Hillsong Ukraine

Last updated

Hillsong Ukraine
Hillsong Church Ukraine
Hillsong Ukraine
CountryUkraine
Denomination Hillsong Church
Website hillsong.com.ua
History
FoundedOctober 1992
Clergy
Senior pastor(s) Phil and Lucinda Dooley (global pastors)
Pastor(s) Yuriy Ravnushkin and Tanya Ravnushkin

Hillsong Ukraine, also known as Hillsong Church Kyiv (formerly Kyiv Christian Life Centre) is an offshoot of Hillsong Church from Sydney, Australia, based in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Contents

History

Praise and worship during the opening night of Hillsong Conference in Kyiv, 2006 Hillsongkievconference2006.jpg
Praise and worship during the opening night of Hillsong Conference in Kyiv, 2006

Hills Christian Life Centre was founded by Brian Houston in 1983 in Baulkham Hills (an outer suburb of Sydney), New South Wales, Australia, later (2001) renamed as Hillsong Church. [1] [2]

In September 1992, an outreach began in the October Palace, Kyiv.[ citation needed ] Australian worship leader David Evans, US pastor Mike Berry and former Hillsong youth pastor Darko Culjak officially began the church in a 700-seat movie theatre in downtown Kyiv. The establishment of the church was aided by Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network operating in the former Soviet Union. Culjak became the first senior minister and established the Kyiv Christian Life Centre officially on 4 October 1992. [3] Hillsong Kyiv was thus established a year after Ukraine obtained its independence from the Soviet Union. [4] Hillsong sent some financial support, and the church was named Hillsong, although it was always independent of the Sydney organisation. [5]

On 1 June 1997,[ citation needed ] Ievgenii (Zhenya) and Vera Kasevich became the new pastors of the church, and led the church and its offshoot in Moscow for about 20 years, successfully building up the congregation by 2008. [5] As of 2007, the church held six to seven services each weekend with a combined attendance of around 3000. The Kasevichs were invited to speak at various churches and Christian conferences around the globe. [6] The church budget was around $1 million a year, all from donations, but Hillsong made the Kasevichs pay up to $13,000 for first-class air tickets to fly speakers to a conference in Kyiv. [5]

Hillsong Kyiv did not initially own a worship centre, renting an exhibition marquee in industrial outskirts of Kyiv for its services, but purchased two offices in 2002 and 2007 on credit. [7]

In February 2014, the Kasevichs wanted the Kyiv church to retain its independence, but Brian Houston said that if they broke away, he would open a rival Hillsong church in the city. They felt they had no choice but to hand over the churches and assets and resign, as they did not want to break up the congregation. Hillsong records later showed that Hillsong Church requested a "voluntary donation" of the proceeds of the sale of a property, as well as over $US230,000 in cash. The Kasevichs wanted to emigrate to the United States, and there is evidence that Hillsong said that they could make things difficult for the couple with the American authorities, although Houston later denied this. [5]

After their departure, the Kasevichs were banned from church events and therefore from the congregation (their "family"), and their emails and online connection to the Hillsong database were cut. They were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement which excluded them from attending services at Hillsong Kyiv or Moscow, and from contacting any of Hillsong's staff or volunteers. [5]

Yuri and Tanya Ravnushkin became lead pastors of the church, which is or was located on the outskirts of the city. [4]

In March 2022, Brian Houston resigned from the board of Hillsong Church Sydney and from his role as global senior pastor as a result of breaching the moral code of the church in his behaviour with two women, and Phil and Lucinda Dooley took over both roles. [8] [9] [10]

Hillsong Moscow

In early 2007, [11] after three years of preparation, Hillsong Kyiv launched its first service in Moscow, [12] with subsequent large services, attended both by interested Christians from other churches and new people, held in April and May. [11] From summer 2007 Hillsong Moscow held services in the Stas Namin Theatre, in the city centre near Gorky Park. [12] In June 2007, the church successfully completed the registration process. The church plant was cooperatively supported by the Moscow-based Good News Church pastored by Rick Renner. [13] [14]

The church in Moscow was pastored by Kyiv pastors Zhenya and Vera Kasevich until their departure in 2014. [5] As of 2015, Hillsong Moscow was led by Vadim Feshchenko, and the two churches were on friendly terms, despite the conflict between the two countries. [4]

Ministries

Hillsong Kyiv aligned its structure with that of Sydney Hillsong. As of 2007 there were three-part courses for new believers, named "Discovery". "Connect groups" and sometimes special services were held for people of various ages and with various interests, such as youth, or "people over 40", or those who like fishing or computers. [15] Hillsong Kyiv is characterised by a high level of involvement of its members in serving at the church and in 2017 was assessed by researchers as having the best level of the organisation of ministry among all Protestant churches in Europe. [13] [12]

