Hillsong International Leadership College

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Hillsong International Leadership College is the training college of Hillsong Church, a Pentecostal Christian church, affiliated with the Assemblies of God. The college operates from church's two main worship centres in Baulkham Hills and Waterloo. Brian Houston, the Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church, is the President of the college and Mark Hopkins is the Vice President.

[edit] History

Hillsong International Leadership College has been established as an integral part of the overall national and international ministries of Hillsong Church. Hillsong Church as it is today is the combination of two churches, formerly Hills Christian Life Centre and Sydney Christian Life Centre, which joined in 1999, and operates out of two main worship centres located in Waterloo and Baulkham Hills, with contributing extension services city-wide. Historically, HILC emerged from two separate entities founded by the two churches that are now Hillsong Church. However both Colleges were integrally connected from the beginning and developed along the lines of a similar ethos. The shared goal was to provide a training centre that specialised in ministry and leadership development and was grounded in the local church setting. The two separate campuses that exist today have their own unique history:

[edit] City Campus

What is now known as the City campus of HILC, began in 1983 as the International Institute for Creative Ministries (IICM) under the vision and leadership of Sydney Christian Life Centre. The curriculum centred largely on the creative arts with the goal to train students to express their faith in the areas of music, dance, drama and visual arts in both church and secular contexts. Ministry, theology and missions were also incorporated in the courses. In 1990, Robert Fergusson became Principal, taking the reins from David Johnson, and led the College to focus more on practical ministry training in the local church setting. College classes were moved back to the church venue and in 1993, the name was changed to Aquila College of Ministries to reflect this shift. At this stage, the student body numbered between 50 and 70 students.

[edit] Hills Campus

The Hills Campus of HILC began as the training arm of Hills Christian Life Centre in 1988 as an extension of IICM. It began under the leadership of Ian Fuller with around 75 students. It was known as Power Ministry School, soon after to become Power Ministry College in 1992 under the direction of Steve Kelly. In 1993 the Hillsong School was established to provide training for Christian musicians. As well, a School of Music was established to nurture young musicians. Mark Hopkins became Director in 1996 and the name changed to Hills Leadership College, incorporating the Hillsong School and the School of Music. In 1998, Marilyn Brett joined the faculty as Principal of the Hillsong School, replacing Cathy Coluccio as well as Max Zalakos, who was Principal of the Leadership College from 1991 to 1997.

[edit] One College

In 1999 Hills Christian Life Centre joined with Sydney Christian Life Centre, its 'parent church', and became Hillsong Church. During 1999, preparation began to bring the two colleges together and at the beginning of 2000, Aquila College of Ministries and Hills Leadership College officially became one. The new College became Hillsong International Leadership College, with two campuses: City and Hills. Duncan Corby was appointed Principal of the City campus, while Marilyn Brett remained Principal of the Hills Campus. As Hillsong International Leadership College, the student population has grown rapidly to approximately 900 fulltime students across the two campuses, with a majority of students originating from overseas countries.

[edit] Courses Offered

The theological education and training at Hillsong International Leadership College is based on a ministry model with a creative arts emphasis and is strong undergirded by values of excellence, dedication and servanthood. College courses are specifically developed to meet the practical needs of leadership, while at the same time provide graduates with a recognisable level of qualifications comparable to theological colleges of other Protestant denominations.

Hillsong International Leadership College offers the Certificate IV in Ministry, the Diploma of Ministry and the Advanced Diploma in Ministry courses in the following streams;

• Worship and Creative Arts
• Pastoral Leadership
• TV and Media
• Youth Ministry
• Children's Ministry

Since January 2006 Hillsong International Leadership College, in association with Southern Cross College, has offered a Bachelor of Theology degree program. HILC also offers a wide variety of short courses at its Evening College, including Faith Works, Leadership Works, Bible Works as well as Couselling and TV and Media.

[edit] Accreditation

The College was approved as a Registered Training Organisation in December 2002 and current courses are all accredited by the Australian Government and include the Certificate IV in Ministry, the Diploma of Ministry and the Advanced Diploma in Ministry. The Advanced Diploma is unique in its combination of lecture-based classes with a part-time internship for students alongside Hillsong Church staff in a variety of church and ministry departments. Currently, the College is preparing to offer Higher Education courses in order to further broaden its capacity to train leaders and provide excellence in all facets of training including academic fields. The Bachelor of Theology, offered by Southern Cross College, is accredited through the Sydney College of Divinity.

[edit] References

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007)

[edit] External links

• Hillsong International Leadership College Website