Hillsong Church

Church in Australia

Hillsong Church
Hillsong Convention Centre in the Norwest Business Park
Country	Australia
Weekly attendance	150,000 (global), 43,000 (Australia)
Website	hillsong.com
History
Founded	1983; 41 years ago (1983)
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)	Phil and Lucinda Dooley
Laity
Music group(s)	Hillsong Worship Hillsong United Hillsong Young & Free

Hillsong Church
Theology	Charismatic
Polity	Independent
Structure	Hillsong Global Board, Hillsong Eldership
Headquarters	Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, Australia
Founder	Brian Houston and Bobbie Houston
Members	150,000 (global, 2022)
Places of worship	80
Aid organization	Hillsong City Care
Tax status	Charitable institution

Hillsong Church, commonly known as Hillsong, is a charismatic Christian megachurch and a Christian association of churches based in Australia. The original church was established in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, as Hills Christian Life Centre by Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie Houston, in 1983. Hillsong was a member of the Australian Christian Churches – the Australian branch of the US-based Assemblies of God – until 2018, when it separated to form a new denomination. The church is known for its contemporary worship music, with groups such as Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United and Hillsong Young & Free with many musical credits and hits and a series of scandals and criticisms.

Hillsong and its music have been highly successful globally, with its presence described as a global corporate brand, but a series of scandals and criticisms have negatively affected its image in recent years. In March 2022, Houston stepped down as global senior pastor after an internal investigation found that he had breached the church's moral code of conduct for pastors by engaging in inappropriate behaviour with women on two occasions in the 2010s. In February 2023, Phil and Lucinda Dooley, who had been acting in the position since January 2022, took over as global senior pastors.^[1]