Conferences

As both Hillsong Church in Sydney and London, Hillsong Kyiv holds three yearly conferences: the Hillsong Conference, the Colour Your World conference for women, and a men's conference. The Hillsong Conference, meant to equip other churches with both Biblical teaching and practical advice on organising the life of a church, gathered about 3000 delegates from more than 250 churches from 12 countries, mainly representing the former Soviet bloc, in 2006.[ citation needed ]

The Colour conference was cancelled in 2014 owing to the Russo-Ukrainian war. In July 2014, at Hillsong's major conference in Sydney, Kyiv lead pastor Yuriy Ravnushkin spoke about the difficulties of keeping the church going during those times. [4]

Social work

The church has a history of helping orphanages in Kyiv and nearby, supporting sick people in hospitals treating cancer, reaching out to homeless children and inmates in correctional centres. [16] In 2015 Tanya Ravnushkin reported that they had "started to do a whole lot more outside our doors", and refugee children had been accepted into the church and into the homes of members. [4]

Bible college

The church has a Bible college, meant mainly for those who wish to serve in the church. Students from Protestant churches of other cities of Ukraine as well as other former Soviet bloc countries also come for training.[ citation needed ]

Music

Hillsong Kyiv has recorded many albums, including youth and children's albums. The songs were initially translations of the songs written at Hillsong Church in Sydney Hillsong London, but there are also original songs written mainly by Vera Kasevich, who served as the church's worship pastor, and her and Zhenya's son Roman Kasevich.[ citation needed ]

Criticism

The criticism of the Hillsong Church Kyiv is similar to the criticism expressed with regard to the mother church in Australia and reflects the general disapproval of certain aspects of what Pentecostals/charismatics believe in, often from the more traditional Protestant denominations. In particular, the teaching on prosperity is the target of attacks. However, according to Zhenya Kasevich, he would not "go to the extremes" when teaching prosperity believing that "we are blessed (only) to be a blessing to others". [3]

In April 2022, speaking from their new home in the U.S., former pastors Zhenya and Vera Kasevich criticised the way that Hillsong Australia's general manager George Aghajanian had forced them to hand over the church and assets to the global organisation in 2014, and accused Hillsong of wanting to add it to their property portfolio. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoff Bullock</span> Musical artist

Geoffrey William "Geoff" Bullock is an Australian singer-songwriter and pianist. He helped pioneer the Hills Christian Life Centre, which later became Hillsong Church. He was appointed as the church's worship pastor and was also the convenor of their annual conferences from 1987 to 1995, before leaving Hillsong in late 1995.

<i>The Power of Your Love</i> 1992 live album by Hillsong Church

The Power of Your Love is the first live contemporary worship album released by Hillsong Music — the first album in the live praise and worship series of contemporary worship music released by the label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsong Church UK</span> Church in United Kingdom

Hillsong Church UK is a charismatic Christian Non-denominational megachurch in the United Kingdom which is a part of Hillsong Church global. Hillsong London, founded as London Christian Life Centre, was the first church planted in the UK by the Sydney-based church, in 1992.

William Francis "Frank" Houston was a Pentecostal Christian pastor in the Assemblies of God in New Zealand and Australia. Frank Houston founded Sydney Christian Life Centre, which would eventually come under the leadership of his son Pastor Brian Houston before merging into Hillsong Church. In the last years of his life, Frank Houston’s conduct of child sexual abuse was exposed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Houston</span> Australian musician

Joel Timothy Houston is an Australian musician, songwriter, pastor, and leader in the Sydney-based band Hillsong United, a worship band of Hillsong Church.

Hillsong Brisbane Campus is an interstate campus of Sydney based Hillsong Church, a Pentecostal Christian church in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsong Church</span> Global megachurch network headquartered in Australia

Hillsong Church, commonly known as Hillsong, is a charismatic Christian megachurch and a Christian association of churches based in Australia. The original church was established in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, as Hills Christian Life Centre by Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie Houston, in 1983. Hillsong was a member of the Australian Christian Churches – the Australian branch of the US-based Assemblies of God – until 2018, when it separated to form a new denomination. The church is known for its contemporary worship music, with groups such as Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United and Hillsong Young & Free with many musical credits and hits and a series of scandals and criticisms.

<i>Mighty to Save</i> (Hillsong album) 2006 live album by Hillsong Worship

Mighty to Save is the fifteenth album in the live praise and worship series of contemporary worship music by Hillsong Church. It was released in July 2006, at the annual Hillsong Conference. The album peaked at No. 25 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsong Conference</span> Annual Christian conference in Sydney, Australia

Hillsong Conference is a mid-year week-long annual Christian conference hosted in Sydney, Australia, with a smaller three-day event held in London later each year. It is the largest annual conference in Australia of any kind. The event is hosted by Hillsong Church at the Qudos Bank Arena and surrounding Olympic Park precinct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TBN Inspire</span> Christian broadcast television network

TBN Inspire is an American Christian broadcast television network owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). It is carried on the digital subchannels of TBN's stations.

