Add your announcement here.
connect
07 49 113 113

You are Welcome Here

You’re always welcome here. We don’t mind your background, experience, appearance, ethnicity, or gender. You’re always welcome here.

We love Jesus and his purposes, we try our best to do what Jesus teaches, and we want to help others learn more about Jesus, to become more like Jesus, and to help change our world as friends of Jesus.

If this sounds like something you want to be part of, then you’re very welcome here!

What Happens Sundays

If you’re familiar with church culture this will all make sense. But if you’re not, we’d love to help you prepare your expectations and settle the nervousness about visiting a church. First, we want to you to know you’re welcome to come and observe. You don’t have to do anything we are doing, or you can get involved as much as you like. Christians often call getting together ‘worship’. This is because our priority focus is God. We want to know him, serve him, and experience him in our lives. Some of things you’ll experience in church ‘worship’ is singing with our live band, prayers, bible talks, and being together in community
If you have small children, in the morning service we have a parent’s room open if you feelself-conscious about your toddlers making noise and a discrete separate space if you need to feed your baby. But if you’re happy with your kids playing on the carpet during the service, that’s fine too. We don’t stress about the noise children make. If you have preschool and primary aged children, we have a fun program that runs in the morning service just for them each week during school term. You will need to sign your kids in and there’s no cost. Our children go out to their program part way through the service (about half an hour after we start). Our service host will let you know when it’s time.

Our church worship services usually go for about an hour and a quarter or so. Don’t stress if you’re running late, you’re still welcome to join in. Likewise, if you need to leave early that’s OK.

Lots of people hang around afterwards talking, sometimes until midday or later. We also have a free morning tea on offer. You’re welcome to hang around and connect – we’d love that… it gives us a chance to get to know you.

Planning your Visit

You can enter our facility via the traffic lights on Norman Rd at the end of Farm St.


Our main service starts at 9am in the morning. There’s lots of car parks. If it happens to be full, you can drive through the car park at the other end and park on the grass.

The main stairs in the middle of the car park will lead you up to the main entrance. There are people inside the doors who can assist you with any questions about where to sit, location of the toilets or parents’ room, or when to go to register your children for the kids’ programs. There’s plenty of seats. You can sit anywhere you like. If you’re sensitive to noise, the far left hand side of the auditorium is intentionally quieter.
There is no specific dress code, so wear whatever is comfortable for you.
Our building is airconditioned.

New to Christianity

We appreciate that many of the people that visit our church are quite new to Christianity.

If this is your story, you’re welcome here.

You are welcome to attend our church service, or any of our other activities, and just

observe. If you want to jump right in and do what we’re doing, go your hardest. If you have any questions, we’re happy to answer them.

Some great steps to finding out more about Christianity are attend church several times, reading sections of the Bible can be very enlightening (the Bible is like a library with 66 different books in it. We suggest a good place to start is reading Mark or Luke, and then Acts. Genesis is also helpful. You can find where each book starts by looking up the index in the front of the Bible), attending an Alpha course is a great beginning step if your exploring Christianity, and adding prayer into your daily routine is very significant. Please make your self-known to our welcome team when you arrive or one of the leaders you see up on stage. We’d love to meet you and help you discover more. We’ve all been in the same shoes as you… it can be a bit freaky. Attending church, reaching out to Christians, and learning about God is worth the investment. You’re welcome.

Our Story

In 1861, Mr William Buzacott, from Bathurst Street Baptist church in Sydney, arrived in

the small gold mining town of Rockhampton to establish a local newspaper, the Morning Bulletin. With support from the pastors of Wharf Street Baptist in Brisbane and Bathurst Street Baptist in Sydney, a small group of seven believers formed the first Baptist church in Rockhampton on 25 June 1862.

Originally known as Denison Street Baptist Church, the group later became the Rockhampton Baptist Tabernacle and today is known as Rockhampton Baptist Church. The church grew and became a planting hub—establishing early mission stations in Bouldercombe and North Rockhampton, and planting churches in Lakes Creek, Nerimbera, West Rockhampton, Park Avenue, Port Curtis, Clifton Street, High Street, and the Wood Street Mission in Depot Hill.

In seasons of remarkable growth and seasons of significant challenge—including two

world wars and two global pandemics—God has continued to work powerfully through

Rockhampton Baptist Church. We have remained a steady, trusted, and faithful

presence in the community for more than 160 years.

Our Values

There are a few things that are particularly important to us. We try and make these things a priority in how we do what we do.
Authentic
A steady & trusted church, here to stay, unhurried & completely reliant on God’s work and timing.
Belonging
a loving ‘hub’ of kingdom disciples living as a connected family embracing all generations.
Challenging
making disciples (challenging others) and crossing challenging thresholds as we send, serve, and call people to action.
Devoted
striving for excellence as salt and light, reviewing and pruning, to reach the present culture
Engaged
people focused and missionally oriented, we demonstrate love to our community inside and out
Faith Filled
seeking to be agile in what God is doing, acting boldly, as we trust and dream without limits
Generous
fully invested contributors, having a go, and willing to take risks to achieve God’s purposes

Our Vision

This how we want to be seen by the people around us. Sometimes we do it well, sometimes not, but we will always be having a good crack at it. You’re welcome to join us.
We live intentionally with Jesus, practice faith together, equip everyday people, and pursue transformation of our region in ways that are relatable and impactful.

