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In 1988 Hills Christian Life Centre developed a training arm of IICM, under Ian Fuller. It was first known as Power Ministry School, then in 1992 Power Ministry College, under Steve Kelly. In 1993 the Hillsong School and a School of Music was established to train young musicians. In 1996, after Mark Hopkins took over as director, the Hillsong School and the School of Music were merged to form the Hills Leadership College.In response to the Black Lives Matter protests, Hillsong held a panel discussion, with members consisting of people of colour of diverse backgrounds who were involved with the church, such as Hillsong Darwin pastor and Aboriginal Australian academic Robyn Ober.

Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz helped to lead Hillsong’s first church in the United States, in New York City, in 2010. He befriended Justin Bieber and developed a celebrity following. Hillsong expanded on the East Coast under Lentz, but some members felt that it became unduly focused on fashion, and on servicing the desires of its pastors and its famous patrons. Church volunteers were allegedly expected to work long hours, and were reportedly treated as second-class citizens and gaslighted. Around 2017, two Hillsong volunteers who attempted to convey their concerns about Lentz to Hillsong leadership were allegedly intercepted and dismissed.

Hillsong has multiple campuses around Australia. As of February 2022 in New South Wales it has Baulkham Hills, two Sydney city campuses (one the location of the original Sydney CLC), several around various suburbs, and one each in Newcastle and Wollongong. There are also one or two churches in major cities in all of the other states except for South Australia. It also has churches in 30 countries across the world, and As of February 2022 reports 150,000 regular attendees globally.

On 19 March 2022, John Mays, head of people and development in the church, wrote a letter to the global leadership recommending that the Houstons should be dismissed from the church, saying that they had contributed to “many unhealthy people practices… over many years”. He alleged that Brian Houston had a “strong, immovable, leadership disposition together with a distinct lack of personal accountability”, and that Bobbie was not a victim, but also shared the responsibility of maintaining accountability. He said that the motive behind his letter was “to support Hillsong employees” rather than personal malice, and that he joined in celebrating aspects of the Houstons’ legacy.The Hillsong Worship albums, formerly led by Darlene Zschech and Reuben Morgan and previously named Hillsong Live before 2014, all achieved gold status in Australia. The live album series was recorded at the Sydney campus(es) and then edited and produced by Hillsong Music Australia. The worship series began as a compilation of songs and developed into studio recorded albums. To help make Hillsong Music mainstream, an agreement with Warner Music Australia took place in 1999. In 2003, Sony Music Australia also signed with Hillsong Music to make the group even more mainstream. In 2018, Hillsong Worship won its first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “What a Beautiful Name”.

Criticisms have been levelled at Hillsong in regard to its finances, particularly its use of government grants when it reportedly made A$40 million in 2004, and A$50 million in 2010.Brian Houston stepped aside from his senior roles as global senior pastor and chair of the board in January 2022, owing to the pressures of a court case relating to his alleged failure to report sexual abuse of a child by his father, of which he became aware in the 1990s. In March 2022, he stepped down as the global senior pastor of the church after he was found to have breached the moral code of the church in his behaviour with two women.

Two campuses of the Hillsong International Leadership College arose from the two churches that are now Hillsong Church, the Sydney Christian Life Centre and Hills Christian Life Centre. Both original colleges had similar goals of creating courses in ministry and leadership development based in a local church setting. With an emphasis on the creative arts, theological education was based on the ministry model.

Hillsong’s positions on non-central doctrines of the faith are diverse, although individuals have taken a public stand on many topical issues in contemporary Christianity in keeping with mainstream Pentecostalism; for example, the church’s founder opposes abortion and supports teaching creationism in schools. Hillsong has also declared support for Creationism and Intelligent Design and believes this should be taught in schools.

An investigative report on ABC TV’s 7.30 program on 6 April 2022 revealed that Hillsong had acquired many properties that had been hidden behind a web of entities across the world. It had done this in part by assuming financial control over other churches, starting with Garden City Church in 2009, which later transferred over 12 properties in Brisbane to one of the Hillsong charities, with no transfer of money. It has also taken control of the finances of at least one church in Sydney, which has since broken away. It took over Hillsong Kiev in 2014, coercing its then pastors to hand over assets and leave Hillsong. An investigator from the Trinity Foundation in Dallas found that Hillsong owned at least three condominiums in New York City, a $US3.5-million home in California and 31 properties in Arizona, expected to be worth a total of US$40 million by 2023. Its corporate and financial structures mean that the church is protected against litigation which demands large payouts to plaintiffs.Hillsong criticised the 60 Minutes report, saying it was “factually wrong, sensationalised, unbalanced and highly unethical”. Hillsong stated that it had investigated both incidents and reported the assault on Crenshaw to police in May 2019. It defended its decision to retain Mays on the grounds that the magistrate had described the offence as “low-level”, that Mays had expressed remorse for his actions, and that Crenshaw’s account was contradicted by other witnesses. It also claimed that “Katherine” had been unwilling to provide details about the date and perpetrator of the alleged rape, and was unwilling to take the matter to the police. Nine News journalist Tom Steinfort criticised Hillsong’s response as “tone-deaf” and accused the church leadership of victim blaming.

In 2014, the New York event was held in Madison Square Garden, while the London conference was held in The O2 Arena over three days and has continued to be held at this venue until at least 2018.

Hillsong’s various ministries include Hillsong Music, Hillsong Kids, Hillsong Youth, Hillsong Sisterhood, Hillsong Men, Hillsong Conference, Hillsong CityCare, Hillsong International Leadership College, TBN Inspire (branded as Hillsong Channel from June 2016 to 31 December 2021), TV & Film, Hillsong Performing Arts Academy and Hillsong Health Centre. Their total facilities are estimated to be worth around A$100 million.

Liberal MP for Mitchell, Alan Cadman, and two Family First Party senate candidates, Joan Woods and Ivan Herald, who failed to win senate seats, were featured in a Hillsong circular during the election, with members being asked to pray for them. The church is governed by the Hillsong Global Board and a group of elders known as the Hillsong Eldership, headed by Pastors Phil and Lucinda Dooley since 2022. The elders lead the church spiritually whereas the board of directors manages the corporate administration appointed for one year, with renewable terms. In early 2023, it was announced that 153 staff members accepted voluntary redundancies in 2022, a cost-cutting method that reportedly will save the church close to $10 million. The moves were made following the accusations that the church had been extravagantly spending money and participating in fraud. The move comes alongside an independent review into the church’s financial structure.

