Ordinary People.A Simple Focus on Jesus.

OneHope Baptist Church is an open and inviting Christian community devoted to embodying the simple biblical faith and enjoying the fullness of life with God that Jesus made possible.

We gather across two campuses in Geelong: Barrabool Hills and Moolap. Our community spans every age and stage, learning together what it means to follow Jesus in everyday life.

On any given Sunday you'll find people of all walks of life, ages, ethnicities and backgrounds, from those who have followed Jesus their whole lives, to those exploring who he is for the first time, all in the same room. We don't expect anyone to have it all worked out.

However you've come to be reading this, there's a place for you here.

Learn more about Sundays

As a church we are committed to going long and deep. We want to go deeper than quick fixes, individualistic lifestyle goals and momentary inspiration. Our desire is to be deeply embedded in the constancy of the peaceful but powerful movement of God's Spirit in the world and in each one of us. We walk in an ancient pathway, rich in tradition and experience, tried and true. While we enjoy the best of the Christian tradition, we also seek to express this in a fresh and contemporary form. Above all we seek to maintain a simple focus on Jesus; on following Jesus and embodying the life and mission of Jesus.

While we belong to a certain Christian protestant denomination, we are in many ways a post-denominational church. That's the advantage of keeping things simple: we focus on the things that unite us, not the particulars that distinguish us from other denominations. We do however hold passionately to the core tenets of the historic Christian faith. We are committed therefore to grounding ourselves deeply in the biblical story and in the rich theological tradition of the church.

Across the week, many groups of people gather at various times and locations to support each other, share life and serve God together. We offer many different ways to connect with God, get involved in community and grow in faith. We would love you to join us on our journey.

What Is a Baptist Church?Does It Even Matter?

It's a fair question.

For some, "Baptist" is a warm, familiar word; for others it's loaded, or simply meaningless. And to confuse things, other groups and churches also wear the "baptist" label, but have no association at all to mainstream Baptist denominations.

So it's worth saying plainly what we mean by it, and why, in the end, the label matters far less than the hope behind it.

"Baptist" describes a family of churches that share a few simple convictions about how to follow Jesus together. None of them are complicated. Most grew out of a desire to take the Bible seriously and to let ordinary people, not only clergy, own their faith.

Baptists are one branch of a much bigger family.
Christianity has three great branches: Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant. Within the Protestant family there are many denominations. Baptist is one of them. We don't see that variety as a problem: diversity isn't the same as disunity. There's a lot we can learn from other denominations, and while we won't agree on every detail, we hold the core of the Christian faith in common.
We try to keep the faith simple.
The Protestant movement began as a reforming one: an effort to recover the simple biblical faith from a religious system that, by the late Middle Ages, had grown unnecessarily complex and heavy. Baptists have always been committed to keeping it simple. It's part of why we've been able to adapt how we do things across very different cultures and centuries, which is why you'll find the style of our gatherings contemporary and relaxed rather than formal.
Baptism is a choice you make for yourself.
The name itself comes from baptism. Baptists believe it means the most when the person being baptised is old enough to choose it for themselves, out of their own conviction. Think of it the way a wedding works for an engaged couple: a once-off, public gesture of commitment: ours to Christ, and his to us. We don't believe the water saves anyone; it tells the truth about a life that has already turned toward God. We still dedicate our children to God, but through prayer, saving baptism for the day they can decide for themselves.
The Bible has the final say.
We hold that Scripture, not tradition or hierarchy, is our final authority for faith and life. We read it together, wrestle with it honestly, and let it shape us, even the parts we'd rather skip over.
Everyone has a part in the life of the church.
We practise what's called congregationalism. Because we believe every follower of Jesus matters equally to the life and ministry of the church, we share its governance broadly rather than concentrating it at the top. We do have leaders, including some we call pastors, but they're set apart by calling and capacity, not by any special status the role confers. Anyone who has been baptised and would like to help shape the life of the church is welcome to join its formal membership; just chat with one of our pastors to find out more.
Faith can never be forced.
A long Baptist conviction runs through all of this: faith can't be coerced. People should be free to respond to God without pressure from church or state, and free to follow their conscience. Baptists have spent centuries arguing for that freedom for everyone, not only themselves.
No church is meant to stand alone.
For all our emphasis on the local church, no congregation is an island. OneHope belongs to a wider movement of Baptist churches who share resources, training, and mission far beyond what any one church could do on its own.