STAFF TEAM

We have a great team of creative and passionate people who dedicate their time and effort to serving God’s purposes and helping us to do the same.
Craig Yeomans
Lead Pastor
Craig was appointed lead pastor in January 2024. Since then, Craig has led Rocky Baptist in our growth including fresh values and vision, expanding our staff team, and improvements in our public presence and ministry. Craig is married with four adult children and in his spare time enjoys woodwork, renovating their home, reading, and gardening.
Dan Keevers
Associate Pastor
Dan joined our team in November 2019 and served across a wide range of ministries, helping them grow and become more intentional in making disciples. Dan continues to develop discipleship pathways and support anyone who wants to explore who Jesus is for the first time. Dan is married with three primary aged kids.
Mark Chamberlain
Care Pastor
Mark aka 'Chambo" is our pastoral care pastor and been part of our church since 2002. He has a passion for people to find their place in the Kingdom of Jesus. Chambo is married with 5 adult children and has spent pretty much all his married life in Rockhampton. He loves travelling, food, fishing and the great Australian outdoors, especially local native plants
Cathy Knechtli
Worship Ministry Team Leader
Cathy joined our team as the Worship MTL in January 2025. Cathy has a passion for Jesus and for worship and loves seeing released in their giftings. She is married with 4 adult children and in her spare time runs a statewide women’s ministry, loves a good K-Drama, and can often be found tearing her hair out over a particularly hard jigsaw puzzle.
Hanno De Jager
Youth Pastor
Hanno joined our team in July 2025 as the Youth Pastor. He oversees our youth ministry programs, leads a young adult Life Group, and spends three days a week providing a chaplaincy service at Carinity Education. Hanno is passionate about the next generation. Originally from South Africa and raised in Brisbane, Hanno is a born extrovert who's happiest outdoors — or anywhere there are people.
Applications Open
Kids Pastor
Jake Newport
Pastoral Intern
Jake became an intern in March 2025 after sensing a call towards pastoral ministry. He is currently leading our Young Adults ministry and prayer initiatives, as well as getting more experience in various areas of pastoral ministry. Jake is passionate about people encountering Jesus and having the gospel shape every facet of their life. Jake is married and enjoys board games, reading, walks and gardening.
Janelle Yeomans
Pastoral Intern
Jake became an intern in March 2025 after sensing a call towards pastoral ministry. He is currently leading our Young Adults ministry and prayer initiatives, as well as getting more experience in various areas of pastoral ministry. Jake is passionate about people encountering Jesus and having the gospel shape every facet of their life. Jake is married and enjoys board games, reading, walks and gardening.
applications open
Operations Administrator
Katie Thomson
Office Assistant
Katie joined the Admin team in 2023, following several wonderful years working in the bookstore. She has a genuine heart for people and finds great fulfillment in supporting the team behind the scenes. Katie is married and has 3 teenage daughters who she loves spending time with. Oh, and relaxing at the beach and a good coffee out is good too.

LEADERSHIP

We have a great team of creative and passionate people who dedicate their time and effort to serving God’s purposes and helping us to do the same.
Elders
This is the group that provides spiritual oversight to our church community
Trustees
This is an executive body who oversees the legal and functional aspects of our incorporation.
Church Council
This is the group that provides governance and administrative support to the activities of our church.
Ministry Team
This is a group of people who are our employed staff team to focus of specific operational and equipping responsibilities on a day to day basis.

Beliefs

Rockhampton Baptist Church holds to the following statement of faith. We believe:

The Bible

is the inspired Word of God and the supreme and final authority in faith and life.

In one God eternally existent in three persons:

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

That Christ was begotten

by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, is true God and true man.

That man was created in the image of God;

that he sinned; and thereby incurred not only physical death; but also spiritual death which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature, being sinners in thought, word and deed.

That the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins

according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and all who commit themselves to Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood.

In the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord,

in His ascension to the right hand of the Father in heaven, in His present life there for us as High Priest and Advocate;

In the personal, imminent return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

to receive His Church and to judge the world.

That all who come to repentance of sin, and faith in Jesus Christ a

as their Saviour and Lord, are born again of the Holy Spirit and baptised by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, thereby becoming children of God.

In the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust;

the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting condemnation of the lost.

That the ordinances of Believers Baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper

are to be observed (see Principle of Guidance A) as a symbol of our fellowship with the Lord in his death, burial and resurrection, and as a reminder of the sacrifice of his body and his blood for our sin.