Hillsong Church, commonly known as Hillsong, is a charismatic Christian megachurch based in Australia. The original church was established in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, as Hills Christian Life Centre by Brian Houston and his wife Bobbie in 1983. Hillsong was a member of the Australian Christian Churches – the Australian branch of the US-based Assemblies of God – until 2018, when they separated to form a new denomination. The church is known for its contemporary worship music, with groups such as Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United and Hillsong Young & Free with many musical credits and hits.Hillsong’s prosperity teachings have been criticised by Christian leaders Tim Costello and George Pell. Subsequent statements by Tim Costello indicated that he was satisfied with changes made by Brian Houston to Hillsong’s teaching in response to criticism. Costello also wrote a foreword in Hillsong’s 2019 annual report. Hillsong’s teachings have been commented on favourably by Peter Costello, Tim Costello’s brother, also a Baptist and a former Treasurer of Australia, who has defended the church against accusations of unorthodoxy.

Hillsong has been criticised by politicians, media, community groups, Christian leaders and former members such as Tanya Levin. Criticisms have included Hillsong’s finances, its ties to controversial organisations, its attitudes towards LGBT people and its treatment of critics as well as scandals involving Brian Houston and other prominent church leaders.Gary Clarke, then pastor of Hillsong London, was criticised for refusing to comment on the murder of George Floyd in the US, having said on 30 May 2020, “For me to be railing as a pastor about something that’s going on in another country, I’m not really sure that’s going to help anyone.” Both Clarke and Houston subsequently apologised for the comments and, in early 2021, Clarke and his wife Cathy were moved into an international leadership role. In early June 2020, Hillsong came out in support of Black Lives Matter in the US, with Brian Houston stating that they are “committed as a Church to playing our part in seeing racism eradicated … until that becomes a reality, we will continue to say black lives matter”.

In January 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, participants at a Hillsong youth camp at the Glenrock scout camp near Newcastle, New South Wales, were filmed dancing and singing without masks. While the state government’s public health order did not apply to religious gatherings, singing and dancing at most recreational and public venues and gatherings was prohibited. NSW Health ordered the organisers of the Hillsong youth camp to stop singing and dancing after public outcry and media coverage from a video of the youth camp. The Premier of New South Wales, Dominic Perrottet, stated that he was “completely shocked” by the video from the event. In response, Hillsong apologised for reinforcing the perception that they were not complying with the public health order and stated that they would comply with health authorities’ instructions and maintained that the youth camp was not a music festival. While New South Wales Police personnel spoke with organisers of the youth camp, they declined to issue a fine. All attendees were tested before arriving at the camp.In 2020, former church members accused the church of exploiting volunteers, due to overwork, lack of recognition and interference in privacy. Hillsong replied that an internal investigation had been launched in 2018 after receiving a complaint and that a global human resources team had been put in place, as well as an ethical code of conduct to guide voluntary work and an email address to facilitate denunciations.

Between 2008 and 2018, Hillsong Church planted more churches in Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Israel, Canada and Mexico. Hillsong also branched out into the United States, establishing sixteen locations by 2022.In March 2022, Brian Houston resigned his position as global senior pastor after an internal investigation into his misconduct began. It was reported that in both 2013 and 2019 he had engaged in inappropriate behaviour with women connected to the church. In 1977, six years before the establishment of what would become Hillsong Church, Brian Houston’s father Frank founded the Sydney Christian Life Centre (Sydney CLC) in Waterloo, New South Wales, an inner-city Sydney, in what was described by scholar Sam Hey as “a neo-Pentecostal megachurch.” Brian and his wife, Bobbie, started holding services at a school hall in nearby Baulkham Hills, establishing Hills Christian Life Centre (Hills CLC) in 1983. Both Sydney CLC and Hills CLC were affiliated with the Australian Christian Churches (ACC), the Australian branch of the US-based Assemblies of God. Hillsong’s attitude towards criticism was portrayed negatively by one former member, Tanya Levin, in her book People in Glass Houses: An Insider’s Story of a Life In and Out of Hillsong. Specific criticisms covered authoritarian church governance, lack of financial accountability, resistance to free thought, strict fundamentalist teachings and lack of compassion. In an interview with Andrew Denton, Levin further discussed her experience of Hillsong, which she described as “toxic Christianity”.In September 2021, 60 Minutes aired a segment called “Hillsong Hell” featuring Crenshaw and a second woman known as “Katherine”, who alleged that she had been raped by a fellow church member on church premises in 2018. Both women alleged that Hillsong had ignored their complaints and tried to downplay the incidents. According to 60 Minutes, Hillsong see itself as the victim when it is criticised and care more about protecting itself than investigating accusations, noting that Mays had pleaded guilty to assaulting Crenshaw yet retained his job at Hillsong. Brian Houston subsequently posted a Twitter message questioning Crenshaw’s version of events and also gave an interview with Eternity magazine portraying the church as the victim of allegations. Bobbie Houston has been especially influential in Hillsong’s ministry for women, called Sisterhood. She is a mentor to many of Hillsong’s women leaders. Although Hillsong generally supports the traditional roles of wife and mother for women, the church’s position is that their ministries “empower” women. Riches found via interviews with attendees that the ministries increased women’s choice regarding around sexuality and child rearing; encouraged women to start small businesses and to take on promotions at work; facilitated women’s participation in cultural events, as well as promoted women’s voices in religious teaching and public life. Church members have described Hillsong’s leadership development as a process that supports women’s movement from timid, supportive wife into leadership roles within the church. The Sisterhood is involved in issues such as HIV/AIDS, domestic violence and human trafficking. Their midweek gathering is primarily for women. It is attended by all female staff members and is the foundation of Hillsong’s women’s ministries. The Thursday meeting for mothers includes businesswomen, and special quarterly “Sisterhood United” night meetings include working women. Members of the church say that her authority as a leader comes from “a Pentecostal understanding of Spirit empowerment”. In October 2020, they purchased the Festival Hall venue in Melbourne to become the home of Hillsong Church Melbourne City’s weekly church services after undergoing renovations to better suit the new uses. On 20 August 2008, Michael Guglielmucci, a then pastor of Planetshakers Church, composed “Healer”, a song about his experience of cancer. He was invited by Hillsong to add his song to the album This Is Our God. Later, he confessed that he had lied about having cancer. Hillsong leadership told the press they were unaware of this situation and that the suspended pastor was seeking professional help. The Australian Christian Churches promised that all money donated by listeners inspired by the song would either be returned or donated to charity. “Healer” has since then been removed from further releases of the album. The Sydney college was originally founded in 1983 by David Johnston and located at Arncliffe as the “International Institute for Creative Ministries” (IICM), but in 1989 Johnston parted ways with IICM, bringing the college under the auspices of Wesley Mission. That college moved to the Wesley Centre in Pitt Street, Sydney, and after a few name changes became Wesley Institute (now Excelsia College).

