Hillsong Church, Pentecostal megachurch in Norwest, Sydney, Australia
Hillsong Church is a Christian megachurch in Baulkham Hills, a northwestern Sydney suburb, operating several locations across the city with services that include live music and visual technology. The main campus in Baulkham Hills features large gathering spaces with stages, projection screens and sound systems, while smaller sites across different neighborhoods provide similar facilities on a more compact scale.
The Houstons founded the congregation in 1983 as Hills Christian Life Centre, holding initial services in a school hall in the Hills District. The church grew rapidly over the following decades, opening locations in different Australian cities and overseas while maintaining its headquarters in Baulkham Hills.
Hillsong's name comes from "Hillsong" (song of the hill), a label used by Integrity Music for its songs before the church adopted it in 1999. Its annual Hillsong Conference drew about 30,000 people to Sydney's Acer Arena in July 2005 and 35,000 in 2006, with representatives of 21 Christian denominations from 71 countries. Services are built around contemporary worship music released through Hillsong Music Australia.
The Baulkham Hills campus sits in the Norwest Business Park, where the church moved in 1997; its 3,500-seat convention centre was opened by Prime Minister John Howard in October 2002. Services run on weekends, and the site is reached by road with parking on the grounds. Hillsong also meets in other venues, including Melbourne's former Festival Hall, bought in 2020.
The congregation operates its own college within the church complex, training students in ministry and theology while they simultaneously participate in regular church activities. This connection means visitors often encounter young people from different countries who live and study on site while volunteering at events and services.
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