Study at Hillsong

Hillsong Church is a breakaway Pentecostal sector of the Christian religion. The Church, a recent hit in Sydney, has attracted a lot of media attention due to its phenomenal annual revenue and its musical pop chart success. What a lot of people don’t know, however, is that Hillsong is also a university college campus.

Called, The Bible Leadership College, it offers the Bachelor of Theology - specialising in Pastoral Theory. Within the course a student can opt to complete a diploma, advanced diploma, certificate or, if you study for 4 years, the Bachelor. The third year is dedicated to an internship within the church.

Hillsong are known for their secrecy and it’s not hard to see why after reading all the bad press about them. The HR department were very sceptical about giving out any figures or information about the college. However, they did reveal that the combined number of full and part-time students – Baulkam Hills and Alexandria campuses – is roughly 1700. It has a staff of almost 200, including 70 pastors.

Carston Woodhouse, who is now a pastor for the Church, studied at the ministry college. He says the decision to study at Hillsong was, “more of a heart thing rather than an educational thing. People who I didn’t know (from the Church) actually gave me money for the fees I couldn’t afford. I was pretty sure that was what God wanted me to do.”

Even though fulltime students who study at Hillsong are expected to attend 15 hours a week of classes, serve in two services over the weekend and participate weekly in a chosen ministry, they are still spiritually obliged to give 10% of what they earn to the Church. This Hillsong principal is called tithing and, according to the annual report, is responsible for 45% of the Church’s annual revenue. Naomi Deluga, a second year student who has two part-time jobs to support herself, says she tithes, “to make sure that God is her main priority and not money.”