The Australian conference is hosted by Hillsong Church and lead pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston and involves a variety of guests from across the globe. Baptist minister Michael Frost described the 2011 conference as having, “a kind of electric, almost carnival atmosphere … the delegates were full of anticipation and excitement”.

In 2008, Sydney inner city publication Central Magazine stated that Hillsong had donated A$600 to a Member of the Legislative Council, Kristina Keneally (ALP), for the tickets of a fundraising dinner, featuring the New South Wales’ planning minister, Frank Sartor (ALP), as a guest speaker one month before the 2007 state election, despite Hillsong’s own statement of corporate governance declaring that “Hillsong Church does not make financial contributions to or align itself with any political party or candidate.” A Hillsong staff member, Maria Ieroianni, said that no donation had been made and that the dinner was not a fundraiser. Hillsong also issued a statement on their website denying that the money was a donation. According to the Central Magazine article, Keneally has described the dinner as a fundraiser and the money from Hillsong as a donation. The article also states that these descriptions are confirmed by the records of the New South Wales Electoral Commission.In 1990 Robert Fergusson became principal at the Sydney location and switched the focus to practical ministry training. Classes, at this time accommodating around 50-70 students, were moved back to the church site and the name changed to Aquila College of Ministries in 1993. After Hills CLC merged with Sydney CLC (referred to as its “parent church”) in 1999, in early 2000 the Sydney college merged with the Hills Leadership College to become Hillsong International Leadership College, with Duncan Corby appointed principal of its “City campus”. It was approved as a registered training organisation in December 2002, and by 2007 there were around 900 full-time students enrolled across the two campuses, the majority from overseas.

Hillsong Church has produced over 40 albums, which have sold over 11 million copies. Albums are produced for different target audiences including Hillsong Kids for children. Hillsong Chapel features acoustic arrangements, which are “quieter” than the electric guitar, keyboard and drums that are typical of Hillsong’s music. Hillsong’s albums are produced by Hillsong Music Australia. Hillsong’s congregational music has been the dominant source of the church’s influence in the Charismatic Christianity movement.In September 2012, Hillsong produced The Global Project, a collection of their most popular songs released in nine different languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin, Indonesian, German, French, Swedish and Russian. Prime Minister Scott Morrison opened the 2019 Hillsong annual conference, shortly after the May 2019 federal election. He is not a member of Hillsong, being part of the Horizon Church’s congregation. The church has been criticised for its stance on homosexuality issues. It considers homosexual practice sinful, and does not allow gay people to assume leadership roles. It issued a statement in February 2019 stating that it was inclusive; however, Houston had formerly said that Hillsong would accept gay people who did not follow a “homosexual lifestyle”.Hillsong has a global presence, with churches and ministries in Australia, Indonesia and Japan, many European countries, Canada, US, South Africa, and, in Latin America, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Uruguay as of February 2022.

In September 2018, Hillsong left the Australian Christian Churches – of which Brian Houston had been national superintendent/president from 1997 to 2009 – to become an autonomous denomination, identifying itself more as a global and charismatic church. According to both Hillsong and ACC, the parting was amicable. Of the decision to spin itself off into its own denomination, Houston wrote, “We do not intend to function as a denomination in the traditional sense of the word… We are a denomination purely for practical reasons related to having the ability to ordain our pastors in Australia to legally conduct weddings as marriage celebrants operating under the rites of Hillsong Church”. Houston added that they had not shifted doctrinally and that the ACC was still their “tribe”.Hillsong has been criticised for its involvement with Mercy Ministries, a controversial evangelical charity with an anti-abortion view and a conservative perspective on homosexuality. Hillsong responded by praising the work of Mercy Ministries and stating that “we are not involved in the operational aspects of the organisation.” The church also said: “We have heard many wonderful testimonies about how the work of Mercy has helped the lives of young women facing often debilitating and life-controlling situations. Some would even say that Mercy Ministries has saved their life.” Mercy Ministries in Australia was shut down on 31 October 2009, preceding which Hillsong had distanced itself from the organisation despite earlier funding it, and staffing elements of it. Hillsong Dallas pastor Reed Bogard resigned in January 2021, two weeks before an internal investigation found that he had been accused of raping a female junior colleague while serving at Hillsong New York City. According to the report, the married Bogard had been having an affair with the colleague between 2013 and 2014, and Hillsong Australia had been aware of the affair in the second half of 2014 but had declined to take action. Hillsong paused the Dallas campus in April 2021 following Bogard’s resignation. In 2005, Hillsong was accused of spending most of the money it received through government grants for programs to assist the Riverstone Aboriginal Community Association (RACA) on their own staff salaries. The federal government acknowledged that A$80,000 from the grant money had been used to pay Hillsong Emerge CEO Leigh Coleman, who was only indirectly involved in the programs. One program, designed to give microloans to Indigenous Australians, paid A$315,000 to Hillsong staff over the course of a year, though only granted six loans averaging A$2,856 each during that time. Hillsong’s application for the grant listed the RACA as a co-funder, though the RACA denied ever offering funding, saying they were never in a position to do so. In 2006, Hillsong were stripped of A$414,000 from the grant on the grounds they had faked the Indigenous endorsement that was required to obtain it. Hillsong were also accused of offering the RACA A$280,000 in order to silence their complaints regarding the matter, which they declined; a Hillsong spokesperson stated the offer of money was “not an attempt to silence RACA but amicably resolve the issue.”

