Megachurch Watch is a news and information site which aims to make sense of megachurch phenomena in Australia. Please add your comments at the end of each story. Please be respectful, our aim is a broad and constructive discussion..
Megachurch Watch is developed and maintained by David Collis on behalf of the Victorian Council of Christian Education
Wed 30 Apr 2008
Christian website, Ship of Fools (www.shipoffools.com), gave the Hillsong service at Waterloo a four out of ten rating saying that the service was too “commerical” in style, “overstimulated” in worship and potentially “monotonous” in message. It did, however, have a good visiting speaker and gave a great rendition of Amazing Grace.
Click here to visit the […]
Sat 26 Apr 2008
When Phil Baker looks out at the thousands of congregation members at Perth’s Riverview megachurch, the largest church in Western Australia and one that he inherited in 1989 from his father, he no doubt occasionally thinks about his sister’s rival church in Canberra…
Twenty-nine years after her father Brian Baker founded Riverview, Lucy Baker has founded […]
Sun 20 Apr 2008
NSW state Liberal MP, David Clarke, has been accused of recruiting Hillsong members to help stack Liberal party branches in northern Sydney showing the potential dangers of mixing church and politics.
Over many years a pitched battle for control of the NSW Liberal party has been fought between two factions – the left wing ‘moderates’ […]
Fri 18 Apr 2008
In response to the booming market share held by Apple’s ‘iTunes’ music store, Nokia is currently establishing its own online music distribution network. Whereas Apple focused on the iPod as the vehicle for playing downloaded music, Nokia is seeking to make mobile phones the preferred site for listening to music.
At the middle of this […]
Sat 29 Mar 2008
Scott Morrison, a recently elected Liberal MP who enjoys strong support within the conservative religious arm of the NSW Liberal Party, has had his application for membership refused by the local Port Hacking branch.
This story has made national news because of its relevance to the destructive factionalism within the NSW Liberal Party. It is also […]
Sun 23 Mar 2008
Hillsong Senior Pastor Brian Houston gave the following comments at Easter time this year.
“In the midst of busy lives, the true meaning of occasions like Easter can be missed. Easter may be a time to connect with friends and family, enjoy a meal with loved ones or an opportunity to kick back and relax in […]
Tue 11 Mar 2008
Following on from our report last month, Gold Coast mayoral candidate Rob Molhoek who has received financial support from a Generation Church elder and who was gifted a place at a Hillsong leadership retreat, has failed to win the election.
Molhoek is reported to have received backing from senior state ALP figures including premier Anna Bligh. […]
Sun 2 Mar 2008
Following up on last month’s Megachurch Watch report, residents in the Sydney inner-city suburb of Rosebery have continued their opposition to the development of Hillsong’s proposed new centre.
Members of the Rosebery Residents Action Group claimed that Hillsong members were there in overwhelming numbers at a public meeting hosted by Sydney City Council to consider the […]
Fri 15 Feb 2008
Much has been written over a few short years about megachurch influence on Australian politics. When Hillsong hosted former Prime Minister, John Howard, to open their new building in 2001 and address the church directly, it was clear that the conventional separation of church and state no longer held.
When Peter Costello spoke at successive […]
Fri 1 Feb 2008
Following up on our story last December about opposition to Hillsong’s proposed new complex at Rosebury, it appears that Hillsong is not the only religious group struggling to get permission to build.
A Hindu temple proposed for Nelson is also facing opposition amidst racial taunts, with “Aussie Pride 4 Life - Sand Niggas” graffittied on […]