Hills Christian Life Centre

Hillsong Church
Hillsong Convention Centre in the Norwest Business Park
Hillsong Church
33°44′04″S 150°57′39″E / 33.7345°S 150.9609°E / -33.7345; 150.9609Coordinates: 33°44′04″S 150°57′39″E / 33.7345°S 150.9609°E / -33.7345; 150.9609
Country	Australia
Denomination	Australian Christian Churches
Weekly attendance	100,000 (World), 40,075 (Australia)
Website	hillsong.com
History
Founded	1983
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)	Brian and Bobbie Houston

Hillsong Church is a global Pentecostal megachurch originating from Sydney, New South Wales, which is affiliated with Australian Christian Churches, the Australian branch of the Assemblies of God. The church was founded in 1983, originally called Hills Christian Life Centre in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, by Brian Houston and his wife Bobbie. The Church is also known for its worship music, like Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United, and most recently Hillsong Young & Free.

According to the church, over 100,000 people attend services each week at the church or one of its 80 affiliated churches located worldwide (around 40,000 in Australia).

Hillsong is a megachurch that has been described by scholars as a "confluence of sophisticated marketing techniques and popular music". The music of Hillsong United and Hillsong Worship are credited with driving Hillsong's global popularity. It was founded in 1983 inside a warehouse as Hills Christian Life Center by former window cleaner Brian Houston and his wife Bobbie Houston. Through the 1980s and 1990s the congregation grew from 45 members to nearly 20,000 and emerged as a significant influence in the area of contemporary worship music. This was a result of strategic marketing that targeted younger generations and Hillsong's success at establishing itself as a global music standard.

Originally, services were held at the Baulkham Hills Public School hall. In 1997 the church moved into its new building at Baulkham Hills' Norwest Business Park. A new convention centre at the church's "Hills" location, was opened on 19 October 2002 by John Howard, the then Prime Minister of Australia. During the 1990s, Kiev Christian life Centre, now Hillsong Kiev, and London Christian Life Centre, now Hillsong London, were planted from the Hillsong Church as independent churches.