“Don't give someone else the power over your financial freedom” …
“Church involvement is still the best way to maximise your gifts & fulfill your dreams!” ~ Brian Houston
Hillsong – A Brief History
Brian [56] and Bobbie Houston emigrated from New Zealand to Australia in 1978. They joined the Sydney Christian Life Centre in Darlinghurst (Sydney), where Brian's father Frank Houston was a minister. Prior to his post in Australia, Frank Houston was a general superintendent for New Zealand Assemblies of God. Formerly known as Hills Christian Life Centre, Hillsong had just 45 parishioners in 1983 – by 1987, the congregation boasted 900 parish members. Music became a powerful marketing tool for Hills Christian Life Centre and the motivation behind The Hillsong Conference, an annual event that has since educated and trained hundreds of Christian musicians – 25,000 people attended The Hillsong Conference in Sydney this year. HCLC record company's release of their praise and worship CDs, in the early 1990s, brought the church recognition and fame, from all over the world. Hillsong became the catch phrase so to speak and the decision was made to change the name from Hills Christian Life Centre to Hillsong Church. The church has its own bible school [900 students], Hillsong International Leadership College, which is where several Christian conferences are held each year, including The Hillsong Conference. In the year 2000 or thereabouts, Sydney Christian Life Centre (the mother church) merged with Hillsong Church. Today, Hillsong church has over 20,000 parishioners attending their services every week.
Pentecostalism is the fastest-growing segment of Christianity in Australia and the world.
More than 200,000 Australians attend Pentecostal churches each week, making it Australia's second-biggest church, after the Catholic Church.
Early Pentecostalism emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. It had a revival in the 1970s during the so-called charismatic renewal.
Most Pentecostals believe in exorcism, speaking in tongues, faith healing and, in general, they seek supernatural experiences. Many of the pastors of Pentecostal churches make decisions based on visions from God.
Prosperity theology is practised by larger Pentecostal churches, including Hillsong, Christian City Church and Paradise. This promotes the idea that wealth and worldly success are signs of God's favour.
Most Pentecostal churches are cash rich and expect members to tithe 10% of their pre-tax income. They also take weekly donations. Most services pass the plate three times and accept credit cards. An armoured truck arrives at Hillsong each Monday morning for the weekend takings, usually more than $300,000.
There are few barriers to entry to set up a Pentecostal church because there is no overarching authority, in the way the Vatican is the headquarters of the Catholic Church. Every four days a new Pentecostal church is planted in Australia. Source: Adele Ferguson, "God's Millionaires"
What is a cult?
"A cult is a group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea, or thing and employing unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion and control (e.g., isolation from former friends and family, debilitation, use of special methods to heighten suggestibility and subservience, powerful group pressures, information management, suspension of individuality or critical judgment, promotion of total dependency on the group and fear of leaving it, etc.) designed to advance the goals of the group's leaders to the actual or possible detriment of members, their families, or the community." ~ Louis J. West & Michael D. Langone, American psychologists
Is Hillsong Exploiting Tax Exemptions?
Hillsong is an Australian Pentecostal mega-church that uses a not-for-profit company, Leadership Ministries Inc (LMI), to fund its church services and charitable work. Leadership Ministries Inc and other tax-free entities in the Hillsong organisation have spent their earnings on housing, cars, accommodation and extensive overseas travel; these expenses do not incur income tax or fringe-benefits because of LMI's tax-exempt status. They do not have to lodge a tax return with the Australian Taxation office, and they do not have to disclose how they make their money – it would seem that Brian is not morally or legally answerable to anyone. Hillsong and its subsidiary companies are worth over $50 million. When the global financial crisis hit in 2008, Hillsong was as safe as houses (no pun intended) and collected over $17 million in 'tithes' – most of it cash. Over the past ten years, Hillsong is said to have received $2 million dollars in grants, yet their financial statements show no accounting for these payments. The New South Wales Government denied a $414,000 grant to an Aboriginal community, when it found that the money was being used to pay Hillsong employee salaries. LMI, the cash cow of Hillsong, can pay its employees $1 million a year of expenses tax-free. As per the legislation referring to remuneration under the Tax Act, there is no cap on the amount of expenses churches can pay ministers of religion, before fringe-benefits tax is ordinarily incurred. Any other not-for-profit institutions, e.g. hospitals, are able to pay employees expenses to a maximum of $9095 per person a year before fringe-benefits tax is incurred. If Hillsong wants to pay all Brian Houston's salary in fringe benefits they can legally do so – he would pay little if any tax. In 2008, Hillsong spent $4.6 million on “missions and overseas aid” and $20.7 million on “church services”. Hillsong makes approximately $9 million in tax-free royalties annually.
credits to : http://www.i-zeen.com/articles/THE-HILLSONG-CHURCH-Cult-Status-Corruption-Homophobia-Exorcism
Interesting info - I think -with that overbright background i couldn't read it :-(
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