ABOUT OAC AUSTRALIA
WHO ARE WE?
OAC’s history goes back to 1892 when an English barrister began preaching to lunch time crowds in Sydney’s Martin Place. More than a century later, our focus is still on taking the gospel to those who need to hear the life-changing message of Jesus! Though the style and method have changed a bit over the decades, our commitment is still to present the Bible’s message in a way that can be heard and understood. We preach “the Good News in Good Ways”.
OAC Ministries in Australia has 5 branches around the country who each offer a variety of programs designed to share the gospel and empower and equip the church to do the same. To learn about what OAC is doing in your state, please check out the branch pages in the menu above.
HISTORY
1892 An English Barrister, E.P. Field, preached to lunch-hour crowds in Martin Place, Sydney, Australia, and formed the NSW Prayer Band to support this growing ministry.
1913 The NSW Prayer Band was renamed the NSW Evangelistic Prayer Band.
1922 W Bradley changed the name to ‘Open Air Campaigners’. Gospel wagons were used to take the gospel message to people throughout NSW.
1939 OAC worked among the armed services during World War II.
1940 – 1950 The work extended to the states of Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and overseas, firstly to New Zealand. It was during this period that the typical sketch-board painting method became the ‘trademark’ of the work.
By 1970 OAC was well established in North America, Britain and Germany. During the 1970s residential ministry extended to the Netherlands and Italy, with openings being made in many other countries.
The 1980s saw definitive expansion beyond the traditional protestant homelands and the following decade saw the establishment of branches in the former Communist Block, Latin America and India. The WA branch also commenced in 1988.
1982 The Australian branches changed their name to “OAC Ministries,” reflecting their desire to present the message in more culturally attuned ways, and to work together with churches in Outreach And Church ministries.
1990’s Presentations in schools increased, as did Community Contact Weeks hosted by local churches. OAC presenters became sought after for camps and other outreach settings.
Currently there are branches operating in 5 Australian states and in some 30 countries around the world. OAC International unites these nations under a common covenant.
OAC Statement of Faith
The Scriptures
We believe God inspired all the words of the Bible without error in the original writings to give mankind His authoritative message.
The Godhead
We believe in one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ
We believe in His full deity, His virgin birth, His real humanity, His sinless life, His substitutionary death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension into heaven, His present ministry as High Priest and His future personal return to this earth.
The Holy Spirit
We believe in His full deity. He convicts sinners and saves those who believe in Christ. He indwells, seals and places believers into the body of Christ. He gives spiritual gifts and the power to live the Christian life.
Man
We believe that God created all things as described in Genesis. We believe that the first man, Adam, sinned, bringing spiritual death to all mankind, who, therefore, stand condemned, making the new birth absolutely necessary.
Salvation
We believe that God gives eternal life to those who repent and put their faith in Christ alone, justifying them by the blood of Christ and imputing His righteousness to them.
The Church
We believe in the universal church to which all believers belong. We believe in the importance of the local church which is made up of believers who gather for worship, fellowship and teaching. We believe in the responsibility of the church to fulfil the Great Commission of Christ, preaching the Gospel to all nations.
The Future
We believe in the eternal existence of the soul, the resurrection of the body, the eternal blessedness of believers, and the eternal punishment of unbelievers.
As a supporting note, OAC Ministries Australia concurs with the Lausanne Movement’s Cape Town Commitment, an agreed statement of global, mainstream Christians.