ACC --- AUSTRALIAN CHRISTIAN CHURCHES
WHO WE ARE
AUSTRALIAN CHRISTIAN CHURCHES is a movement of Pentecostal Churches in voluntary cooperation. Each individual church is self-governing, but commits itself to work together with other churches in the movement for the purpose of mutual support and the spread of the gospel in Australia and the world.
The Assemblies of God in Australia was formed in 1937 and has experienced consistent growth. It adopted a new name of Australian Christian Churches in 2007 and currently consists of over 1,000 churches with over 375,000 constituents, making it the largest Pentecostal movement in Australia.
In our churches you’ll find vibrant, contemporary Christians who love the Lord Jesus Christ and express that love in lively praise and worship and in caring relationships. Australian Christian Churches are Bible-loving, evangelical and Pentecostal, and are about connecting people to Jesus Christ.
OUR HISTORY
THE AUSTRALIAN CHRISTIAN CHURCHES (formerly called Assemblies of God in Australia) was formed in 1937, and is unique among Christian movements in the world in that we are unable to trace our origins to any human leader.
Australian Pentecostalism in the early decades of the 20th century was greatly influenced by such figures as Mrs. Janet Lancaster, AC Valdez, Smith Wigglesworth, C L Greenwood and P B Duncan but none of these were individually responsible for the formation of the Assemblies of God in Australia.
The Assemblies of God in Australia formed out of a conference of the Assemblies of God – Queensland and the Pentecostal Church of Australia in Sydney, Easter 1937. It was recognised by the leaders of both movements that a more harmonious, co-operative and unified relationship was needed. C.L Greenwood was elected the first Chairman of the Assemblies of God in Australia and every state was granted autonomy in its own affairs as was each registered assembly.
In the early years of the movement growth was very slow but firm foundations were set in place. In 1948 the Commonwealth Bible College was established in order to train men and women for ministry. Various leaders also arose to bring leadership and direction to the movement such as Henry Wiggins, Philip Duncan, Edward Irish, James Wallace, Alec Davidson and Ralph Read.
In 1977, when Pastor Andrew Evans became the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God in Australia, the movement experienced great growth, multiplying by over 13 times in the number of members and adherents and planting over 700 churches.
In May 1997 Pastor Brian Houston was elected the new National President of the Assemblies of God in Australia, and under his leadership, the movement continued to grow and expand its influence into the 21st century. It was renamed the Australian Christian Churches in April 2007.
Pastor Wayne Alcorn was elected the new National President by the National Conference in April 2009. Today, the ACC represents over 1,000 churches and more than 375,000 believers across Australia.
OUR LEADERSHIP
The nine members of the National Executive of the Australian Christian Churches are elected at the biennial National Conference by the voting members of the movement. The Executive includes the offices of National President, Vice President and National Secretary.
Wayne Alcorn
National President
Pastor Wayne Alcorn has been a credentialed pastor for over 35 years, and has held a number of key leadership roles in the movement, including Queensland State President for 12 years and National Director for Youth Alive. He was elected National President of the ACC in 2009. Together with his wife Lyn, he pastors the growing multi-campus Hope Centre in the South East corner of Queensland.
Alun Davies
Vice President
Pastor Alun Davies has over 40 years of experience in pastoral ministry and leadership, including 30 years as the Senior Minister of the thriving Faith! Christian Church in the Dandenong region of Melbourne. He was the State President of Victoria for over 12 years and currently is the Director of ACC International where he leads over 185 missionaries who are engaged in significant community development projects and disaster relief in Australia and overseas.
Sean Stanton
National Secretary/Treasurer
Pastor Sean Stanton has been involved with the ACC movement for more than 30 years, serving in a variety of leadership roles and on ACC Executive boards. He was elected to the ACC National Executive in 2011 in the position of National Secretary/Treasuer. Sean and his wife Lynda are the Senior Pastors of Life Unlimited Church in the ACT.
Joel A'Bell
Executive Member
Pastor Joel A’Bell is the Lead Pastor of Hillsong Australia alongside Senior Pastors Brian & Bobbie Houston, with his wife, Julia. He has been a member of the ACC National Executive since 2015 and is passionate about building and growing the local church. His fresh leadership ideas and style have helped shape Hillsong’s flourishing multi-campus church.
Shane Baxter
Executive Member
Pastor Shane Baxter is the ACC State President of Victoria, and is committed to raising up churches and emerging leaders. Together with his wife, Georgie, he pastors the multi-campus Enjoy Church in Melbourne.
Donna Crouch
Executive Member
Pastor Donna Crouch is an Executive Pastor at Hillsong Church, having served in numerous leadership positions over its thirty year history. She is highly respected for breaking new ground in developing strategic relationships in the public sector. Donna was elected to the National Executive in 2009.
John Hunt
Executive Member
Pastor John Hunt is the ACC State President for Queensland/Northern Territory and he has served the movement in various roles over the past two decades. He and his wife Francine have been the pastors of Centro Church in Ipswich, Qld, since 1995.
James Macpherson
Executive Member
James Macpherson and his wife Samantha lead Calvary Christian Church which currently has seven campuses in Queensland. He oversees Calvary Leadership College and is also chairman of Calvary Christian College, a P-12 Independent Christian school. James has been a member of the Queensland State Executive for the past eight years.
John McMartin
Executive Member
Pastor John McMartin has served the movement for over 28 years. He has sat on the ACC National Executive since 2009 and has been the ACC State President for New South Wales since 2008. He and his wife Carol have been the Senior Pastors of Inspire Church in the south west region of Sydney for over thirty years.
OUR BELIEFS
We believe that the Bible is God’s Word. It is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our every day lives.
We believe in one eternal God who is the Creator of all things. He exists in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He is totally loving and completely holy.
We believe that sin has separated each of us from God and His purpose for our lives.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ as both God and man is the only One who can reconcile us to God. He lived a sinless and exemplary life, died on the cross in our place, and rose again to prove His victory and empower us for life.
We believe that in order to receive forgiveness and the ‘new birth’ we must repent of our sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and submit to His will for our lives.
We believe that in order to live the holy and fruitful lives that God intends for us, we need to be baptised in water and be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables us to use spiritual gifts, including speaking in tongues which is the initial evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit.
We believe that God has individually equipped us so that we can successfully achieve His purpose for our lives which is to worship God, fulfil our role in the Church and serve the community in which we live.
We believe that God wants to heal and transform us so that we can live healthy and prosperous lives in order to help others more effectively.
We believe that our eternal destination of either Heaven or hell is determined by our response to the Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back again as He promised.
OVER 1,000 CHURCHES
OVER 3,200 PASTORS
OVER 374,000 CONSTITUENTS
ABOUT ACC
In our churches you'll find vibrant, contemporary Christians who love the Lord Jesus Christ and express that love in lively praise and worship and in caring relationships.
FIND A CHURCH
You're welcome to join us in over a thousand ACC churches across Australia. Use our Find a Church tool to help find a church near you.
PASTOR'S LOGIN
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