So does the label matter? Less than you'd think. We'd never ask you to become an expert in any of this to belong here, and plenty of people call OneHope home without giving the word a second thought. But quietly, these convictions shape the kind of church we are, one that keeps Jesus, not the institution, at the centre. If any of this raises more questions than it answers, good; we'd far rather you asked them in person than settled for a label on a sign.

Our Lead Pastors

Senior Pastor · OneHope

Matt Jacoby

I wasn't brought up in a Christian household. In fact, I came to faith after vehemently rejecting Christianity through my teen years. I'd tried to work the truth out for myself, and God simply didn't fit the neat, closed view of reality I'd settled on. Then, in a way I still find hard to describe, that view began to crack open and a reality infinitely greater than I could comprehend started to shine in. Coming to know God's forgiveness through Jesus was the most joyful experience of my life, and it still shapes the way I preach: plainly, honestly, and with sceptics very much in mind.

I know how easily we get trapped by our own reluctance to step outside what we already understand. I'm not offering anything new except the ancient, biblical faith, but I'm convinced every generation has to discover it again in its own world, and I love helping people do exactly that.

Alongside leading OneHope, I lecture in Christian thought at the Melbourne School of Theology. Years of study in theology and philosophy, including a doctorate from the University of Melbourne, help me draw deeply from the Bible and Christian tradition, and make sense of the modern world it still speaks into.

More than anything, I love opening up the truth and beauty of the biblical story. I'm still learning. The Bible only really opens up as you live it out, and you can only do that alongside other people. It's one of the reasons I'm so committed to the church.

My wife Kate and I have three kids, and we've found OneHope to be an authentic, encouraging family of faith, a church we've learned with and from for years, and now have the joy of leading.

Lead Pastors · Barrabool Hills Campus

Mark & Amy Gellie

Together we shepherd the day-to-day life of Barrabool Hills: Sundays, pastoral care, and the dozens of smaller gatherings that make a big church feel like home.

We've been part of the OneHope family for many years, serving in all sorts of ways long before we ever carried the title of pastor. It means we lead a church we genuinely know and love.

Mark has a heart for discipleship, walking with people and helping them move from the back row to a living, growing faith. Amy carries a deep love for community, hospitality, and making sure new faces quickly become familiar ones.

Between us we're especially passionate about families, marriages, and raising kids who love Jesus in a world that makes it harder than ever.

We're parents ourselves to three kids, so the realities of family life are never far from the way we lead.

Lead Pastor · Moolap Campus

Robbie Spicer

I lead our Moolap Campus, the entrance to the Bellarine and a community with its own distinct character and rhythm. I'm a Geelong local through and through.

More than anything, I love getting alongside people and drawing them in. I'm convinced church should be for everybody: the churched and the unchurched, the confident and the cautious. I work hard to keep Moolap a place where anyone can walk in and feel they belong.

My heart is for people in the everyday of their lives, walking with them through what's real and helping them discover for themselves that God is present and at work. Alongside that, I love building teams of volunteers and getting the church outside its own walls to serve the neighbourhood around it.

When I'm not at church you'll most likely find me with family and friends, somewhere around a table.

Partners in Mission

Hope Beyond Our Own Walls

We were never meant to be a church for ourselves. These are some of the organisations we stand behind with prayer, money, and people, because together we can reach further than we ever could alone.

