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"Brian and Bobbie wanted to build something excellent that reflected God in a beautiful way. Even before it was big and glamorous, it was never just about Hillsong, but about everyone else," she told CT.

Houston, a tall man with piercing blue eyes, has the stereotypical Australian easy-going, "no-worries" manner. He seems to engender a culture of change.

Houston tells his staff: "If your own life is growing, you don't have to be threatened."

He makes sure his life is growing by spending either Friday or Saturday of each week alone in prayer and devotion, and by going for short drives on his Harley-Davidson. Houston's concept of a healthy church comes from Psalm 92:13: "Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish."

"It's the will of God for people to be able to flourish in our environment," Houston says. "So the question for every pastor is: Can people flourish under your ministry? If they can't flourish, why should they stay planted?"

And flourish Hillsong has. In fact, because it is so unusual in its size and range of ministries, religion scholars have had a hard time classifying it. It does not fit neatly into what some scholars call the first and second waves of the global Pentecostal-charismatic movement—denominational Pentecostalism and the independent charismatic movement.

Houston is president of the Assemblies of God in Australia (AGA), but he's remarked that the denomination does little to shape Hillsong Church. His congregation is roughly 10 times the size of the AGA biennial gathering. Hillsong is distinct from traditional Pentecostalism, which has historically focused on speaking in tongues, charismatic expression, revivals, and being "baptized in the Holy Spirit."

Since Hillsong began in the 1980s, it cannot be included in the second-wave charismatic movement either, which took shape in the 1960s. Second-wave charismatics typically are independent and cross denominational boundaries with relative ease. Most significantly, the second wave touched mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic churches. Second-wave charismatic teaching puts significant emphasis on the "in-filling of the Holy Spirit," the expression of spiritual gifts, and end-times teaching. It is more socioeconomically diverse than classic Pentecostalism.

In the 1980s, church growth professor C. Peter Wagner wrote The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit, describing what many now call the third-wave or neo-charismatic movement. Examples would include the Vineyard association, founded by the late John Wimber, and megachurches like Hillsong. They emphasize the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in individual believers and holistic mission, and many (but not all) leaders de-emphasize expressions of historic Pentecostalism, such as speaking in tongues and being "slain in the Spirit."

Hillsong's influence, however you classify it, has grown beyond the religious sphere. It is politically influential enough in Australia that during election season, commentators talk about the "Hillsong factor."

Hillsong members have found common cause with Australia's conservative politicians. In 2002, John Howard, the conservative (Liberal Party) prime minister of Australia, opened Hillsong's convention center. The church has held discussions on national issues, and certain political groups worry that Christian conservatives are using the Hillsong organization and numbers for political purposes.

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October 2007, Vol. 51, No. 10