Hillsong Church has attracted support from high-profile politicians, especially from the Liberal Party of Australia. In 1998, Brian Houston met with the prime minister of Australia, John Howard, and most of his cabinet at Parliament House in Canberra before sharing prayers. In 2002, Howard opened the Hillsong Convention Centre at the Baulkham Hills location. In 2004 and 2005, the Treasurer of Australia, Peter Costello, spoke at its annual conferences. Mark Latham, the Leader of the Opposition, declined Hillsong’s invitation to the 2004 conference, although Bob Carr, the Premier of New South Wales (from the New South Wales Labor Party), attended the 2005 conference.According to a census of the denomination, it would have in 2022, 38 churches in Australia and 150,000 members in 30 countries, up from 130,000 in 21 countries in May 2019 and 100,000 in 14 countries in September 2015. Hillsong’s high-profile involvement with political leaders has been questioned in the media, and publicly, the church has distanced itself from advocating certain political groups and parties, including the fledgling Family First party. Brian Houston has replied to these criticisms by stating, “I think people need to understand the difference between the church being very involved in politics and individual Christians being involved in politics.” In 2015, American preacher Mark Driscoll was invited to attend the Hillsong annual conference. When it was revealed that Driscoll had made offensive comments about women, Brian Houston announced that Driscoll would no longer attend the conference. However, a pre-recorded interview with Driscoll was played during the conference. In February 2016, Duncan Corby was dean of the college, while Catrina Henderson was principal. and it was still trading as Hillsong International Leadership College. In late 2016 it shortened its name to simply Hillsong College, and as of 2022 has campuses in Sydney and Phoenix, Arizona, and has an online curriculum. The official trading name of the city campus is Sydney Christian Life Centre Pty Ltd, and one of its tax-deductible charitable funds is called the International Institute for Creative Ministries Library Trust Fund. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the church started measuring online attendees instead of regular attendees, which they stated average 444,000 per weekend. On 16 September 2016, the documentary Hillsong: Let Hope Rise, directed by Michael John Warren, was released to cinemas across the United States. The film explores Hillsong’s beginnings and its rise to prominence as an international church. The focus is on the band Hillsong United as they write songs for their upcoming album and work toward a performance at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Hills CLC’s growth into a megachurch through the 1980s and 1990s was largely driven by young people attracted by its contemporary worship music, and by its practice of planting churches internationally. In 1992, Hills CLC planted London Christian Life Centre as an independent church, with Gerard and Sue Keehan as pastors; it was renamed Hillsong London in 2000 and gradually grew to twelve locations across the United Kingdom. Kiev Christian Life Centre, now Hillsong Kiev, was also planted in post-Soviet Ukraine in 1992.

In July 2008, concerns were raised by some teachers, parents, and experts about the Hillsong City Care Shine program for girls being run in New South Wales public schools, community groups and the juvenile justice system. The concerns include that the program is “inappropriate for troubled young women, that the under-qualified facilitators are reinforcing gender stereotypes and that some parents have not been properly informed” and that “the program encourages girls to be subservient by teaching them that they need to be attractive to men”. Hillsong claimed that parents were supportive and that the program broke down barriers in a group situation. In a further response, Hillsong denied that the program had been used for evangelism, but a teacher’s federation representative insisted that children had been exposed to religious content, such as people relating stories about finding religion and joining the Hillsong Church.

On 10 May 2023, Houston’s daughter Laura Toggs and her husband Peter Toganivalu, founders and global pastors of youth ministry group Hillsong Young & Free, announced to the church that they were leaving Hillsong, citing that they were called by God elsewhere.On 5 August 2021, NSW Police issued a warrant for Brian Houston to attend the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on 5 October, alleging that Houston concealed child sexual abuse by his late father, Frank. Houston was in the United States at the time of being charged. He has denied the charges and his lawyer stated he intends to plead not guilty. In January 2022, Houston resigned his chairmanship of the Hillsong board, as court proceedings were likely to be protracted. Phil and Lucinda Dooley, pastors of the South African church, became acting global senior pastors in Houston’s absence, expected until the end of 2022.

In 1986 a social engagement program called CityCare was established in New South Wales, offering various community services including personal development programs, counselling services, a health centre and youth mentoring. CityCare’s “street teams” worked within the community to care for, feed and clothe the homeless.On 9 March 2016 Trinity Broadcasting Network, the American religious broadcaster, announced a partnership with Hillsong that saw their former sub-network, The Church Channel, re-imaged as the Hillsong Channel on 1 June 2016. The network was rebranded as TBN Inspire on 1 January 2022 in the US and in April 2022 elsewhere, though Hillsong remained a partner in the network.

