CityLife Church
Encyclopedia
CityLife Church, formerly known as Waverley Christian Fellowship, is a non-denominational megachurch
in Melbourne
, Australia
. CityLife is a Pentecostal multi-site church
with weekly meetings in Knox
, Casey
and Manningham
in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Special services are also held in Mandarin and Spanish. CityLife is the largest church in Melbourne and second-largest in Australia. It has a strong emphasis on Life Groups
. Its leadership team is headed by senior minister Mark Conner.
It also has a daughter church CityLife Hobsons Bay
, in Melbourne’s west, which holds meetings in Williamstown
and Point Cook. CityLife Hobsons Bay is led by Ted and Solveig Fabiyanic.
The church runs Waverley Christian College
, a Christian school with over 1200 students.
The church was established in 1967 by Richard Holland. In 1983, Parkmore Full Gospel Church and its Christian school (now Waverley Christian College
) merged with Waverley Christian Fellowship. In 1986, Kevin Conner
became Senior Minister of the church (then about 600 members). Then in 1995, Mark Conner, Kevin's son, was appointed Senior Minister.
In February 2004, CityLife Church Hobsons Bay
was established as a separate church, and in April 2006, CityLife Church Casey
was established as a second campus of the Knox church. In March 2008, CityLife Church Manningham
was established as a third campus of the Knox church.
CityLife also has a large children's church
program, ROAR Kids, a vibrant youth ministry
, EPIC Youth, and a Young Adults ministry for (18-25's and 23-30 year old's).
CityLife Church also runs CityLife Community Care which provides a range of community services including counselling services, health-related services, emergency accommodation and other courses and support programs.
Steven Fielding, Victorian Senator with the Family First
party, is a member of CityLife.
Along with some other large and growing churches in Melbourne, CityLife Church has drawn media attention, in part because of its non-traditional style.
37.878131°N 145.214915°W
Megachurch
A megachurch is a church having 2,000 or more in average weekend attendance. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. CityLife is a Pentecostal multi-site church
Multi-site church
A multi-site church is one church that meets at multiple locations. Churches began to use the multi-site church model in the mid 1980s...
with weekly meetings in Knox
City of Knox
The City of Knox is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of and has a estimated population of 155,969 people.-History:...
, Casey
City of Casey
The City of Casey is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Casey is Victoria's most populous municipality, with a 2006 census population of 214,960. The municipality's population growth rate during both 1996-2001 and 2001-2006 was...
and Manningham
City of Manningham
The City of Manningham is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the northeastern suburbs of Melbourne. The total population is 118,544 , divided up into 10 suburbs, the largest being Doncaster and Templestowe, over an area of 113 square kilometres.The district spans a...
in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Special services are also held in Mandarin and Spanish. CityLife is the largest church in Melbourne and second-largest in Australia. It has a strong emphasis on Life Groups
Cell group
The cell group is a form of church organization that is used in some Christian churches. Cell groups are generally intended to teach the Bible and personalize Christian fellowship. They are always used in cell churches, but also occur in parachurch organizations and other interdenominational...
. Its leadership team is headed by senior minister Mark Conner.
It also has a daughter church CityLife Hobsons Bay
City of Hobsons Bay
The City of Hobsons Bay is a Local Government Area in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the south-western suburbs between 6 and 20 km from the Melbourne city centre....
, in Melbourne’s west, which holds meetings in Williamstown
Williamstown, Victoria
Williamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Williamstown had a population of 12,733....
and Point Cook. CityLife Hobsons Bay is led by Ted and Solveig Fabiyanic.
The church runs Waverley Christian College
Waverley Christian College
Waverley Christian College is an inter-denominational and co-educational independent Christian school in the outer Eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South...
, a Christian school with over 1200 students.
History
Waverley Christian College
Waverley Christian College is an inter-denominational and co-educational independent Christian school in the outer Eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South...
) merged with Waverley Christian Fellowship. In 1986, Kevin Conner
Kevin Conner
Kevin Conner is a Pentecostal theologian who was formerly the senior minister of Waverley Christian Fellowship in Melbourne, Australia...
became Senior Minister of the church (then about 600 members). Then in 1995, Mark Conner, Kevin's son, was appointed Senior Minister.
In February 2004, CityLife Church Hobsons Bay
Hobsons Bay
Hobsons Bay is a bay in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia....
was established as a separate church, and in April 2006, CityLife Church Casey
City of Casey
The City of Casey is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Casey is Victoria's most populous municipality, with a 2006 census population of 214,960. The municipality's population growth rate during both 1996-2001 and 2001-2006 was...
was established as a second campus of the Knox church. In March 2008, CityLife Church Manningham
City of Manningham
The City of Manningham is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the northeastern suburbs of Melbourne. The total population is 118,544 , divided up into 10 suburbs, the largest being Doncaster and Templestowe, over an area of 113 square kilometres.The district spans a...
was established as a third campus of the Knox church.
Other information
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
program, ROAR Kids, a vibrant youth ministry
Youth group
Youth group may refer to:* Youth Group, an Australian band* Youth club, a social and activities club for young people* Youth ministry, an age-specific type of religious ministry...
, EPIC Youth, and a Young Adults ministry for (18-25's and 23-30 year old's).
CityLife Church also runs CityLife Community Care which provides a range of community services including counselling services, health-related services, emergency accommodation and other courses and support programs.
Steven Fielding, Victorian Senator with the Family First
Family First Party
The Family First Party is a socially conservative minor political party in Australia. It has two members in the South Australian Legislative Council...
party, is a member of CityLife.
Along with some other large and growing churches in Melbourne, CityLife Church has drawn media attention, in part because of its non-traditional style.
External links
37.878131°N 145.214915°W