plymouth Brethren Christian Church’. Tasmanian Plymouth Brethren churches are part of global organisation with about 50 000 members. The Plymouth Brethren are notorious for avoiding social interaction with people outside the faith, which has contributed to the denomination being considered a Christian sect. The Granton Plymouth Brethren Hall is located...

Moonah is a suburb of Greater Hobart and is located approximately 5 kilometres north of the central business district. Moonah was previously known as South Glenorchy before it was developed as a residential area in the late 19th century. In 2016 St Mary’s Anglican church was purchased by the Australian Coptic Orthodox Church and reconsecrated in the same year. Previously the Coptic Christian community had worshipped at St Timothy’s, Hobart, while another Coptic community worshipped at St Demiana and St Abraam at Newstead, Launceston. The Coptic Orthodox Church in Australia is organised into two Coptic Orthodox dioceses with over 50 parishes, three monasteries, two theological colleges and four schools. The church is a member of the National Council of Churches in Australia. Additional information about this church and the building is most welcome as all articles are continually updated. I can be contacted through this page or my Facebook page "Churches of Tasmania" which is ...

Moonah is a suburb of Greater Hobart and is located approximately 5 kilometres north of the central business district. Moonah was previously known as South Glenorchy before it was developed as a residential area in the late 19th century The Velocity Church located on Risdon Road, Moonah, belongs to the Apostolic tradition. The Apostolic Church in Australia is now known as the “Acts Global Churches” . The Apostolic Church is a denomination that originates from the Pentecostal movement. The term "Apostolic" represents the denomination's belief that it follows the teachings of the twelve apostles who followed Christ. With roots in the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival, it seeks to stand for first-century Christianity in its faith, practices, and government. The Apostolic Church became established in Tasmania in the 1930’s and 10 churches are established in the State. The Moonah Velocity Church is located in the former premises of the Hazelwood School. Additional information about this...

Riverside is a northern suburb of Launceston that falls under the authority of the West Tamar Municipality. As the name suggests, the church is located next to a tailrace discharging water from the Trevallyn Hydroelectric Power Station. The Riverside Community Church belongs to an evangelical group of churches known as the Acts 2 Alliance. This is a relatively new group consisting of about 30 churches across Australia.  The Tailrace Community Church is associated with The Tailrace Centre.  The church was established by Tim O' Neill in 1994 as the New Directions Community Church. In 2012 the New Directions Church developed the Tailrace Centre, a unique 3500 sq. m. conference, convention and function complex 3 kilometres from the centre of Launceston, which includes Kids Paradise and a café restaurant. The Tailrace Centre has attracted much positive attention from local, Australian and overseas interests and is designed to help the ministries of the church connect daily with p...

Invermay is a northern suburb of Launceston bounded by the Tamar River and the North Esk River. Since it was settled in the mid 19th century, nine places of worship have been built but many have these no longer exist or have been converted for other uses. The Praise Methodist Church is located in the former St George’s Anglican church on Invermay Road. The history of this church has featured in a previous article in Churches of Tasmania. [ see No. 66 ]. The Praise Methodist Church is a part of the Chinese Methodist Church of Australia which currently has 21 churches across the country. The Praise Methodist Church dates back to the early 1990s when Launceston experienced an increase in students from Asian countries studying at the University of Tasmania’s campus at Newnham. By 1997 the need for a Chinese Ministry led to the establishment of monthly Mandarin Sunday Services at Punchbowl Church. The Chinese Methodist Church Australia’s ‘Evangelistic Centre Launceston’, was officially l...

Exeter is a small town approximately 25 kilometres north of Launceston on the junction of the Frankford and West Tamar Highways. It was once the centre of the Tamar Valley’s orchard industry. Exeter has three churches; a Methodist (Uniting) church, an Anglican church and a pentecostal church. The Tamar Valley Christian Church was established in 2012. It is a pentecostal church associated with the Bethesda Movement. Bethesda Ministries International was established in 1985 and has 14 associated churches across Australia as well as churches in India and the Phillipines. Apart from the Tamar Valley Christian church, two other Tasmanian churches belong to the Bethesda movement; one at George Town and the other at Scottsdale. *Update:  The Tamar Valley Christian Church is now associated with A2A Churches Australia. Additional information about this church is most welcome as all articles are continually updated. I can be contacted through this page or my Facebook page "Churches of T...

The Exclusive Christian Brethren, now known as the Plymouth Brethren, originated in Plymouth, Great Britain, in the 1820s. By the mid 19th century the movement had spread to Australia. The 'Exclusive Brethren' is a restrictive group which broke away in 1848. In 2012 the Exclusive Brethren adopted the name 'Plymouth Brethren Christian Church'. Tasmanian Plymouth Brethren churches are part of global organisation with about 50 000 members.  The Plymouth Brethren are known for avoiding social interaction with people outside the faith, which has contributed to it being viewed as a somewhat controversial Christian sect. The Plymouth Brethren Church should not be confused with the 'Open Brethren'. In Tasmania, most Brethren belong to 'open' churches.  With limited contact with the secular world, information about the church is not freely available. Construction of the new Prospect Vale church began in late 2017 with the church opening in early 2018. It is ass...

Launceston’s Riverbank Christian Church is part of the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia (CRCA), formerly known as the Reformed Churches of Australia. The denomination is broadly associated with the Reformed Presbyterian tradition. In the post-war years Dutch immigrants from the Netherlands settled in northern Tasmania. Unlike Dutch communities on the Australian mainland, whose members were predominantly Catholic, the majority of the Dutch in Tasmania are Protestant. Approximately 3500 Dutch migrants settled in Tasmania in the 1950’s forming the States largest non-English speaking migrant community. Initially Dutch migrants intended to join Presbyterian churches to help integrate into Tasmanian society. These sentiments were outlined in a report in the Examiner following the arrival of Reverend J.A. Schep in June 1951: “The hope that they would eventually make good Australians was expressed by the Rev. J. A. Schep, one of 40 Dutch migrants who arrived at Wynyard on Saturday…. Th...