In August 2022, Hillsong was sued by an Australian whistleblower in federal court there, alleging that the megachurch had moved millions of dollars overseas to avoid the charities regulator, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). The whistleblower alleged that Hillsong made “large cash gifts” to Houston and his family using tax-free money.On 24 March 2022, Sam Collier, the lead pastor of Hillsong Atlanta, established less than a year earlier, resigned, citing the ongoing scandals and allegations towards senior figures in Hillsong church. Collier was the first African-American pastor to lead a Hillsong church. He announced plans to establish his own church.In early 2021, Vanity Fair, the Christian Post and News.com.au reported that a female student at Hillsong Leadership College named Anna Crenshaw had been indecently assaulted by a married Hillsong administrator named Jason Mays, the son of the church’s director of human resources. In January 2020, Mays had pleaded guilty to indecent assault and received two years probation and mandatory counselling. Though Mays received a 12-month ban from ministry, he was subsequently reinstated to his ministry role and volunteered with singing at worship services. Crenshaw criticised Hillsong’s leadership for downplaying the incident and not holding Mays accountable for his actions. Brian Houston subsequently apologised for his Tweet questioning Crenshaw’s version of events. That same month, several Hillsong Leadership College students penned a letter criticising the church leadership for allowing Mays to remain on staff despite his indecent assault conviction.Hillsong’s worship music has been widely influential not only in Pentecostal churches, but more broadly in Evangelical churches. Many of Hillsong’s “worship expressions” have been incorporated into Evangelical services including raised hands, vocal utterance and dance. Hillsong Music has released over 40 albums since 1992, many of them achieving gold status in Australia and one of them, People Just Like Us, achieving platinum status. The church’s 2004 live praise and worship album For All You’ve Done reached No. 1 in the mainstream Australian album charts (ARIA). Frank Houston, the father of Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston, was a pastor in New Zealand and Australia who sexually abused boys over the course of his ministry. One of the nine identified victims was routinely subjected to sexual abuse in the 1960s and ’70s when he was 7 to 12 years old. In 1999, his mother reported the abuse to the Assemblies of God denomination. Although Brian Houston, then national president of the Assemblies of God denomination in Australia, was legally obligated to report the crime, he allegedly did not do so. Brian Houston stated that he felt it reasonable not to report the crime when it came to light at the time that the victim was an adult, and when the victim did not want the crime reported (an assertion that was denied by the victim). The victim later testified to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that Frank Houston offered him AU$10,000 as compensation at a McDonald’s in the presence of Nabi Saleh. During an internal church investigation, Frank Houston eventually confessed to the crime. The commission also heard that he was involved in the sexual abuse of other children in New Zealand. Frank Houston resigned from his church in 2000 which, then lacking a pastor, was merged into Hillsong Church. A further internal investigation by the Assemblies of God in Australia, in conjunction with the Assemblies of God in New Zealand, found six additional child sexual abuse allegations that were regarded as credible. Hillsong has been described as a “global corporate brand”, and “Australia’s most powerful brand”, with its fast global growth assisted by the spectacle of its huge conferences, the popularity of its music releases, young people’s attraction to the charismatic leaders, Hillsong Television, its messaging and language (“health and wealth”), customer service, targeting of children, presence on social media, and merchandising.In 1997, Hills CLC moved into a new building at Baulkham Hills’ Norwest Business Park. The church merged with Sydney CLC in May 1999, after Frank Houston had been exposed as a paedophile. Brian Houston became senior pastor of both churches for eighteen months. The multi-campus church was renamed Hillsong Church in 2001.

Hillsong United was conceived as the youth arm of the worship ministry, producing annual live albums similarly to Hillsong Live, with a focus on alternative rock. As the members grew older, United has since transitioned into a band with currently an eleven-member fixed lineup of Hillsong musicians as well as a focus on studio albums compared to the Worship and Young & Free ministries. Their song “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs list for a full year. It was the No. 1 song on the Billboard Christian Songs chart in 2014 and 2016, No. 2 for 2015, and the No. 1 song of the 2010s decade. The New York Times described their music as “ornate mainstream arena rock but with God-only lyrics that are vetted for adherence to theology”. Joel Houston, Hillsong’s creative director and former lead pastor of Hillsong New York, leads Hillsong United.Here you will find information concerning our church and its ministries. We hope you find your time spent here a blessing. Our church is a warm and loving church, and we want you to feel comfortable and at liberty to call on us for anything you need. Feel free to browse through the various areas of our website and learn about our fellowship.Fear not for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth.Other denominations, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) also claim inheritance of the authority and responsibility that Jesus Christ conferred on the apostles. Other groups, such as Iglesia ni Cristo, believe in a last-messenger doctrine, where no such succession takes place. The Seventh-day Adventist Church regards itself to be the one true church in the sense of being a faithful remnant.

Some small epsicopal church groups, such as the “Workers and Friends”, represent themselves as nondenominational and hold all other churches to be false.Restorationism is a broad category of churches, originating during the Second Great Awakening, that characterize themselves as a return to very early Christianity after the true faith was lost in a Great Apostasy. Prominent among these groups are the Christian churches and churches of Christ, the Churches of Christ (Stone-Campbell movement), the Christadelphians, and the Latter Day Saint movement (Mormonism). The idea of “restoration” was a popular theme of the time of the founding of these branches, and developed an independent expression in both. In the Stone-Campbell movement, the idea of restoration was combined with Enlightenment rationalism, “precluding emotionalism, spiritualism, or any other phenomena that could not be sustained by rational appeals to the biblical text.”

Many Baptists, who uphold the doctrine of Baptist successionism (also known as Landmarkism), “argue that their history can be traced across the centuries to New Testament times” and “claim that Baptists have represented the true church” that “has been, present in every period of history”. These Baptists maintain that those who held their views throughout history, including the “Montanists, Novatians, Patarenes, Bogomils, Paulicians, Arnoldists, Henricians, Albigenses, and Waldenses”, were persecuted for their faith, a belief that these Baptists maintain to be “grand distinguishing mark of the true church”. In the introduction of The Trail of Blood, a Baptist text that explicates the doctrine of Baptist succession, Clarence Walker states that “The history of Baptists, he discovered, was written in blood. They were the hated people of the Dark Ages. Their preachers and people were put into prison and untold numbers were put to death.” J. M. Carroll, the author of the said text The Trail of Blood, also appeals to historian Johann Lorenz von Mosheim, who stated “Before the rise of Luther and Calvin, there lay secreted in almost all the countries of Europe persons who adhered tenaciously to the principles of modern Dutch Baptists.” Walter B. Shurden, the founding executive director of the Center for Baptist Studies at Mercer University, writes that the theology of Landmarkism, which he states is integral of the history of the Southern Baptist Convention, upholds the ideas that “Only Baptist churches can trace their lineage in uninterrupted fashion back to the New Testament, and only Baptist churches therefore are true churches.” In addition Shurden writes that Baptists who uphold successionism believe that “only a true church-that is, a Baptist church-can legitimately celebrate the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Any celebration of these ordinances by non-Baptists is invalid.”Many Mainline Protestants regard all baptized Christians as members of a spiritual—not institutional—”Christian Church” regardless of their differing beliefs; this belief is sometimes referred to by the theological term “invisible church”. Some Anglicans of Anglo-Catholic churchmanship espouse a version of branch theory which teaches that the true Christian Church comprises Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Old Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, Scandinavian Lutheran, Moravian, Persian, and Roman Catholic branches.

