About Us

Our Vision

The core purpose of the Soldiers of the Cross is to be about the Father's business to 'make disciples of all Nations' (Matthew 28:19-20) by evangelising the lost and seeing the church come into a greater level of maturity in fullfilling 'The Great Commission' and become the fully-functioning army of God it is meant to be.

Background

Soldiers of the Cross Inc. was founded by Pastors Tim and Leah Knowling in July 2008 and became an Incorporated Association in May 2009.

Tim and Leah met each other in 2003, through a ministry called the ‘Tent of Promise’ (an Australian national tent evangelism ministry). It was through this ministry that they came into a place of realising the calling God had on their lives.

During their time with ‘The Tent’, God brought Tim and Leah together as friends and later in courtship. In May 2004, they were married and 12 years later, they now have 3 beautiful children, Samuel (10), Rebekah (7) and Sarah (3).

In 2005, Tim and Leah were ordained as ‘Ministers of Religion’ by Bishop Harry Westcott, the Presiding Bishop in Australia of the International Communion of Charismatic Churches (ICCC). From 2006 to 2007, Tim and Leah led ‘The Tent’ on the road and learnt many lessons quickly. However, it was during 2007 that both Tim and Leah felt their season with ‘The Tent’ was ending and that the Lord was calling them to establish a new work. At the beginning of 2008, after 5½ years with ‘The Tent’, Tim and Leah worked in their last crusade. Six months later, after much prayer and seeking the Lord, ‘Soldiers of the Cross’ was born.

After starting Soldiers of the Cross (SOTC), a newsletter was begun to inform family and friends of the ministry about SOTC - its purpose and vision, and to keep people informed about what we were doing. This has grown into a Magazine called ‘The Evangelists Magazine’, for the purpose of edifying the church and encouraging and equipping those who are either already involved in evangelism outreach or inspire others to get involved. Along with our website, this has seen a number of doors open.

The magazine continues to grow each issue as more people are reached with it. Currently 16 pages, the magazine reaches not only Australia, but the US, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, New Zealand and a number of African nations, including Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria, Ghana, Mawali and Lesutho, which has led to the building of relationships with pastors and church workers who have a heart to reach the lost. SOTC has been able to assist the Africans by helping them to be equipped for evangelism through resources such as the School of Biblical Evangelism and by sending them materials such as Bibles, Books and CDs. Already fruit is being borne in these men as they are inspired and equipped for evangelism, with reports that the Gospel is being preached, lives are being changed and people are being saved. Praise God!

In Australia, SOTC has also been active in evangelism training through facilitating the Biblically-sound evangelism programs by Way of the Master, such as ‘Conquer your fear, Share your Faith’, an intense 4-lesson program, and the 8-week ‘Basic Training Course’. Tim and Leah use the principles in these courses in their own personal evangelism efforts through both one-on-one witnessing, surveys and tract distribution, as well as organising Tract Distribution events, such as ANZAC Day 2013. 

Affiliation

Tim and Leah Knowling were ordained as ministers of the Gospel in 2005 under the covering of the ICCC (International Communion of Charismatic Churches) Australian network. As such, they relate to Bishop Harry Westcott (the presiding Bishop of ICCC Australia), who provides them with spiritual fathering and oversight, as well as to many other ministers and ministries in Australia.

The International Communion of Charismatic Churches, also known as the ICCC, is a nondenominational fellowship that was founded in 1982 to promote dialogue and unity between historic churches and Charismatic Renewal churches. It represents a wide range of national and international ministries. Over the years the objectives of the ICCC have been expanded to the point that today, the development of national and international Christian networks influence the home, marketplace, and government. Currently the ICCC is represented by over 5,000 ministries with over 240 Bishops on six continents.