Now that I have your attention let me be clear about what I am talking about. For the second year in a row Sue and I attended Hillsong Conference in Sydney (Hillsong Conference 2011). We had a ball.
Last year we came to Hillsong 2010 with our cynicism at the ready and our heresy radar finely attuned. We were ready to smirk at the shallow Pentecostalism and crass prosperity doctrine we just knew we were going to encounter. We came away both blessed and humbled. (There was only one ‘offering’ talk that got our backs up – and that was by a speaker not associated with Hillsong church) So we trekked to Sydney again, but ready this time to be blessed, encouraged, challenged and inspired. We were not disappointed.
Just a cursory Google search tells you that Hillsong church has many and varied critics, both inside and outside the church. Some of the criticism, especially from within the church, is almost hysterical. Hillsong’s size, growth and commercial ‘success’ has earned it the moniker Hill$ong from some. Now, not everything Hillsong says or does is my cup of tea, so to speak. I’m not going to spend any time in this post pointing out some of the concerns I might have about Hillsong’s doctrine or practice. Suffice to say that, on my very limited experience of the Hillsong culture, these concerns are far outweighed by the gifts which Hillsong offers the wider church, and which I celebrate.
So, based on my experience of Hillsong 2011, here are nine reasons why I love Hillsong!
Hillsong unashamedly pursues excellence – in service, creativity, worship, preaching, multimedia etc. Bill Hybels says that excellence honours God and inspires people. When far too often in church ‘close enough is good enough’, Hillsong raises the bar.
Hillsong preaches Jesus, and especially the Cross. After seeing/hearing a stunning version of the classic, ‘Nothing but the Blood’ I leaned across to a friend, who like me has a conservative evangelical background, and observed that I felt right at home. Irony of ironies, if anything it was the third person of the Trinity (Holy Spirit) who did not get much ‘air time’ in the teaching/worship at conference.
Hillsong champions the local church. Both last year and this year, Hillsong have gone out of their way to champion the local church through story and testimony – urban and rural, large and small.
Hillsong models humility. I was not ready for the self-depreciating humour and the very real, often touching, efforts to defer any attention away from Hillsong and to God.
Hillsong inspires with its music. I love modern, contemporary worship. And no-one does it better than Hillsong. I have travelled a little overseas and in nearly every worship service I have attended (USA, Thailand, Cambodia, Solomon Islands) I have sung at least one song written out of Hillsong.
Hillsong embraces evangelism as the church’s heartbeat. The overarching message of both conferences has been the privilege and responsibility we have to share the Good News with others.
Hillsong is multicultural. One morning I walked high up into the back rows of the Entertainment Centre past hundreds of people listening to a conference speaker through headphones as the sermon was translated ‘live’. Wow, that is some ‘hearing loop’!
Hillsong has social justice front and centre. This perhaps was the biggest surprise. At both conferences (especially last year) causes like slavery, environment, homelessness etc. were tackled and tackled well.
Hillsong provides an opportunity. Hillsong provides an opportunity for people from all around the world, from dozens and dozens of cultural, ethnic and denominational background to come together to worship. I was one of the 15,000 or so who did this year. Like most others, I am deeply thankful.