Hillsong church is a part of the Assemblies of God affiliation that is also known as the Australian Christian Churches. Churches from all around Australia voluntarily join the group which comes under the Pentecostal denomination.
Pentecostalism began at the start of the 1900s with the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles, 1906. The ideas that Pentecostal churches have started in the middle of the 19th Century when some protestant groups believed that after conversion, a second encounter was experienced when the person would be cleansed of sin. The Pentecostal movement was inspired by the festival of Pentecost where the Holy Spirit came to the apostles (“Christianity – Pentecostalism” http://www.abc.net.au/). This is illustrated in Acts 2:4. It says, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (“Acts 2:4” http://www.biblegateway.com/). Pentecostalism is based heavily around this scripture.
The Pentecostal movement includes many different churches so the beliefs are slightly different for each church but the beliefs all branch around some main points. Pentecostals believe that if a person makes a personal commitment to faith the Holy Spirit will come and live inside them. The Spirit enables the person to speak in tongues. The Scriptures are translated literally and baptism is a vital custom. Most Pentecostals believe that God will reward those who are faithful, giving back to the church what they are given. God’s rewards could be spiritual or material things (“Christianity – Pentecostalism” http://www.abc.net. au/). Hillsong Brisbane personally believes that God will fulfil all of His promises which includes the return of Christ.
The Pentecostal churches do not have one main governing body. Every individual church can decide what it does for itself. For example, the group of Hillsong churches might have slightly different views and rules to the Christian Outreach Centres. However, the Australian Christian Churches (ACC) movement suggests ideas that they expect their churches to follow. There is more than 1000 churches with over 215, 000 constituents currently involved in the ACC (“Home” http://www.aog.org.au/). Most countries around the world have organisations like the Australian Christian Churches and all of these would support the basic Pentecostal ideas.
At Hillsong Church there is no real liturgy. The order of the service is changed weekly to keep the members on their toes, wondering what will happen next week. There is however, always the same elements like worship, tithes, alter call, sermon and church news and information. Worship starts and ends the service. Tithes are collected before the sermon but sometimes after if there is a guest speaker. The alter call immediately follows the sermon and church news is announced whenever there is some free time. At Hillsong, it is not important to have a set order for the service because most likely it will but ruined if the pastor feels that it is important just to spend some time in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The music in a Pentecostal church is very modern compared to a Baptist church, for instance. Hillsong music has become very popular even amongst the general public. In 2004, a Hillsong album topped the ARIA charts (“Australian Recording Artists” http://www.aria. com.au/). At a typical service in a Pentecostal church, a person is likely to find guitars, drums, pianos and maybe even a choir. The volume of the music is quite high and mostly appeals more to the younger audience. Worship in a Pentecostal church is viewed as an entryway into the presence of the Holy Spirit. During worship, people may sing, dance, shout and pray. Overall, it is about engaging with the Holy Spirit (“Pentecostal Worship” http://www.patheos.com/).
Hillsong Brisbane is a modern Pentecostal church which always changing. The church appeals to the younger generations but also accommodates for everyone else. Hillsong Brisbane has an enjoyable atmosphere that is inviting to everyone.