Amish fraternity is based upon the understanding of the church as a redemptive community. To express this corporateness they use the German term Gemeinde or the shorter dialect version pronounced Gemee. This concept expresses all the connotations of church, congregation, and community. The true church, they believe, had its origin in God’s plan, and after the end of time the church will coexist with God through eternity. The true church is to be distinguished from the “fallen church”. … The church of God is composed of those who “have truly repented and rightly believed; who are rightly baptized … and incorporated into the communion of saints on earth.” The true church is “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation,” and “a congregation of the righteous.” The church of God is separate and completely different from the “bind perverted world.” Furthermore, the church is “known by her evangelical faith, doctrine, love, and godly conversation; also by her pure walk and practice, and her observances of the true ordinances of Christ.” The church must be “pure, unspotted and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27), capable of enforcing disciplinary measures to insure purity of life and separation from the world.The Seventh-Day Adventist Church (SDA Church) holds itself to be the one true church. It specifically teaches that “it is the ‘final remnant’ of His true church [spanning] the centuries”. Seventh-day Adventist eschatology promulgates the idea that in the end times, there will be a “growing opposition between the ‘true’ church and the ‘apostate’ church.” According to Seventh-day Adventist theology, these apostates are referred to as “Babylon”, which they state is an amalgam of religions (including other Christian denominations) that worship on Sunday rather than the Lord’s Sabbath, Saturday (Exodus 20:8–11). The SDA Church, in their view, “has drawn substantially on the biblical text, especially the books of Daniel and Revelation, to argue for its own status as the true remnant church which has a divine commission both to exist and to preach its apocalyptic message t
o the world at large.”

Roman Catholic theology regards formal schismatics as outside the church, understanding by “formal schismatics” “persons who, knowing the true nature of the Church, have personally and deliberately committed the sin of schism”. The situation, for instance, of those who have been brought up from childhood within a group not in communion with Rome, and who are acting in good faith and have maintained almost the entirety of the orthodox faith, differs. This nuanced view applies especially to the churches of Eastern Christianity, more particularly still to the Eastern Orthodox Church, though doctrinal impediments still remain, such as disagreement over the primacy of the Roman See, papal infallibility, the nature of Purgatory, indulgences, the Immaculate Conception, and a few other important doctrines.Baptists who uphold this ecclesiology also do not characterize themselves as being a Protestant church due to their belief that “they did not descend from those churches that broke away in protest from the church of Rome. Rather, they had enjoyed a continuous historical existence from the time of the very first church in the New Testament days.” These views are generally no longer widely held in the Southern Baptist Convention although they are still taught by some Southern Baptist Churches and many independent Baptist churches, Primitive Baptists (Reformed Baptists), and some “congregations affiliated with the American Baptist Association.”

In responding to some questions regarding the doctrine of the Church concerning itself, the Vatican’s Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated, “Clarius dicendum esset veram Ecclesiam esse solam Ecclesiam catholicam romanam…” (“It should be said more clearly that the Roman Catholic Church alone is the true Church..”) And it also clarified that the term subsistit in used in reference to the Church in the Second Vatican Council’s 1964 decree Lumen gentium “indicates the full identity of the Church of Christ with the Catholic Church”.

The Lutheran Church views itself as the “main trunk of the historical Christian Tree” founded by Christ and the Apostles, holding that during the Reformation, the Church of Rome fell away. The Augsburg Confession found within the Book of Concord, a compendium of belief of the Lutheran Churches, teaches that “the faith as confessed by Luther and his followers is nothing new, but the true Catholic faith, and that their churches represent the true catholic or universal church”. When the Lutherans presented the Augsburg Confession to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1530, they believe to have “showed that each article of faith and practice was true first of all to Holy Scripture, and then also to the teaching of the church fathers and the councils”.

Although similar in some ways to other conservative Mennonite groups, the Holdeman church teaches that they are the one true church of Christ. Their doctrine of the one true church, based on Matthew 16:18 and other Scriptures, emphasizes the succession of true doctrine, practice, and teachers through the centuries, and the authority of the church under Christ.The predominant organization within the movement is the LDS Church, which continues to teach that it is “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth”. The church teaches that all people who achieve the highest level of salvation must be baptized by one who holds the proper authority to perform such an ordinance; however, those who missed that opportunity in their lifetime may be included through a proxy baptism for the dead, in which a church member is baptized on their behalf inside a temple.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Christ founded only “one true Church”, and that this one true Church is the Catholic Church with the bishop of Rome (the pope) as its supreme, infallible head and locus of communion. From this follows that it regards itself as “the universal sacrament of salvation for the human race” and the “only true religion”.There can only be one true visible Church. Of this our Catechism speaks in Question 192: “Whom do we call the true visible Church?” Answer: “The whole number of those who have, teach and confess the entire doctrine of the Word of God in all its purity, and among whom the Sacraments are duly administered according to Christ’s institution.” That there can be but one true visible Church, and that, therefore, one is not just as good as another stands to reason because there is only one truth, one Bible, one Word of God. Evidently that Church which teaches this truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, is the true visible Church. Christ says John 8, 31. 32: “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Again Christ says Matt. 28, 20: “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Whatsoever He has commanded us, His Word, and nothing else, we should teach. And again, all things which He has commanded us we should teach. That, therefore is the true visible Church which does this. But that all visible Churches do not this is plain from the fact that they do not agree among themselves. If every Church would teach the whole truth and nothing but the truth as God has revealed it, there could be no difference. So, then, by calling other denominations Churches, we do not mean to say that one Church is just as good as another. Only that one is the true visible Church which teaches and confesses the entire doctrine of the Word of God in all its purity, and in whose midst the Sacraments are duly administered according to Christ’s institution. Of all Churches, this can only be said of our Lutheran Church.

The Eastern Orthodox Church (officially the Orthodox Catholic Church) identifies its confederative communion of Orthodox churches as the “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church” of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed and applies this title in conciliar and other official documents, for instance, in the Constantinople synods held in 1836 and 1838 and in correspondence with Pope Pius IX (r. 1846–1878) and with Pope Leo XIII (r. 1878–1903).Members believe that the Iglesia ni Cristo is the fulfillment of the passage above. Based from their doctrines, “ends of the earth” pertains to the time the true church would be restored from apostasy and “east” refers to the Philippines where the “Church of Christ” would be founded. The INC teaches that its members constitute the “elect of God” and there is no salvation outside the INC. Faith alone is insufficient for salvation. The Iglesia ni Cristo says that the official name of the true church is “Church of Christ”. The two passages often cited by INC to support this are Romans 16:16 “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you” and the George Lamsa translation of Acts 20:28: “Take heed therefore … to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.”

