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The Tent of Promise
The History of the Tent of Promise

"Australia First" were the words the Spirit of God spoke to Bishop Barry & Pastor Sandra Cunnington in the early 1990's. Since 1993 the Tent of Promise took shape with the Bible Panorama, a 1000 seat marquee, semi trailers and buses. 


The ministry team traveled full time around Australia up to 2009, and part time since, seeing many tens of thousands of salvations for Jesus.

Our Work

The Tent of Promise is a non-denominational work of reconciliation, equipping, calling and establishing the Word of God across rural Australia in support of local Churches. We have seen over 17,000 people make a decision for Christ and many set free, healed, encouraged, filled with faith and revived by the Holy Spirit across Australia.


After a 10 year recess as Senior Ministers of the Promise Faith Centre Church in Coolangatta, the Holy Spirit again moved on Bishop Barry & Pastor Sandra to relaunch the Tent of Promise ministry to the Nation with a new shape and more flexible footprint. 


Again, God's call of "Australia First" has mobilised the Tent of Promise back to Australia part time since 2019 and once again full time since 2022.

The Call back to the Nation
The Word of God will prevail across this nation of Australia. A faith revival is moving! 

With the Bible Panorama and a team of believers, the Tent of Promise relaunched in Wilcannia in outback NSW in 2019. The Holy Spirit moved demonstrating power and change. 

In 2021 we were propelled back into the field with several outreaches in Toowoomba, the Gospel Music Festival, Gympie, Grantham, Texas, Inglewood, and Yelarbon. We went full time mid 2022 and our lead Pastors are now permanently 'on the road for Jesus' once again. It is time for Australia.

The bondage shattering Power of God

After 18 years of service with the senior ministers, Pastors David and Kristen Semmens are leading a team compelled by Jesus to now step up and step in, and be sent out amongst the nation of Australia.

    • To deliver His Word, bring salvation in the Name of Jesus, bring deliverance to those bound, healing to the broken, truth to a hard hearted and lost people living without hope and Holy Spirit fire to the Church. 
    • To be Jesus' weapon against the works of the enemy, His mouthpiece to the Church and His tool in the harvest field of salvation. 
    • To bring the time of refreshing across Australia by breaking up this unplowed ground. 

Our God is a prophetic God and so we know, revival is coming and it will come through His People who carry the Holy Spirit!

Re-equipping the Ministry - the walk of faith

The Tent of Promise went back out on the road with short-term missions from 2019 to 2021 and full time since. We are currently rebuilding the equipment needed. 

The Semmens family sowed the first seed because they take Jesus at His Word, and joyfully obey the command to reach the lost. They stepped out, sold their family home and purchased a 12m decommissioned coach and converted it to accommodation and equipment transport for the Tent of Promise. A small truck followed for transporting team and equipment. Unlike the rich young ruler in scripture, David and Kristen put their money where their call is and are walking completely by faith.

The team kitchen/bathroom facilities are next so that all team members can shower and cook food on the road. If you too believe Jesus at His Word and know that Australia must be saved & revival sweep through the nation, then consider sowing your seed into this fertile soil too. 

Ministerial Relationships

Raised a Methodist farmer, prior to the Tent of Promise Inc, Barry Cunnington was 11 years a part of the Gold Coast Christian Ministers Association and coordinator of the Gold Coast Easter Family Festival outreach over Easter from 1993 to 1998 which encompassed 29 local churches, through Surf City AOG. Barry organized the Annual March for Jesus, Awakening event. 


Barry is still a member of the Toowoomba Ministers Association, the Lockyer Valley Ministers Association and a part of the Combined Churches of Tweed Heads. 


Both Barry and Sandra are registered with ACM in Australia and Barry was consecrated Bishop with THEICCC.ORG, as overseer of the Promise Faith Centre Churches International, planted by the Tent of Promise Inc. in 15 African countries.

Reverend Kristen is ordained through The ICCC network and has been with the Tent of Promise since 2005 and worked as a Church Assistant Pastor from 2006 to 2014. Kristen became the Senior Minister, leading the team outreaches in 2022. Jim and Felicity joined the Tent of Promise in 2023 and carry the assistant Pastor role and ministry within the Tent.


The Tent of Promise remains non-denominational so as to work across denominational boundaries. 

What We Believe 

  • We are an evangelistic and apostolic inter-denominational ministry, that helps us work with all Bible-believing denominations.
  • Our team are from Churches of all flavours, and we have a heart to see greater unity in the body of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • We believe the bible is inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God.
  • We believe there is only one God, eternally existent in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  • We believe in creation according to the bible
  • We believe that salvation of the lost and sinful man, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
  • We believe the deity of Jesus of Nazareth, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in Power and Glory.
  • We believe in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ who will reward everyone according to the gospel.
  • We believe the resurrection of both saved and lost; those who are saved unto the resurrection of life and those who are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
  • We believe that faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God.
  • We believe that faith without works is dead.
  • We believe in giving, and that true religion is caring for orphans and widows and being wholly separated to God.
  • We believe that the Holy Spirit is still active today and works with the believer to save, heal and deliver.
  • We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life. We believe the Holy Spirit is the teacher of truth.
  • We believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for the body of Christ and He demonstrates the Word preached with signs, miracles and wonders
  • We believe in divine healing and that the Lord Jesus Christ is The Healer. We believe that by the stripes of Jesus we are healed.