Biography
The contemporary Christian praise and worship genre has long been dominated by the Hillsong Church imprint, which has issued numerous bestselling CDs and DVDs throughout Australia and internationally. Established in August 1983 in northwest Sydney as a Pentecostal ministry by Brian and Bobbi Houston, both originally from New Zealand, the organization began under the name Hills Christian Life Centre with an initial attendance of 45, expanding rapidly to 900 after just four years. In 1986, the Houstons launched the annual Hillsong Conference aimed at instructing and supporting musicians within the contemporary Christian sphere. The live recording The Power of Your Love appeared in stores during 1992 and highlighted the contributions of singer/songwriters Geoff Bullock and Darlene Zschech, who would become fixtures across subsequent Hillsong projects. The brand's prominence prompted the Houstons to change the church's name to Hillsong in 1999. Contemporaneously, revelations emerged concerning Brian's father, the prominent Pentecostal pastor Frank Houston, who admitted to having molested a teenage boy thirty years prior. Despite ongoing scrutiny from officials and media regarding its political positions and funding from donations, the enterprise continued its expansion. The 2004 live album For All You've Done achieved the number one position on Australia's mainstream pop charts. Attendance at the July 2005 Hillsong Conference surpassed 30,000 individuals. By the beginning of 2006, weekly services drew over 19,000 congregants.
Albums