Christ's Restoration Centre

Kawangware, Kenya

OneHope has partnered with CRC for nearly two decades in Kawangware, one of Kenya's largest informal settlements. Together we have helped build their church and community centre, support school facilities and drinking water, and sponsor 150 students through the Restoration Educational Centre.

Offspring

Kolkata, India

Offspring has served in Kolkata since 2013 with a vision for a world free from sex trafficking. Their aftercare centre provides survivors of modern slavery with trauma-informed care, education, vocational training, income pathways, life skills, and safe homes, while their prevention work reaches girls at high risk.

Akademi Kristus

Indonesia

Led by Geoff and Erma Collins since 2010, Akademi Kristus empowers Indonesian youth and families through education, creative arts, martial arts, and employment programs. Around 200 students and their families are mentored in a safe environment where discipleship happens through relationships and good works.

Phil & Carol Short

West Africa

Phil and Carol have served in West Africa since 1974 among one of the least reached Muslim people groups. Their ministry has helped people come to faith, raised up local Christian leaders through a Bible training school, and includes practical support such as well-digging.

Jo Brown

South East Asia

Jo has served in South East Asia since 2001 with local believers who want their language group to know Jesus. Her main focus is Bible translation, with translated books used for Discovery Bible Studies, teaching, discipleship, and literacy resources for local kindergartens.

Neville & Elizabeth Clarke

WEC International

Since 2017, Neville and Elizabeth have served as Oceania Area Directors for WEC International's Asia-Pacific work. They help equip and support frontline workers serving unreached people groups, especially in places with little access to the gospel in a local language or community.

Living Water Development

Uganda, Kenya, Myanmar, Thailand & Pacific regions

Led by Alan Toole since 2001, Living Water Development helps communities access safe water, sanitation, and hygiene in sustainable ways. Their work provides practical drinking water and points people toward the true living water, Jesus.

Foundation 61

Geelong

Established in 2005, Foundation 61 provides hope and direction for people confronting addictions and other life-controlling issues. Their men's and women's residential rehabilitation programs help people experience healing and rebuild their lives as part of mainstream society.

OneHope Community Care

Geelong

Established by OneHope in 2009, OneHope Community Care walks alongside people facing economic hardship, housing stress, mental health challenges, and social isolation. Through meals, conversation, the community garden, and faith conversations, people find practical care, relationship, belonging, and the love of Jesus.

People gathered around tables during Alpha at OneHope

Alpha @ OneHope

Alpha runs throughout the year at OneHope, creating a relaxed space for people to explore Christian faith over a free meal. In 2025, 115 people joined Alpha evenings to ask honest questions, share conversation, and consider a relationship with Jesus.

Red Frogs

Deakin University, Waurn Ponds

Red Frogs exists to support, serve, and safeguard young people. OneHope runs the program at Deakin University, where volunteers cook pancakes, start meaningful conversations, and offer acts of kindness that show the love of Jesus to students during their studies.

Our Commitment to a Safe Church

Every person who walks through our doors, especially every child, young person, and vulnerable adult, has the right to be safe, respected, and cared for. At OneHope, safeguarding isn't a policy we keep in a drawer. It's part of how we love people.

We have a formal Safe Church policy that governs how we recruit and train volunteers, how we run our kids' and youth programs, how we respond to concerns, and how we care for anyone who has been hurt.

Why does this matter so much to us? Because the church, of all places, should be the safest community a person can belong to. We grieve that this has not always been true in the wider church and in individual lives, and we refuse to be naive about it.

Everyone who serves with children or young people holds a current Working with Children Check and is screened, interviewed, and trained before they begin. Our leaders and volunteers refresh Safe Church training regularly and know how to respond when something isn't right.

We are committed to building a culture where it is normal to speak up, leaders are accountable, and people who have been harmed are believed and supported. Our practice aligns with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and the safeguarding standards of our wider Baptist movement.

If you ever have a concern, or simply want to read our full policy, please talk to a pastor or our Safe Church contact. We will listen, we will take you seriously, and we will act.