Brian Houston (pastor)

Infobox Celebrity


image_size = 150px
name = Brian Houston
birth name =
birth_date = birth date and age|1954|02|17
birth_place = flagicon|New Zealand Auckland, New Zealand
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Pastor
salary =
networth =
website = [http://www.leadershipministries.com.au/]
footnotes =
spouse = Bobbie Houston
children = Joel, Ben and Laura

Brian Houston (born February 17, 1954, in Auckland, New Zealand) is a Pentecostal Christian pastor in the Australian Christian Churches. He is currently the Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia, Australia's largest church with a current congregation of over 21,000 people. He is also the National President of Australian Christian Churches, the largest Pentecostal denomination in Australia, which is the Australian organisation of the Assemblies of God.

Biography

Early life

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, on February 17, 1954, Brian's parents Frank and Hazel were then Salvation Army officers. When Brian was three, his parents joined the Assemblies of God in New Zealand, and began pastoring an AOG Church in Lower Hutt, near Wellington where Brian, his brother and three sisters spent their childhood. After completing school, Brian went to Bible College for three years. Shortly after completing College, he met Bobbie on Papamoa Beach in New Zealand during a Christian convention. They were married in 1977.

Ministry

After moving to Sydney, Australia with his wife in 1978, Brian served at Sydney Christian Life Centre, Darlinghurst, where he became the Assistant Pastor to his father, Frank Houston. In 1980 he started a church on the Central Coast, and revived a church in Liverpool in 1981, which are both thriving churches today. In 1983, Brian saw a need in Sydney's north-western suburbs and hired the Baulkham Hills Public School hall to start a new church, Hills Christian Life Centre. The first service was held on Sunday August 14 1983 and from an initial congregation of 45 people, is today the 21,000 strong Hillsong Church.

In May 1997, Brian was elected President of Assemblies of God in Australia/Australian Christian Churches, after Andrew Evans' retirement. His passion for leadership and trying to successfully inspire people to live to their full potential and make a difference in the world has made Brian a popular speaker at Christian conferences and churches across the globe. Brian helped to create the Australian Christian Churches network of Pentecostal churches in February 2000. This alliance represents over 200,000 members in affiliate churches [http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/183.htm] and was its inaugural president. [http://www.charismamag.com/display.php?id=527] He is also a member of the Australia Pentecostal Ministers Fellowship (APMF) [http://www.cdi.gov.au/submissions/222-AustralianPentecostal.doc] and a pastor for Leadership Ministries Incorporated.

Family

Brian and Bobbie live in Sydney, Australia with their three grown children; Joel, Ben and Laura. Joel is a musician, a songwriter and Hillsong Church's Creative Director. Ben is married to Lucille and is the Pastor at Hillsong's Northern Beaches extension service. Laura works for the church in the area of graphic design and marketing.

Books

Brian Houston has authored 12 books, of which his most recent is For This I Was Born released in 2008. Brian's other books include, For This Cause, Selah (2006), Selah 2 (2007), How To Build Great Relationships, How To Live In Health & Wholeness, How To Make Wise Decisions, How To Flourish In Life, and How To Live A Blessed Life. Books no longer in print include, Get A Life (1996), You Can Change The Future, and You Need More Money (1999). The Hillsong Television program is broadcast in over 180 nations, featuring Hillsong Music and teaching by Brian Houston.

References

External links

* [http://www.brianandbobbie.com Brian and Bobbie's Website]
* [http://www.hillsong.com Hillsong Church Website]
* [http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2005/s1427560.htm "Australian Story" interview with Brian Houston]
* [http://www.aogaustralia.com.au/default.asp?ContentID=1000544 A brief history of the Assemblies of God in Australia.]