The Australian Christian Churches (ACC), formerly Assemblies of God in Australia, is a network of Finished Work Pentecostal churches in Australia affiliated with the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, which is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world.

<i>Saviour King</i> 2007 live album by Hillsong Worship

Saviour King is the sixteenth album in the live praise and worship series of Christian Contemporary music by Hillsong Church. It debuted at No. 6 on the ARIA album chart on 9 July 2007, while the DVD debuted at No. 2 on the DVD chart. On the US Billboard Top Christian Albums Chart, it debuted at No. 5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanya Levin</span> Australian social worker and writer (born 1971)

Tanya Levin is an Australian social worker and writer. A former Hillsong Church member, she has described herself as a feminist and an atheist since at least 2010.

Christian Life Centre is or was a name given to a number of Pentecostal churches in Australia, many of them affiliated with the Australian Christian Churches network. Hills Christian Life Centre, which has since changed its name to Hillsong Church, was one of these, and spawned other churches in Australia and around the globe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Houston</span> Australian pastor and evangelist

Brian Charles Houston is a New Zealand-Australian former pastor and evangelist. He was the founder and senior pastor at Hillsong Church, based in Sydney with locations around the world. He was the national president of Australian Christian Churches, the Australian branch of the Assemblies of God, from 1997 to 2009.

Roberta Lee Houston, better known as Bobbie Houston, is a New Zealand-born Australian of Tongan descent and a Pentecostal pastor in the Australian Christian Churches. Houston and her husband, Brian were the Senior Pastors of the Hillsong Church in Baulkham Hills, Sydney, Australia prior to the latter's departure in 2022.

Hillsong Worship is a praise and worship collective from Sydney, Australia. They started making music in 1983 at Hillsong Church. Fifteen of their songs have appeared on the Billboard magazine charts in the US, with "What a Beautiful Name" (2016) representing their greatest success, reaching platinum in the US. The band has some notable members, including Darlene Zschech, Marty Sampson, Brooke Fraser, Reuben Morgan, and Joel Houston.

Hillsong Church São Paulo is a congregation of Hillsong Church which meets in São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in the Americas. Other satellite congregations meet in Sydney, London, Paris, Kyiv, Cape Town, Stockholm, New York City and Buenos Aires.

Hillsong NYC or Hillsong Church NYC is a Manhattan-based Christian church that is part of Hillsong Church based in Australia.

References

  1. Hey, Sam (2011). God in the Suburbs and Beyond: The Emergence of an Australian Megachurch and Denomination (PhD thesis). Griffith University. doi:10.25904/1912/3059 . Retrieved 2 February 2022. PDF
  2. Riches, Tanya; Wagner, Tom (2 November 2017). The Hillsong Movement examined: You call me out upon the waters. Springer. ISBN   978-3-319-59656-3.
  3. 1 2 "Web Conference with Yevgeny and Vera Kasevich". News.invictory.org. 23 February 2007. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2007. "...their fledgling church, which was also opened on October 4, 1992. (in Russian)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "A church under siege in Kiev". Eternity News . 2 January 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cohen, Hagar; McDonald, Alex; Hunjan, Raveen; Christodoulou, Mario (6 April 2022). "Former Hillsong pastors say they were threatened by Brian Houston to hand over their church and assets". ABC News. 7.30. Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  6. "YC Alberta 2006: Tell the world". Ycgeneration. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  7. "Помещения". Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2007.
  8. Knowles, Lorna; Nguyen, Kevin (23 March 2022). "Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston resigns after internal misconduct investigation". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  9. Alexander, Harriet (23 March 2022). "Brian Houston resigns as Hillsong pastor". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  10. Knowles, Lorna (24 March 2022). "How Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston's fall from grace played out over five days". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Киевские протестанты открыли в Москве новую церковь – «Хиллсонг»". www.risu.org.ua (in Russian). Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 "Kyiv Evangelicals Open Hillsong Moscow Church". Religious Information Service of Ukraine. 24 July 2007. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012.
  13. 1 2 "Христианские новости. - Твоя Библия". Bible.com.ua. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  14. "Киевский «Хиллсонг» успешно открылся в Москве". Archived from the original on 7 September 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2007.
  15. "Церковь Хиллсонг". Archived from the original on 26 August 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2007.
  16. "Easter for everybody". Archived from the original on 11 August 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2007.

50°26′53.25″N30°30′48.23″E / 50.4481250°N 30.5133972°E / 50.4481250; 30.5133972