Our Story 

Riverview is an independent and non-denomination church that began in 1979 with a handful of people gathering in a small hall in Belmont, Western Australia under the name Inner City Faith Fellowship. The simple gospel message of reconciliation with God and others saw this small gathering flourish in number outgrow several Perth inner-city venues during its early years. In 1985 the church was renamed Rhema Family Church and moved to its current home in Burswood and Philip Baker, the son of the church’s founders was appointed as the new Senior Minister. During this period the church became committed to reaching beyond itself and becoming a place where anybody could feel welcomed which was marked by a change in name to Riverview Church in 1998. Over the next decade the church continued to grow and added two new campuses, one in the northern suburb of Joondalup and another in the southern suburb of Cockburn Central.

In April 2009, Philip Baker faced an unexpected health crisis and suffered a post-surgery complication that left him incapable of continuing in his role as Senior Minister. Haydn Nelson, who was Executive Minister at the time, was appointed as the new Senior Minister one year later. Over the next seven years the campuses were released to establish two new independent churches and the Burswood venue began a significant renovation requiring Riverview to move offsite for 12 months.

In 2017 Tim and Liezl Healy re-joined the Riverview family. In October 2020, Tim & Liezl Healy resigned from their leadership positions at Riverview. Guided by the mission of Riverview Church “to take the whole Gospel to the whole world”, the Riverview Board commenced an Australia-wide and international search for a Senior Minister in late 2020. Throughout this period, Riverview Church was blessed by the friendship and generosity of the broader Church in Perth and Australia as Christian leaders prayed for, supported, and preached at Riverview Church.

Through a remarkable recruitment and selection process, Steve McCready was appointed as Riverview’s fifth Senior Minister in June 2021. Steve and his family, originally from Belfast and living in Canada at the time of appointment, arrived in Perth around Christmas 2021.

In this next season, Riverview Church is committed to seeing everyone known in community, everyone formed in Christ, and everyone a blessing to the city. (You can find out more about our mission and vision here)