Hillsong Birsbane

On the 13th of June I attended Hillsong Brisbane. Hillsong Church was very modern and free. They had very positive motive and were striving to help out where ever they could. Hillsong strives to be the best at everything they do. It impacts many people and their songs are sung world wide. As Hillsong Church continues to increase and grow, the vision remains consistent: to build the Church of Jesus Christ and bless the body of Christ world-wide. Hillsong was established by the father of Brian Houston in 1983 in Sydney (http://myhillsong.com/more-hillsong). The church actually went down in numbers before it started increasing to become what it is today. Over 20,000 people attend in Hillsong Sydney. There are many Hillsong churches in Australia, London, Kiev, Cake Town, Stockholm, Paris, Moscow and are planting one in New York.

Hillsong was very welcoming and friendly. When walking in to the auditorium there were people at the door shaking hands and greeting people. The music was playing and the ushers directed people to some seats. First there was praise and worship for about 20-30 minutes and then one of the preachers came up and talked about tithes and offerings for about 10 mins. They talked about how you must give 10% of your money to tithes. After that they collected the money by passing buckets through the rows of people. Once the buckets where collected another preacher came up and talked about communion. They talked about how the bread is the body of Christ and the cup is the blood spilt. The ushers passed out the emblems throughout the rows. They recommended that you only partake in communion if you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. When everyone was finished with communion the main message was spoken. The main sermon/message was about powerful words and how God created the world with words so be carful what you say. This went on for about 45 minutes. After the main sermon was finished the preacher asked if anyone wanted to commit their lives to Christ. He asked them to raise their hands if they wanted to. At the end of the service they finished with one last song and they recommended if anyone was visiting the church for the first time they could go to the welcome lounge at the back of the church to meet some people and have a coffee. Everyone else just exited the auditorium while they prepared the seats for the next service to start as there are a few services at Hillsong in the morning.

The auditorium can hold about 500-600 people and is working on getting bigger. The music at the church is very contemporary with a full band and choir. Darlene Zschech and other members of the worship team have become internationally renowned for their songwriting and anointed worship leading (http://myhillsong.com/more-hillsong). The structure of the building and the décor inside is fairly modern and appeals to the new generation. There are many services you can go to; Friday night 6:30 – 8:00, Sunday there are three morning services the 8:00 acoustic service, the 9:00 and the 11:00. Hillsong has a youth group within the church and on Sunday nights they have a youth group meeting from 5:00pm – 7:30pm. The youth ranges from ages 12 – young adults. The youth is a great idea because it gives the younger generation of the church a place to come and hang out and meet up with people their age. Hillsong have many campuses, e.g. Australia, London, Kiev, Cake Town, Stockholm, Paris, Moscow and are planting one in New York.

The board of directors governs the church including the pastors. The board of directors is responsible for the leadership of the respective entity Therefore the church is not governed by one individual but rather a board of directors chosen by the congregation.

Hillsong is a protestant church and believes that Jesus died on the cross for us and rose again. The church also believes in the teachings from the Bible and the trinity; God the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. The virgin birth and that Jesus is the only son of God. They also believe that Jesus is coming back one day. Hillsong church is also a Pentecostal church where they believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues (Acts 1:8). “We part of a Church that impacts human need with love. We accept, help and value others reconciling humanity to Jesus, themselves and each other. We are a part of a Church family that believes in the generational potential of one person devoted to Jesus outworking their God given purpose. We are a part of a Church community that lives everyday life with enjoyment, authenticity and wholeness. We are a part of a Church that is contemporary and progressive, creating and innovating through God's inspiration, and understanding and partnership with others. We are a part of a Church that seeks to Steward God's message of freedom for local, national and global communities with personal involvement, example and generosity,” said Bryan Houston (http://myhillsong.com/core-values).

Hillsong church is very professional and structured in what they do. My experience was enjoyable. They were very friendly and welcoming. I would definitely go there again.