Christian Life Centre

Christian Life Centre (commonly abbreviated to CLC) is or was a name given to a number of Pentecostal churches in Australia, many of them affiliated with the Australian Christian Churches (formerly Assemblies of God, or AOG) network. Hills Christian Life Centre, which has since changed its name to Hillsong Church, was one of these, and spawned other churches in Australia and around the globe.

Australia

Queensland

Christian Life Centre Brisbane was founded in Brisbane in 1972 by Trevor Chandler and Clark Taylor. The latter left at the end of the year,[1] but this CLC grew into one of the first mega churches in Brisbane under Chandler, and later into a national and international organisation.[2] Chandler later rejected the teachings of the earlier Pentacostalist movements, and in 2000 Brian Andrew took over as leader. However he fell out with the CLC International denomination, and the Brisbane CLC flagship mother church left that movement and joined the AOG network, which was larger. In 2007, the church merged with Metro Church Brisbane, under Paul Geerling, and from that point the CLC movement slowed its growth.[3] (Metro Church Brisbane changed its name to iSEE Church in April 2012,[4] and as of February 2022 is still run by Geerling and his wife Jo. It has six locations in Australia as well as one each in Mumbai and Hong Kong.[5])

Hillsong origins
Further information: Hillsong Church

The Sydney Christian Life Centre, described by scholar Sam Hey as "a neo-Pentecostal megachurch", was founded in 1977[3] by New Zealander Frank Houston,[2] "considered the father of Sydney's Pentecostal churches". He built the church[6] at 188 Young St, Waterloo.[7] The church joined AOG in the 1980s,[3] and over time Houston became the most senior AOG person in New South Wales.[6] In his later life he faced multiple allegations of child sexual abuse.[8][9][10] The Sydney CLC founded a college under David Johnston in 1983, located at Arncliffe and known as the International Institute for Creative Ministries (IICM); however, in 1989 Johnston parted ways with the IICM and founded the Wesleyan college which became Wesley Institute,[11] today Excelsia College.

The Hills Christian Life Centre, was founded by Houston's son, Brian Houston, and his wife Bobbie, at Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, in 1983, as an AOG church.[12]

Frank Houston's Waterloo church merged with the Hills CLC in May 1999,[12] after he had been exposed as a paedophile,[6] and the church was renamed Hillsong Church in 2001.[12] As of February 2022 the city church is called the "Sydney Waterloo"[13] or "Sydney City Campus" of Hillsong Church.[14] The college which had, after the 1989 split, moved back to the Sydney CLC church, eventually grew into Hillsong College, which initially had two Sydney campuses.[15] As of 2022 Hillsong College retains the official trading name of Sydney Christian Life Centre Pty Ltd.[16]

Others

The Liverpool Christian Life Centre was founded by John and Carol McMartin in 1982,[17] and renamed Inspire Church in 2010.[18] [19] In late 2020 John McMartin stepped down from his role, which was taken up by his son, after being charged with sexual assault of a 19-year-old woman at his home, to which he has pleaded not guilty.[20]

Others include:

In other countries
  • The London Christian Life Centre was planted by Hillsong Church pastors Gerard and Sue Keehan in 1992,[26] becoming Hillsong Church London in 2000, and spawning 11 other branches in the UK, run out of rented premises.[27]

CLC today

As of 2010 CLC International had 27 churches in its CLC denomination in Australia, and around 2005 churches overseas, and was being led by Phillip Mutzelburg in Brassal, Queensland.[3]

See also

References
  1. Taylor, Anne (9 August 2017). "Beginnings of Christian Outreach Centre". Renewal Journal. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  2. Hey, Sam (2006). "Independent charismatic churches in a period of post-modernisation – a case study of the Christian Outreach Centre Movement". Social Change in the 21st Century Conference 2006, 27 October 2006. Queensland University of Technology. Retrieved 1 February 2022. PDF
  3. Hey, Sam (2011). God in the Suburbs and Beyond: The Emergence of an Australian Megachurch and Denomination (PhD). Griffith University. doi:10.25904/1912/3059. Retrieved 2 February 2022. PDF
  4. "Historical details for ABN 19 114 962 346". ABN Lookup. 1 November 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  5. "About". iSEE Church. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  6. "Hillsong farewells a lost sheep pioneer". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 November 2004. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  7. "Visit Waterloo - Australia". Hillsong Church. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  8. Davidson, Helen (8 October 2014). "Hillsong leader's father 'still preached after suspension for sex abuse'". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  9. Davidson, Helen (7 October 2014). "Hillsong founder 'told man his father sexually abused it was victim's fault'". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  10. Zhou, Naaman (19 November 2018). "Sexual abuse victim pursues Hillsong's Brian Houston over crimes of his father". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  11. "About us: Brief history". Wesley Institute. 19 July 2008. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2022 – via Trove.
  12. "Case study 18: the response of Australian Christian Churches and affiliated Pentecostal churches to allegations of child sexual abuse: Submissions of counsel assisting the Royal Commission" (PDF). SUBM.0018.001.0001. Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse at Sydney. October 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2022. From May 1999 Pastor Brian Houston was the Senior Pastor of both churches for a period of 18 months. In that year the two churches merged and in 2001 were renamed Hillsong Church. (Website here)
  13. "Hillsong New South Wales". Hillsong Church New South Wales. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  14. "Sydney City Campus". Hillsong Church. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  15. "College history". Hillsong International Leadership College. 31 August 2007. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 4 February 2022 – via Trove.
  16. "Historical details for ABN 79 002 637 069". ABN Lookup. November 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  17. Morris, Linda (28 June 2007). "Pentecostal revolution in the suburbs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  18. "Historical details for ABN 30 140 073 178". ABN Lookup. November 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  19. "Preachers celebrate 30 years - Liverpool, NSW". Liverpool City Champion. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  20. Reddie, Mark (27 January 2021). "TV Pentecostal pastor John McMartin pleads not guilty to indecent assault of teenager". ABC News(Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  21. "Home". Christian Life Centre Mona Vale. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  22. "Auckland civil union march noisy but peaceful". The New Zealand Herald. NZPA. 5 March 2005. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  23. "Who We Are". CLC Oxford. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  24. "Grady Reid – Pastor of Christian Life Centre, Oxford". Stewardship. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  25. "Leadership". CLC Oxford. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  26. Tomkins, Steve (3 February 2006). "Theatre of God". BBC. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  27. "Hillsong Church" (PDF). Religion Media Centre. 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
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