WHO
WE ARE

Whether you find yourself new here because you are interested in Jesus, have just started following him or have moved from another place or space, welcome! We count it a privilege to be able to journey with you, and we pray that your life will be filled with the type of love, joy, peace, and purpose that can only come from Jesus.

If you are wondering what Curate Church is like, the best way to check out Curate Church is to come along to one of our gatherings (a church service where we gather together). If you’re not sure what to expect, you can find out what Sundays look like here.

Our Vision
& Values

Our vision is to be a people pursuing the way of Jesus and playing our part in His story.

  • We love because God first loved us. His love is what the original biblical text refers to as “agape”, the unconditional and highest form of love. We want to be people of this type of love, who do everything out of agape, because without love it all counts for nothing. We love our Heavenly Father, we love our Lord and Saviour Jesus, and we love His Holy Spirit with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We love others, as we love ourselves.

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  • We believe that God is making all things new through the power of His Kingdom. We are called and committed to a life of mission here and now. Playing our part in God’s redemptive story, we offer up our whole lives and vocations as a crucial part of the outworking of His mission. We want everyone to have a chance to hear the good news of Jesus and His Kingdom in a way they can understand, from someone they can trust and with a power that's transformational.

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  • We are committed to growing in spiritual practices, both communal and personal. Spiritual practices are our way of making ourselves available to and open to God's grace, to the Spirit of God working in us to transform us. They are ways of setting our minds upon the things above. Spiritual practices are ways of intentionally learning to be with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing the things Jesus would do if He was us in this world.

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  • We describe ourselves as family and whānau, because church is more than a community. The common metaphor used to talk about the people of God in the New Testament is that of brothers and sisters: God is forming us into a loving family. We believe it is in the context of this family of faith and grace that we learn how to follow Jesus more fully. We thrive when we celebrate God’s goodness together, learning how to be like Jesus through the sharing of our journeys.

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  • We bring our true and whole selves to the whānau. Our Heavenly Father accepts us on the basis of His mercy and grace made available to us through the sacrifice of His son Jesus, not on the basis of our performance. Therefore, we are free to live honestly before God and others. Living a life of openness and vulnerability reminds us we are all on a journey. We are a community that talks about things as they really are and does our best to keep it real. We aspire to truly live out what we talk about.

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Our Beliefs

What we believe has been handed down to us from Christians who lived long ago. We believe what the Church has believed from the beginning. The summation of these beliefs can be found in the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed. Its articulation has guided the orthodoxy of the Church since the beginning, and the Nicene Creed was formally adopted in 325AD.

  • I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again; He ascended into heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

    * ‘Catholic’ in this context refers to the universal church, that is the whole and entire body of Jesus Christ.

  • We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

    We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

    We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.

    We believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic Church.

    We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

    We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Our Story

When the breath of God is in a dream, a people, and a place, and when hearts are open and willing to obey, incredible stories are set in motion. The ‘strong right hand’ of God has been evident in every chapter of Curate’s narrative so far: The Prologue, a taste of God’s goodness, and the Spirit’s miraculous power among us. Chapter One, a rendering of God’s faithfulness through every season, His deep love for people, and His readiness to build and equip His church.

  • Our story began in March 1999 with four people gathered in a living room in Mount Maunganui. Their desire was to create a safe place where people could come and be loved, known and restored, without judgement. They dreamed of a church that was authentic and responsive, that served the community in tangible ways. The church that was established, initially as part of the Vineyard movement, was a future focused church, willing to take risks in order to reach the lost.


    Our church grew beyond the living room, and had many physical homes, while also planting other campuses locally. Upon leaving Vineyard in 2006, we drew close to the like-minded creative culture and vision of Mosaic LA.


    In September 2011, Joel and Katie took over the leadership of Curate (then Mosaic), having served on staff in various capacities for the previous five years. Joel and Katie were both just 25 years old when they began leading Curate and it was a tough transition, but things have radically (and rapidly) developed in their hands. God has moved in power way beyond what could ever have been imagined in those early days, and we have been so blessed as a community.

    “God has moved in power way beyond what could ever have been imagined in those early days”


    Flowing counter to contemporary experience, by the extravagant grace of God many people have found Jesus inside our doors and our homes. Hundreds have been baptised. We have seen healings and miraculous restoration of lives and families.


    Leaders have been raised, and the community has matured in faith and diversified. Our music resounds in congregations and playlists across the world.


