Christian Life Centre Explained

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. 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. (Metro Church Brisbane changed its name to iSEE Church in April 2012,[2] and 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.[3])

New South Wales

Hillsong origins

The Sydney Christian Life Centre, described by scholar Sam Hey as "a neo-Pentecostal megachurch", was founded in 1977 by New Zealander Frank Houston,[4] "considered the father of Sydney's Pentecostal churches". He built the church[5] at 188 Young St, Waterloo.[6] The church joined AOG in the 1980s,[7] and over time Houston became the most senior AOG person in New South Wales.[5] 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,[5] and the church was renamed Hillsong Church in 2001.[12] 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] 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

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.[7]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Taylor . Anne . Beginnings of Christian Outreach Centre . Renewal Journal . 9 August 2017 . 1 February 2022.
  2. Web site: Historical details for ABN 19 114 962 346 . ABN Lookup . 1 November 2014 . 2 February 2022.
  3. Web site: About. iSEE Church. 2 February 2022.
  4. Independent charismatic churches in a period of post-modernisation – a case study of the Christian Outreach Centre Movement. Hey, Sam . 2006 . Social Change in the 21st Century Conference 2006, 27 October 2006. Queensland University of Technology.. 1 February 2022. PDF
  5. Web site: Hillsong farewells a lost sheep pioneer . The Sydney Morning Herald . 13 November 2004 . 2 February 2022.
  6. Web site: Visit Waterloo - Australia . Hillsong Church . 2 February 2022.
  7. Hey . Sam . God in the Suburbs and Beyond: The Emergence of an Australian Megachurch and Denomination . Griffith University. 2011. PhD. 10.25904/1912/3059 . 2 February 2022. PDF
  8. News: Hillsong leader's father 'still preached after suspension for sex abuse' . Helen . Davidson . 8 October 2014 . . 2 February 2022 .
  9. News: Hillsong founder 'told man his father sexually abused it was victim's fault' . Helen . Davidson . 7 October 2014 . 2 February 2022. .
  10. News: Sexual abuse victim pursues Hillsong's Brian Houston over crimes of his father . . 19 November 2018 . Naaman . Zhou . 2 February 2022 .
  11. Web site: About us: Brief history. 19 July 2008. Wesley Institute. Trove. 19 July 2008. http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080719085951/http://wesleyinstitute.edu.au/wi/About_Us/Brief_History.asp. 4 February 2022. live.
  12. Web site: 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 . Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse at Sydney. October 2014. SUBM.0018.001.0001. 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. Web site: Hillsong New South Wales. Hillsong Church New South Wales . 2 February 2022.
  14. Web site: Sydney City Campus . Hillsong Church . 2 February 2022.
  15. Web site: College history. 31 August 2007. Hillsong International Leadership College. Trove. http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070831124710/http://cms.hillsong.com/college/default.asp?pid=90. 31 August 2007. 4 February 2022. live.
  16. Web site: Historical details for ABN 79 002 637 069 . ABN Lookup . November 2014 . 5 February 2022.
  17. Web site: Morris, Linda. Pentecostal revolution in the suburbs . The Sydney Morning Herald . 28 June 2007 . 2 February 2022.
  18. Web site: Historical details for ABN 30 140 073 178 . ABN Lookup . November 2014 . 2 February 2022.
  19. Web site: Preachers celebrate 30 years - Liverpool, NSW . Liverpool City Champion . 25 September 2012 . 2 February 2022 . 2 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220202070452/https://www.liverpoolchampion.com.au/story/357458/preachers-celebrate-30-years/ . dead .
  20. Web site: Reddie . Mark . TV Pentecostal pastor John McMartin pleads not guilty to indecent assault of teenager . ABC News(Australian Broadcasting Corporation) . 27 January 2021 . 2 February 2022.
  21. Web site: Home. Christian Life Centre Mona Vale. 4 February 2022.
  22. News: Auckland civil union march noisy but peaceful . NZPA . . 5 March 2005 . 5 Feb 2022.
  23. Web site: Who We Are . CLC Oxford . 4 February 2022.
  24. Web site: Grady Reid – Pastor of Christian Life Centre, Oxford . Stewardship . 4 February 2022.
  25. Web site: Leadership . CLC Oxford . 4 February 2022.
  26. News: Tomkins. Steve. Theatre of God. 1 June 2015. BBC. 3 February 2006.
  27. Web site: Hillsong Church . 2019. Religion Media Centre. 3 February 2022.

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