Methodists affirm belief in “the one true Church, Apostolic and Universal”, viewing their Churches as constituting a “privileged branch of this true church”. With regard to the position of Methodism within Christendom, the founder of the movement “John Wesley once noted that what God had achieved in the development of Methodism was no mere human endeavor but the work of God. As such it would be preserved by God so long as history remained.” Calling it “the grand depositum” of the Methodist faith, Wesley specifically taught that the propagation of the doctrine of entire sanctification was the reason that God raised up the Methodists in the world.

As described in the tract The Glory of the True Church by Francis Howgill, the Religious Society of Friends traditionally believed that after the Apostolic Era, the “true Church fled into the wilderness” and “the false Church came into visibility”. George Fox and his followers “believed that they were called to carry out the true reformation, to restore apostolic Christianity, and to make a fresh beginning”. As such, “The Quaker community was the one true Church, and consequently those converted by Quaker preaching were expected to join it.” Among some Quakers, there became a “shift from being the one and only True Church to being a part of the True Church” and so “marriage with non-Quakers became accepted by many in the Quaker community”, though “they still had to marry within the Meeting House, as well as gain approbation.”

The Amish, as with other Anabaptist Christians, believe that “the established church became corrupt, ineffectual, and displeasing to God.” The Amish believe that the true church is pure and separate from the world:The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) a Philippine-based Christian religion, like other restorationist groups, professes that it is the one church founded by Jesus. Adherents hold that the Iglesia ni Cristo (“Church of Christ” in Tagalog) is the only true church of Jesus Christ as restored through a human instrument (sugo) Felix Manalo. The church recognizes Jesus Christ as the founder of the Christian Church. Meanwhile, its reestablishment is seen as the signal for the end of days. They believe that the church was apostatized by the 1st or 4th century due to false teachings. The INC says that this apostate church is the Roman Catholic Church. In 1830, Joseph Smith established the Church of Christ in the belief that it was a restoration of original Christianity. In 1831 he declared it to be “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth”. Smith later reported in some versions of his First Vision in his teenage years, Jesus had told him that all churches that then existed “were all wrong; [and] that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight”. The Latter Day Saints combined their religion with “the spirit of nineteenth-century Romanticism” and, as a result, “never sought to recover the forms and structures of the ancient church as ends in themselves” but “sought to restore the golden age, recorded in both Old Testament and New Testament, when God broke into human history and communed directly with humankind.” In contrast, some strains of Charismatic Christianity practice rituals in which the Holy Spirit is believed to cause spontaneous dancing, among other behaviors.In Islam, extreme Salafists and Wahhabis consider dancing in general to be haram (forbidden). Conservative Islamic and Orthodox Jewish traditions prohibit contact between men and women in public (especially those not married to each other), and thus in these societies men and women either dance separately or not at all.In contrast, Sufism encourages dancing, for example Sufi whirling and dancing to celebrate Mela Chiraghan. This has resulted in conflict in areas influenced by the Taliban.Until 1999, an ordinance in Pound, Virginia required that dance hall permits not be granted “to anyone who is not a proper person, nor to a person who is not a person of good moral character”. After community opposition to granting him a permit, a lawsuit by William Elam, owner of the Golden Pine restaurant, resulted in the ordinance being struck down as unconstitutionally vague and infringing on free expression protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. A replacement ordinance drafted more narrowly prompted a 2001 lawsuit from Elam, though the restaurant later went out of business after revocation of its alcohol license.Dancing bans are legal or religious prohibitions against dancing, which have been applied at various times in various jurisdictions around the world. This article deals with general bans on recreational and artistic dancing, as opposed to bans on erotic forms of dancing such as lap dancing and topless dancing, which have been more common.

There are balls which are gravely licentious, either on account of immodest dances or of the costumes and dresses introduced at them. In these no one should take part. Even modest dances are rarely without danger, and a Christian should not frequent them from choice and of his own free will.

Various Christian groups believe that dancing is either inherently sinful or that certain forms of dancing could lead to sinful thoughts or activities, and thus proscribe it either in general or during religious services, particularly in the Anabaptist (chiefly Conservative Anabaptist and Old Order Anabaptist denominations) and Methodist (chiefly denominations belonging to the conservative holiness movement) traditions.Between 1985 and 2002, a Seattle, Washington law called the Teen Dance Ordinance enacted strict legal requirements for those wishing to have dancing by youth under the age of 21, effectively banning events that would feature young people dancing. Since 1926, the New York City Cabaret Law prohibited dancing in all spaces open to the public that sold food and/or drink with the exception of those who obtain a cabaret license. This law was still enforced until it was repealed in 2017. Tanzverbot is the German term for “dancing ban”. In Germany and Switzerland, dancing on some holidays is banned by most state or canton governments. These occasions are certain Christian and secular holidays aimed at mourning or contemplation, such as Good Friday, All Saints’ Day (from its association with All Souls’ Day practices) or memorial days like Volkstrauertag. The German and Swiss dancing bans prohibit public parties, but not dancing in one’s private residence.It is a common misconception that Mormonism has banned dancing, when in fact it has advocated dance and participated in recreational dancing since it was organized in 1830. Founder Joseph Smith was a skillful dancer and enjoyed hosting dances in his home. Dancing continues as an integral part of youth and adult activities in the Church.

The Church of the Nazarene, a Methodist denomination originating in the Holiness Movement, recommends against “All forms of dancing that detract from spiritual growth and break down proper moral inhibitions and reserve.”The events of the 1984 film Footloose were inspired by a dancing ban in the heavily Southern Baptist town of Elmore City, Oklahoma, which lasted until 1980.

In November, 2006, the church formed a communication committee to address the controversy. In mid-November, a website was launched by the committee. The Communication Committee’s site discussed recent reviews of the pastor’s credit card expenses. According to the site, deacons from the church met on November 5 and reviewed Gaines’ credit card charges, unanimously finding no inappropriate expenditures. The Communication Committee’s website has since been taken down.Bellevue Baptist Church is a Baptist megachurch in the Cordova area of Memphis, Tennessee, United States. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Bellevue was once the largest church in the Memphis area. Bellevue’s goals are to “Love God, Love People, Share Jesus, and Make Disciples.” The church’s head pastor has been Steve Gaines since 2005.

