HILLSONG CHURCH: STORYVILLE DOCUMENTARY

BBC Synopsis: "This Storyville documentary details the story of celebrity favourite and globally trending megachurch Hillsong. In a relatively short time it has grown explosively, from small family church to international phenomenon. Gaining rare access to the church it follows key church leaders and a number of its congregation, who tell personal stories of salvation and shed light on the current scandals within the church. 

Fashionably dressed in fedoras, leather jackets, tattoos and skinny jeans, their pastors are next-generation religious leaders. Inhabiting the world of Instagram influencers, they capitalise on the power of social media and popular entertainment to spread their message. 

Attracting a congregation of over 150,000 young people a week in 28 countries, Hillsong's services are mostly held in concert arenas, filled with pop music and high-octane, slickly produced performances. The church has attracted celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Selena Gomez, Kevin Durant and Bono, and with six million Instagram followers and over 20 million monthly listeners on their Spotify channels, Hillsong has become one of the fastest-growing churches in the world, generating over $150 million in revenue in the process. 

While looking back the church's past and one dark incident that hangs over it, this documentary also explores the resurgence of spirituality and belief among millennials today. Why do millions of media-savvy young people follow a religion whose values do not always align with their own? What does this glossy version of Christianity have to offer, and at what price does salvation and transformation come?" 

This excellent documentary was publicly broadcast on the BBC but is stuck behind their geoblocks. It deserves a wider audience, especially since the recent announcement of criminal charges against founding Pastor Brian Houston for failing to report to Police the pedophilia of his father, Frank Houston.

Refuting Hillsong’s recent misleading media statement (Part 1). (churchwatchcentral.com)