We’ve all heard about megachurches in the US that attract 20,000 people each weekend. But we know that could never happen in Australia. People in Australia are not sufficiently religious / gullible / conformist / idealistic / respectful of leadership (pick your preferred reason).
So how is it that the Hillsong Church in Sydney does manage to attract 20,000 people each weekend, despite the irreligious non-conformist style of Australians when compared with Americans? I was at the annual Hillsong Conference last week, and I observed a high degree of vitality and commitment amongst rank-and-file church members. Over 4,000 people had voluntarily taken a week off work to help with the conference. These weren’t people acting under compulsion. These were people who felt they had a significant part to play in changing the future of the world.
Maybe the “barrenness” of Australian spirituality isn’t such a big factor in preventing the spread of the good news after all. Maybe all that is required to ignite a spiritual revolution is a group of gifted leaders who are ready to follow Jesus with all their hearts, casting a bold and compelling vision, and inviting others to step into the roles which God has created them to fulfil.