Christian Life Centre

Christian Life Centre (commonly abbreviated to CLC) is generally a name given to churches that are affiliated with the Assemblies of God in Australia, a Pentecostal denomination in Australia. The CLC stream of churches started when Frank Houston moved to Australia in 1977 and planted Sydney Christian Life Centre. From this church several others were planted, as Sydney CLC was the model church.

Sydney Christian Life Centre

Sydney Christian Life Centre was a Pentecostal Christian church, affiliated with the Assemblies of God, that ran from 1977 to 1999 and is now the "City Campus" of Hillsong Church.

History

Sydney Christian Life Centre was poineered in July 1977 by Pastor Frank Houston after he moved to Australia from New Zealand. Initially a home group, the church started with 8 adults and 3 children in the home of Chris and Beverley Aiton. From there it grew large enough to rent "Sherbooke Hall" in Double Bay on Sundays. From there it moved to renting a function hall in the Koala Motor Inn in Darlinghurst, and from there to leased premises next door - the ground floor and part of the second floor of the building at the corner of Goulburn and Riley streets. Eventually, it moved to premises in Waterloo.

The church grew steadily and saw many other churches planted using the "Christian Life Centre" name. In its first decade it was independent and not associated with any denomination. Houston's son Brian joined the team in 1978 and in 1980 left to plant a few churches (including Hills Christian Life Centre in 1983). By 1981 the church had grown to 1,000 people.

Frank Houston announced on 14 February 1999 that the church would come under the leadership of his son Brian Houston after he confessed to sexually abusing a teenage boy 30 years earlier. ^[1][2] Sydney Christian Life Centre then merged with Hills Christian Life Centre to form Hillsong Church. Sydney Christian Life Centre is now known as the "City Campus" of Hillsong Church.

Music

Sydney Christian Life Centre released an album titled "Rain" in the early 1990s.

References

1. ^ "Peter Fowler writes to Philip Powell". Christian Witness Ministries. Vanguard Magazine. http://www.christian-witness.org/aog/pf_plp.html. 
2. ^ "Hillsong farewells a lost sheep pioneer". Newspaper (Sydney Morning Herald). 13 November 2004. http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Hillsong-farewells-a-lost-sheep-pioneer/2004/11/12/1100227581958.html. 

Christian Life Centres

Christian Life Centre can mean the following churches;

• Sydney Christian Life Centre
• Hills Christian Life Centre (now Hillsong Church)

Cambelltown City Church come Macarthur Christian Life Centre - Come Hillsong Macarthur

• • London Christian Life Centre (now Hillsong Church London)
    • Newcastle Christian Life Centre [1]
  • Kiev Christian Life Centre (now Hillsong Church Kiev)
• Canberra Christian Life Centre (Only associated through Australian Christian Churches organisation no direct relationship)
• Liverpool Christian Life Centre (now Inspire Church)
• Oberon Christian Life Centre
• Penrith Christian Life Centre
• Perth Christian Life Centre
• Port Macquarie Christian Life Centre (now [honour], only associated through Australian Christian Churches organisation no direct relationship)
• Summerland Christian Life Centre, Lismore (now "Centrechurch")
• Harbourside Christian Life Centre (Five Dock, NSW)
• Hillsong Kiev
• Hillsong Paris
• Hillsong Cape Town
• Hillsong New York

Other churches

Christian Life Centre in other denominations;

• Christian Life Centre Oamaru (CLCO) - a Church in Oamaru, New Zealand
• Auckland Christian Life Centre - an independent church in New Zealand
• Christian Life Centre (church) - an Elim Pentecostal Church in the United Kingdom