    We have been able to significantly impact our local communities in The Bay, and in Auckland, and we have become our own, unique expression of The Bride. While our story has had many twists and turns, God has been faithful through it all. No season has been wasted and every testimony has been part of forming us into who we are today. We have communicated it many different ways over the years, but we have always been a people who love God, love people and keep it real.


    In 2017, we embraced our new name, Curate. ‘Curate’ means ‘to care for the soul.’ Over our lintel is the phrase ‘Welcome Home’ and thousands of souls have indeed found whānau, belonging, and home in our church. Every soul is important.


    As this testimony moves beyond us into the future, we are expectant that what was sown in the beginning, will reap a beautiful, redeemed and restored, harvest. We believe in faith that the words that have been spoken over us will come to pass and that many will find Jesus because of us ‘pursuing His ways and playing our part in His story.’ Whatever has caused our paths to cross, know that there’s room for you in the story yet to be written.

Our Dream

We see a church of wholehearted followers of Jesus being transformed into His likeness, immersed in the presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and knowing God and His abiding, unconditional love.

We see a church that responds to this gift by loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. A church that lives counter to the world around them, recognising God’s grace in every situation and person, living dependent and surrendered to God and His rhythms of grace.

  • We see a church of depth, that is rich in spiritual practices both communal and personal, possessing the courage, strength, wisdom, humility, restfulness, integrity, generosity and life that these bring.


    We see a whole church where hauora is valued, that is healthy spiritually, relationally and emotionally. Where people can find healing, wholeness and freedom through the love of others, the power of prayer and the miracles of God.


    We see a church that is a people to journey with, not simply a place to attend. We see a community of grace who journey the Kingdom life together, treasuring every story as a taonga. Where no one walks alone and we support each other through every season.


    We see a church of all generations that loves, discovers and understands their profound need for each other.


    We see a humble church that is willing to trust God and others.


    We see an authentic church that understands that we are loved by God on the basis of His grace and not our performance, and thus we are free to live honestly before God and others. We don’t pretend, we wrestle for what is real. It is a safe place to question and to walk through doubts. It’s messy and we like it that way, grounded, gritty, and human.


    We see a church overflowing with gratitude and joy and that wholeheartedly praises the One who is worthy of it all. A church whose songs join with the praise of the heavens, but also touch the ends of the earth.


    We see a creative church that understands that our lives were meant to be a work of art. A church where our diversity is cherished, mana is upheld and our unity is fought for with honour.


    We see a courageous church, that sticks with people, is tenacious in faith, and where what is possible, is redefined. A church that is an oasis for those walking in a dry and barren world, and a church that offers respite and restoration for those that need to find their feet again. A place where our wairua is watered and nurtured.


    We see a church that plays our part in the story of God redeeming all things. A church passionate about God’s mission, recognising we all have the opportunity to be a part of what God is doing every day and everywhere.


    We see a church active in making wrong things right, in our own hearts, our homes and our neighbourhoods, recognising that what is already in our hands can make an eternal difference. We surrender our time, talent and treasure to the King and His Kingdom.


    We see a church that rolls up their sleeves and draws near to the marginalised, the oppressed, the lonely, and all those in need.


    We see a church whose scattered lives reach every corner of society with the blessing of the Kingdom of God. That every person is embraced by whanaungatanga. We believe that everyone deserves to hear the message of Jesus from someone they can trust, in a way that they can understand and with a power that’s transformational. So we see a church who are equipped to live their story well, share their story well and proclaim the good news of Jesus.

    We see a church that celebrates te ao Māori, whakapapa and whenuatanga, acknowledging our nation’s history, while having faith for true partnership between tangata whenua and tangata tiriti. A church where this is evidenced in the aroha and tikanga Māori experienced in our shared rhythms.


    We see a church of servant leaders, where character trumps calling. Where perseverance walks hand in hand with giftedness. Where kaitiakitanga goes beyond what is seen. Where leaders are equipped and sent out to make a significant difference in the Kingdom of God, throughout the world.

    We see a church who believes the best days for the Kingdom of God are ahead of us, and prayerfully labours to see them realised.


    We see a global church, where what God began with us in Mt Maunganui, will impact nations across the world.


    We see a church that is for the soul, for every soul, for our community’s soul and for the soul of our world.


    To every soul, nau mai, haere mai. Welcome home.