Hillsong Conference
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Hillsong Conference is an annual Christian conference held mid-yearly in Sydney, Australia, and hosted by Hillsong Church. It features prominent international Christian speakers and worship bands, and draws delegates from all around the world. According to Hillsong, it is the largest annual conference in Australia.[1]
Hillsong senior pastor Brian Houston claims, "The vision and heartbeat has never changed. The Conference exists to 'champion the cause of the local church' and make [God's] name known around the earth".[2]
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[edit] History
[edit] 1986–1994: The early years
The first Hillsong Conference was held in 1986 in Baulkham Hills, with a humble 150 delegates in attendance.[1] The conference was initiated by Geoff Bullock and Mark Zschech, and was originally worship and creative arts focused. Brian Houston began running a leadership stream that was added to the conference program in the early years. By 1990, the conference grew to over 500 delegates and expanded to several venues across the Hills district of Sydney. In the early 1990s, night rallies were held in the Hills Centre where Hillsong Church was holding services. By 1994, the conference had expanded to over 1,000 delegates.
[edit] 1995–2000: Rapid growth
From 1995, night rallies were held at the State Sports Centre in Sydney Olympic Park, to accommodate the large growth in numbers. The amount of internaional delegates grew significantly at this time due to the influence of Hillsong albums and teaching around the world. To accommodate the large growth, two identical conferences were held in 1999 and 2000 across two weeks. By 2000, the conference had grown to 10,000 delegates.
[edit] 2001–present: Sydney Olympic Park
Hillsong Conference was first held in the Acer Arena (formerly Sydney SuperDome) and various venues throughout Sydney Olympic Park from 2001. Since the Acer Arena is the Sydney's largest auditorium, Hillsong Conference has had to cap recent Conferences as there is no room to grow. To date, Hillsong Conference 2006 was the largest conference, with 30,000 delegates.
[edit] Conferences
| Year | Dates | Delegates | Night Meetings | Special Guests | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | ? | 150 | ? | ? | ? |
| 1987 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 1988 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 1989 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 1990 | ? | 500 | ? | ? | ? |
| 1991 | ? | ? | Hills Entertainment Centre | ? | ? |
| 1992 | ? | ? | Hills Entertainment Centre | ? | ? |
| 1993 | ? | ? | Hills Entertainment Centre | ? | ? |
| 1994 | ? | ? | Hills Entertainment Centre | ? | ? |
| 1995 | ? | ? | State Sports Centre | ? | ? |
| 1996 | ? | ? | State Sports Centre | ? | ? |
| 1997 | ? | 5,000 | State Sports Centre | ? | Opening of new Hillsong Church building |
| 1998 | ? | ? | State Sports Centre | Alvin Slaughter, Ron Kenoly | Album recorded with Integrity Music |
| 1999 | ? | 10,000 | State Sports Centre | Ray McCauley | Conference is held over 2 weeks. First United recording. |
| 2000 | 4-7 & 11-14 July 2000 | 10,000 | State Sports Centre | ? | Conference is held over 2 weeks |
| 2001 | 2-6 July 2001 | 12,500 | Acer Arena | ? | ? |
| 2002 | 1-5 July 2002 | 16,000 | Acer Arena | ? | ? |
| 2003 | 7-11 July 2003 | 18,000 | Acer Arena | Delirious? | Album recorded with Delirious? |
| 2004 | 5-9 July 2004 | 21,600 | Acer Arena | Joyce Meyer, | ? |
| 2005 | 4-8 July 2005 | 29,000 | Acer Arena | Joyce Meyer, Reinhard Bonnke, Jack Hayford, CeCe Winans, Michael W. Smith | 2 night meetings now held |
| 2006 | 3-7 July 2006 | 30,000 | Acer Arena | Reinhard Bonnke, Jentezen Franklin, Delirious? | Celebrating 20 years of Hillsong Conference |
| 2007 | 2-6 July 2007 | 26,000 | Acer Arena | TD Jakes, Jentezen Franklin, John Bevere, Chris Tomlin, Watoto Children's Choir | ? |
| 2008 | 7-11 July 2008 | ? | Acer Arena | Joyce Meyer, Joseph Prince, Judah Smith | ? |
[edit] 2005 Conference
Hillsong Conference 2005 was held from July 4-8. It had the theme "strength" and drew 29,000 delegates from 79 nations and 22 denominations.[2] The key speakers and worship leaders were Joyce Meyer, Jack Hayford, Darlene Zschech, Reinhard Bonnke, CeCe Winans and Michael W. Smith.
[edit] 2006 Conference
Hillsong Conference 2006 was held during the week July 3-7. There were 30,000 delegates from 71 nations and 21 different denominations. This was the 20th anniversary of Hillsong Conference. For the first time, ticked seating was implemented for the night programs, guaranteeing seats and reducing the frustrating queues experienced during the 2005 conference. The key speakers were Rick Warren, Matthew Barnett, Frank Damazio, Rick Godwin, Bill Hybels, Jentezen Franklin, Charlotte Scanlon, Reinhard Bonnke and Brian Houston. The key worship leaders were the Hillsong team, Alvin Slaughter, Delirious?, Israel Houghton and New Breed, and Cindy Cruse-Ratcliff.
[edit] 2007 Conference
Hillsong Conference 2007 was held from July 2–6. It featured prominent and well known music artists and speakers such as Brooke Fraser, Chris Tomlin, Steven Curtis Chapman, Israel Houghton and New Breed, Watoto Children's Choir, Darlene Zschech, T. D. Jakes, Ed Young Jr., Ron Luce, John Bevere, Jentezen Franklin, Joseph Prince, the Hillsong music team, Hillsong United band and many more.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Hillsong Church (2005-07-01). "Australia's largest annual conference draws 30,000". Press release. Retrieved on 2006-07-28.
- ^ a b Hillsong Church (2006-06-27). "Hillsong conference less than one week away". Press release. Retrieved on 2006-07-28.
[edit] External links
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