The move created some controversy both in the city and church communities. Some saw it as Bellevue abandoning a community that could use the church while others saw it as a growing issue of white flight.The church’s location near Interstate 40 is marked by a display of three crosses. A ceremony held to dedicate and light the crosses took place on New Year’s Eve, 1999. As the clock ticked down the final moments of the millennium, the Bellevue family worshipped at the foot of the cross. At the stroke of midnight, the crosses were illuminated. They are visible from several miles away. The center cross is 150 feet (46 m) tall, flanked by two 120-foot (37 m) crosses.

In 2007, Gaines initiated a church-wide, ongoing volunteer ministry to Memphis and the community. On September 28, 2009, the State of Tennessee House of Representatives issued a proclamation recognizing Bellevue as an institution that has demonstrated “unflagging capacity for love, dedication of spirit, and faith in God” and for enriching the lives of people in their community. The proclamation cited pastor Gaines’ for leading the way in showing “Jesus’ love to the City of Memphis by meeting practical needs of residents” and for “embracing Bellevue Loves Memphis as a way of life.” The document mentioned the church’s sponsor of a Christian Mobile Dental Clinic that provides free dental care to the underprivileged, and the church’s funding of The Vue, a ministry for college students located near the University of Memphis and accessible to students of other local colleges and universities. The proclamation noted that on six workdays, 5,300 volunteers have contributed between 30,000-35,000 hours through yard work, painting, construction, and more to benefit 40 schools, two post-secondary schools, 44 churches, 55 family homes, 14 parks, nine city/government buildings, 16 hospitals, 47 ministries, and ten Memphis City School football fields. The proclamation also noted that Bellevue Loves Memphis provided every city fire station with a copy of the movie Fireproof, assisted with the City of Memphis cleanup, and assisted with ten block parties. The document also recognized the church for hosting the Tennessee Technology Center’s 2008-2009 graduation. In 2009, Pastor Gaines was awarded the Open Door Award for his leadership with Bellevue Loves Memphis. The annual award is presented by the April 4th Foundation of Memphis. From 2008 to 2013, the church opened its doors to city and county schools for holding their commencement exercises. An annual Fourth of July celebration, Starlight Spectacular, also draws thousands from the community.

Under Rogers, Bellevue was a key supporter of the conservative faction within the Southern Baptist Convention during the “conservative/moderate” controversy of the 1970s and 1980s (Rogers served as SBC President for three terms). It remains a conservative, evangelical body today.

On December 11, 1927, Robert Greene Lee preached his first sermon to the congregation at Bellevue. The membership was 1,430 when he became the church’s fourth pastor. Lee was born in a log cabin on November 11, 1886. The son of a South Carolina sharecropper, he worked his way through school, ultimately graduating with a doctorate in international law from University of Chicago Law School in 1919. Lee preached the sermon Pay-Day Someday more than 1,200 times at Bible conferences, in state capitol buildings, churches, universities, youth camps, and ballparks across the nation and around the world.Under Lee’s leadership, a church tradition began during the Great Depression. In December 1934, Lee called for a special “love offering” to help pay off the church building debt. The goal was set at $30,000, but church members contributed $36,000. The tradition continues today, with an annual offering taken before Thanksgiving. Facility construction and campus improvements are financed through the offering, along with local and foreign mission endeavors.

Since 1903, Bellevue has been active in local and foreign missions. Pastor Robert G. Lee preached in Japan and Korea in 1955. Through the Southern Baptist Mission Board in 1962, Pastor Ramsey Pollard led Bellevue in being the first church to adopt a Cuban refugee family and help establish them in America. Pastor Adrian Rogers led missions crusades in Brazil (1990) and Romania (1992) with many church members participating. In 1999, the church began a missions emphasis in Central America, with the goal of planting churches. Bellevue continues to send out mission teams all over the world each year, spending $5.5 million, one-fourth of its $22 million annual budget on missions. In 2007 a missions team from Bellevue’s women’s ministry led a conference in Hyderabad, India. Bellevue has also planted churches in Honduras, Uruguay and Nicaragua. Bellevue teams have also worked in Seattle, WA; Vancouver, BC; and the Dakotas.

William Ramsey Pollard was pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, when Robert G. Lee retired. On Easter Sunday, April 17, 1960, the church voted to call him as pastor after he preached at Bellevue. He continued to preach as an evangelist until his death on April 26, 1984. He was named Pastor Emeritus in 1979. Pollard received the top achievement award for evangelism from the Tennessee Baptist Convention in 1962, and he was president of the board of World Evangelism Foundation of Dallas, Texas. He was elected president of Southern Baptist Convention in 1959 and unanimously re-elected in 1960. During Pollard’s twelve years at Bellevue, the church hosted an annual Medical Professional Day. Bellevue financed and constructed a branch church, first known as Lauderdale Heights Baptist Church and later as City View Baptist Church. An activities building was added in 1966 for evangelistic outreach as well as for the congregation. In honor of the Pollards, it was named the Pollard Activities Building in 1970. Mrs. Pollard founded the Tennessee Ministers’ Wives Association. In 1965 the Pollards organized a church group for senior citizens.The Bellevue’s Girls Quartet, formed in 1928, sang at conferences and denominational meetings across the South. Bellevue’s drama ministry, organized in 1951, was the first drama ministry in the Southern Baptist Convention. The ground floor of the 1952 sanctuary was designed for Christian theatre presentations like “The Robe” (1957, 1959) and “Ben Hur” (1961). In 1948, Bellevue called Thomas P. Lane to build a comprehensive music program for children through adults. He was the first full-time minister of music in the Southern Baptist Convention, and when he retired 38 years later, he had the longest tenure of any Southern Baptist Convention minister of music. For more than three decades, he directed the student nurse choir at Baptist Memorial Hospital known as the Nightingales. Lane served with three Bellevue pastors who were each elected Southern Baptist Convention president: Robert G. Lee, Ramsey Pollard, and Adrian Rogers. For the community they presented 38 consecutive performances of Handel’s Messiah, as well as other classical works like The Seven Last Words of Christ and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Lane was awarded the Southern Baptist Convention’s Church Music Award for Outstanding Service, and, in 1986, he was named Bellevue’s Minister of Music Emeritus.