In 1970 Wayman and Nelda Mitchell moved to Prescott to take over a small, struggling congregation. Shortly after arriving, God saved a number of young hippies who were very different than anyone in the church. But as they were welcomed, God began to pour out His Spirit on the congregation. As Pastor Mitchell sought to reach young people, they saw the possibilities of the “coffee-house” concert ministry. At the first concert they ever tried as an evangelistic tool, more than 200 young people attended, with many saved. Out of this a regular concert ministry was birthed. Two nights a week, bands played, testimonies of salvation were given and the Gospel was preached, with many being saved each night.
From the beginning, Pastor Mitchell understood that the concert ministry was to be a training ground of ministry development; It was run by young people who were committed to Jesus and His church. From the beginning, people who had been radically converted sought to share with others what God had done in them. Personal evangelism began to be one of the basic foundations of the church. Then came impact teams: Groups of people that would travel to other nearby cities to help people there experience what God was doing here. Over time, God began to reveal His plan of discipleship: Training young couples for ministry within a local church.
What had moved America several years earlier through Woodstock and music was now moving Australia. So, Pastor Mitchell sent a band called Eden, led by a young man named Ron Burrell, to Western Australia, where they played concerts and preached the Gospel of Jesus. The reception was huge!
God had spoken to Pastor Mitchell before the band left the United States, telling him that Ron Burrell would come back from the tour ready to pioneer a church in Australia. When the plane landed in America, Ron called Pastor Mitchell, saying that he felt called to go and preach the Gospel in Australia, and things began to be set in motion.
Pastor Ron Burrell started the first Perth Potter’s House Church on 22 October 1978, meeting at 11 Teddington Street, Victoria Park. The Perth church started with a surge of growth. From the day they opened the doors of the building, 60–70 people began coming, and it grew rapidly to over 100.
In 1979, Darwin was still rebuilding following the devastation of Cyclone Tracy. It was a young, transient city, with people arriving for government employment, military postings and new opportunities. If you had lived in Darwin for 6 years you were considered an Old Timer! Few imagined that God was preparing the foundations for a church that would eventually impact nations.
In July 1979, Pastor Neil and Brenda Prosser arrived in Darwin with their young family, responding to God’s call to pastor the church and make Darwin their home.
At the time, a spiritual awakening was taking place among Darwin’s young population, reminiscent of the “Jesus People” movement sweeping America. Young men and women from all walks of life were encountering Jesus Christ and experiencing genuine transformation.
Many had arrived in Darwin searching for purpose, adventure or escape from their past. Yet through the Gospel, they discovered something far greater- a new life in Christ.
These enthusiastic new believers established a Christian coffee shop called Jacob’s Well, operating beneath an elevated house on Mitchell Street that had survived Cyclone Tracy. It became a gathering place where people could hear the Gospel, build friendships and encounter God’s transforming power.
The building also hosted church services while plans for a permanent church facility developed.
Following Cyclone Tracy, the Northern Territory Government encouraged rebuilding and offered land to churches. The congregation secured land in Wanguri, where members enthusiastically dedicated weekends and spare time to constructing their new church.
The church officially became The Potter’s House Darwin in July 1984, establishing a permanent home that continues serving the community today.
From the beginning, evangelism became the heartbeat of the church.
Street outreaches, park evangelism, live music, drama presentations and Gospel concerts became regular activities throughout Darwin. These gatherings introduced countless people to Jesus Christ and created opportunities for new believers to grow in their faith.
As the congregation expanded, young Christians developed a passion for discipleship, ministry and reaching communities beyond Darwin.
Annual trips to the Australian Potter’s House Bible Conference in Perth helped establish a greater understanding of the Fellowship’s vision: Evangelism, Discipleship and Church Planting.
The church recognised that its calling extended far beyond its own congregation.
In 1981, the first church was planted into Katherine, marking the beginning of an expanding church-planting vision.
The vision continued to grow, with churches established throughout Queensland, New South Wales and Alice Springs. International expansion followed in 1991, when the churches in Papua New Guinea came under Darwin’s leadership. Further pioneering works began in King William’s Town, South Africa, in 1998, Mossel Bay in 2006, and East Timor in 2010, extending the church’s influence across the nations.
What began with a small group of passionate believers had developed into a church committed to raising disciples, training leaders and sending workers into the harvest field.
In September 2023, Pastor Glenn and Jess Plummer assumed leadership of The Potter’s House Darwin, continuing its longstanding commitment to reaching the lost, making disciples and planting churches.
Today, The Potter’s House Darwin is a thriving church-planting centre, serving as a Mother Church and Grandmother Church to 33 churches across four nations.
More than four decades after its humble beginnings, the same passion for Jesus Christ and His Gospel continues to inspire the congregation.
Our history is a testimony to God’s faithfulness, the power of transformed lives and what can happen when ordinary people respond to an extraordinary calling.
We celebrate what God has done, but believe our greatest days are still ahead!
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0413 377 726
admin@pottershousedarwin.com.au
29 Vanderlin Dr,
Wanguri, NT
