The docuseries titled “Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed” was made available to stream on Discovery+ on Thursday, March 24. The three part series follows Hillsong’s journey from small church plant to global empire, chronicling the various scandals surrounding Carl Lentz, Brian Houston, as well as Houston’s father, Frank Houston.
Throughout the documentary, Hillsong is characterized not as a church with a mission to build a global movement of Jesus followers but as a corporate empire led by a man bent on world domination.
How It All Began
Tanya Levin, who is a former Hillsong Sydney member and author of “People in Glass Houses,” described the early years of Hillsong Church, which began in 1983 under the name Hills Christian Life Centre. She referred to the congregation as a “small suburban church,” which was an offshoot of Sydney Christian Life Centre, a church founded and pastored by Frank Houston. Houston helped his son, Brian Houston, plant Hills Christian Life Centre in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales.