History Music / Hillsong

Hillsong Church is an Australian Evangelical Protestant megachurch founded in 1983 by Pastor Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie. Initially, the church was known as Hills Christian Life Centre, and it met at a public school hall with just short of 50 people. Over the rest of the decade, though, it grew into the hundreds, then the thousands, eventually relocating to a new building in a nearby business park. Integral to this massive growth was their own worship band, Hillsong Life, which used a variety of styles in their worship music. Their first album, ''Spirit and Truth'', was released in 1988.

Hillsong grew to become one of the largest and most influential churches in the world, with over 80 locations and 130,000 people in attendance every Sunday. Much of their popularity was driven by the massive commercial success of their music, which had a significant influence on bringing ChristianRock into actual church services in the 21st century; enter any [[UsefulNotes/AmericanChurches modern megachurch]] on a given Sunday and you will likely hear at least one song from their [[ArchivePanic vast catalogue]] played during the worship set. Hillsong's high profile led many American celebrities, including [[Series/KeepingUpWithTheKardashians the Kardashians]], Creator/ChrisPratt, Music/JustinBieber, and [[UsefulNotes/NotablePlayersOfTheNBA Kevin Durant]] of the UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation, to attend and associate with the church and its affiliates. This made Hillsong even more popular and even elevated some of the church's American pastors to celebrity status themselves, particularly the UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity head pastor Carl Lentz, who became a "spiritual mentor" of sorts to Bieber.

However, Lentz's firing for "moral failures" in 2020[[note]]i.e. cheating on his wife[[/note]] led to the release of the documentary series ''Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed'' on [[Creator/DiscoveryChannel Discovery+]] in 2022, which further covered the church's reliance on near full-time volunteer labor despite its sizable funding and the criminal charges Houston faced for covering up his own father's sexual abuse of a minor. The release of this documentary happened to coincide with ''more'' serious allegations of sexual abuse by several Hillsong pastors, including Houston himself, leading to a mass series of retirements and the closure of several of their campuses.

* '''Hillsong United''': Stylized as ''Hillsong UNITED'' (or just ''UNITED''), this band is the most popular of the three and likely the one those unfamiliar with the Christian music scene have heard something about. United grew out of the church's youth ministry, which in 1995 was split into Wildlife for teens aged 12-17 and Powerhouse for teens and young adults aged 18-25. After being two separate bands, several members agreed to join and form an official "united" group to release their songs. The result was the EP ''One'', released in the fall of 1998. Their arena rock style and lyrics were massively popular, generating hits like "Hosanna", "Lead Me To The Cross", "The Stand", "With Everything", and many more in the late 2000s that helped expand Hillsong's popularity. They continued to build on this early success throughout the 2010s; "Oceans (Where Feet May Fall)" topped Billboard's Christian Songs chart for over a year and was briefly the most successful Christian song of the streaming era. Their sound makes them a perfect fit for full arenas, and the band regularly tours and performs at many prevalent Christian festivals and conferences. Joel Houston, son of the church's founders, is their most prominent member and leader.

However, following Lentz's firing for "moral failures" in 2020,[[note]]i.e. cheating on his wife[[/note]] This incident led to the release of the documentary series ''Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed'' on [[Creator/DiscoveryChannel Discovery+]] in 2022, which further covered the church's reliance on near full-time volunteer labor despite its sizable funding and the criminal charges Houston faced for covering up his own father's sexual abuse of a minor. The release of this documentary happened to coincide with ''more'' serious allegations of sexual abuse by several Hillsong pastors, including Houston himself, leading to a mass series of retirements and the closure of several of their campuses.

Since then, Hillsong has grown to become one of the largest and most influential churches in the world, with over 80 locations and 130,000 people in attendance every Sunday. Much of their popularity has been driven by the massive commercial success of their music, which has had a significant influence on bringing ChristianRock into actual church services in the 21st century; enter any [[UsefulNotes/AmericanChurches modern megachurch]] on a given Sunday and you will likely hear at least one song from their [[ArchivePanic vast catalogue]] played during the worship set. Hillsong's high profile led many American celebrities, including [[Series/KeepingUpWithTheKardashians the Kardashians]], Creator/ChrisPratt, Music/JustinBieber, and [[UsefulNotes/NotablePlayersOfTheNBA Kevin Durant]] of the UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation, to attend and associate with the church and its affiliates. This made Hillsong even more popular and even elevated some of the church's American pastors to celebrity status themselves, particularly the UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity head pastor Carl Lentz, who became a "spiritual mentor" of sorts to Bieber. However, following Lentz's firing for "moral failures" in 2020,[[note]]i.e. cheating on his wife[[/note]] Hillsong has somewhat stepped back from their identity as the "church of the stars", though it continues to be a major force in the Christian music industry.

Hillsong now has three main bands which lead worship and release music: [[note]]Live album unless noted; ^ indicates studio albums, * indicates [=EPs=][[/note]]

Since then, Hillsong has grown to become one of the largest and most influential churches in the world, with over 80 locations and 130,000 people in attendance every Sunday. Much of their popularity has been driven by the massive commercial success of their music, which has had a ''significant'' influence on bringing ChristianRock into actual church services in the 21st century; enter any [[UsefulNotes/AmericanChurches modern megachurch]] on a given Sunday and you will likely hear at least one song from their [[ArchivePanic vast catalogue]] played during the worship set. Hillsong's high profile led many American celebrities, including [[Series/KeepingUpWithTheKardashians the Kardashians]], Creator/ChrisPratt, Music/JustinBieber, and [[UsefulNotes/NotablePlayersOfTheNBA Kevin Durant]] of the UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation, to attend and associate with the church and its affiliates. This made Hillsong even more popular and even elevated some of the church's American pastors to celebrity status themselves, particularly the UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity head pastor Carl Lentz, who became a "spiritual mentor" of sorts to Bieber. However, following Lentz's firing for "moral failures" in 2020, Hillsong has somewhat stepped back from their identity as the "church of the stars", though it continues to be a major force in the Christian music industry.

Hillsong now has three main bands which lead worship and release music:

[[note]]Live album unless noted; ^ indicates studio albums, * indicates [=EPs=][[/note]]

* '''Hillsong Worship''': Originally known as ''Hillsong Life'' (having rebranded in 2014), this band is the original Hillsong worship team and is known for releasing and leading contemporary worship music. Early worship pastor Darlene Zschech's song "Shout to the Lord" became one of the biggest crossover Christian hits of the '90s and helped to first elevate the church to international prominence. Later hit "Mighty to Save", released in 2006 and originally sung by Zschech's successor Reuben Morgan, was the best-selling Christian hit of that decade and established the sound that would later be adopted by United. Even with United's ascent, the rebranded Worship still remained immensely popular, with their song "What a Beautiful Name" seeing massive streaming numbers in the late 2010s and winning Grammys and Dove Song of the Year awards. Its lineup has changed multiple times throughout the decades; its current leader is Brooke Ligertwood, who stepped up in 2017.

* '''Hillsong United''': Stylized as ''Hillsong UNITED'' (or just ''UNITED''), this band is the most popular of the three and likely the one those unfamiliar with the Christian music scene have heard something about. United grew out of the church's youth ministry, which in 1995 was split into Wildlife for teens aged 12-17 and Powerhouse for teens and young adults aged 18-25. After being two separate bands, several members agreed to join and form an official one to release their many written songs. The result was the EP ''One'', released in the fall of 1998. Their arena rock style and lyrics were massively popular, generating hits like "Hosanna", "Lead Me To The Cross", "The Stand", "With Everything", and many more in the late 2000s that helped expand Hillsong's popularity. They have continued to build on this early success throughout the 2010s; "Oceans (Where Feet May Fall)" topped Billboard's Christian Songs chart for over a year and was briefly the most successful Christian song of the streaming era. The band's sound makes them a perfect fit for full arenas, and the band regularly tours and performs at many prevalent Christian festivals and conferences. Joel Houston, son of the church's founders, is their most prominent member and leader.

* '''Hillsong Young & Free''': By the early 2010s, nearly every member of UNITED was at least in their early 30s, and most had married and started families. Many people at Hillsong felt a need for a new, younger band that would resonate more with younger people and youth groups with a louder, more modern, and fast-paced sound. Enter ''Young & Free'', a band made of members in their late teens and early-mid 20s that innovated a new style of CWM that combined the Pop, EDM, and Dance trends of that era. They perform in the main campuses' youth ministries but also occasionally go on tour. As they each share performance roles equally, they have no firm leader.

* NewSoundAlbum: UNITED's ''Wonder'' stands out from much of the rest of their discography, both sonically and lyrically. While several prior Hillsong songs had been critiqued for repetitive lyrics that over-emphasized thanking God for personal salvation, ''Wonder'' pleasantly surprised many by offering more complex assessments of faith and theology and a more specific call to action to love people as much as God, all wrapped in a more pop-leaning sound that still kept alive their reputation for memorable hooks.

Hillsong now has three main bands which lead worship and release music:[[note]]Live album unless noted; ^ indicates studio albums, * indicates [=EPs=][[/note]]

Hillsong now has three main bands which lead worship and release music:

[[note]]* Indicates [=EPs=][[/note]]

** ''The People Tour: Live From Madison Square Garden'' (2021)'
[[note]]^ indicates studio albums, * indicates [=EPs=], ' indicates live albums[[/note]]

[[note]]^ indicates studio albums, * indicates [=EPs=][[/note]]

* '''Hillsong Worship''': Originally known as ''Hillsong Life'' (having rebranded in 2014), this band is the original Hillsong worship team and is known for releasing and leading contemporary worship music. Early worship pastor Darlene Zschech's song "Shout to the Lord" became one of the biggest crossover Christian hits of the '90s and helped to first elevate the church to international prominence. Later hit "Mighty to Save", released in 2006 and originally sung by Zschech's successor Reuben Morgan, was the best-selling Christian hit of that decade and established the sound that would later be adopted by United. Its lineup has changed multiple times throughout the decades; its current leader is Brooke Ligertwood, who stepped up in 2017.

[[note]]^ indicates studio albums, * indicates [=EPs=][[/note]]

* '''Hillsong United''': Stylized as ''Hillsong UNITED'' (or just ''UNITED''), this band is the most popular of the three and likely the one those unfamiliar with the Christian music scene have heard something about. United grew out of the church's youth ministry, which in 1995 was split into Wildlife for teens aged 12-17 and Powerhouse for teens and young adults aged 18-25. After being two separate bands, several members agreed to join and form an official one to release their many written songs. The result was the EP ''One'', released in the fall of 1998. Their arena rock style and lyrics were massively popular, generating hits like "Hosanna", "Lead Me To The Cross", "The Stand", "With Everything", and many more that helped expand Hillsong's popularity. They have continued to build on this early success; "Oceans (Where Feet May Fall)" topped Billboard's Christian Songs chart for over a year and was briefly the most successful Christian song of the streaming era. The band's sound makes them a perfect fit for full arenas, and the band regularly tours and performs at many prevalent Christian festivals and conferences. Joel Houston, son of the church's founders, is their most prominent member and leader.

* '''Hillsong United''': Stylized as ''Hillsong UNITED''(or just ''UNITED''), this band is the most popular of the three and likely the one those unfamiliar with the Christian music scene have heard something about. United grew out of the church's youth ministry, which in 1995 was split into Wildlife for teens aged 12-17 and Powerhouse for teens and young adults aged 18-25. After being two separate bands, several members agreed to join and form an official one to release their many written songs. The result was the EP ''One'', released in the fall of 1998. Their arena rock style and lyrics were massively popular, generating hits like "Hosanna", "Lead Me To The Cross", "The Stand", "With Everything", and many more that helped expand Hillsong's popularity. They have continued to build on this early success; "Oceans (Where Feet May Fall)" topped Billboard's Christian Songs chart for over a year and was briefly the most successful Christian song of the streaming era. The band's sound makes them a perfect fit for full arenas, and the band regularly tours and performs at many prevalent Christian festivals and conferences. Joel Houston, son of the church's founders, is their most prominent member and leader.

* '''Hillsong Young & Free''': By the early 2010s, nearly every member of UNITED was at least in their early 30s, and most had married and started families. Many people at Hillsong felt a need for a new, younger band that would resonate more with younger people and youth groups with a louder, more modern, and fast paced sound. Enter ''Young & Free'', a band made of members in their late teens and early-mid 20s that innovated a new style of CWM: Pop, EDM, and Dance. They perform in the main campuses' youth ministries but also occasionally go on tour. As they each share performance roles equally, they have no firm leader.

* EpicRocking: Most of their live albums include versions of songs that can span over ten minutes, fitting with a tradition in worship music for moments of reflection and celebration through repetition.

* YoungerAndHipper: ''Young & Free'' relative to the other two.

* '''Hillsong Worship''': Originally known as ''Hillsong Life'' (having rebranded in 2014), this band is the original Hillsong worship team and is known for releasing and leading contemporary worship music. Its lineup has changed multiple times throughout the decades; its current leader is Brooke Ligertwood, who stepped up in 2017.

* '''Hillsong United''': Stylized as ''Hillsong UNITED''(or just ''UNITED''), this band is the most popular of the three and likely the one those unfamiliar with the Christian music scene have heard something about. United grew out of the church's youth ministry, which in 1995 was split into Wildlife for teens aged 12-17 and Powerhouse for teens and young adults aged 18-25. After being two separate bands, several members agreed to join and form an official one to release their many written songs. The result was the EP ''One'', released in the fall of 1998. Their arena rock style and lyrics were massively popular, generating hits like "Mighty to Save", "Hosanna", "Lead Me To The Cross", "The Stand", and many more that helped expand Hillsong's popularity. They have continued to build on this early success; "Oceans (Where Feet May Fall)" topped Billboard's Christian Songs chart for over a year and was briefly the most successful Christian song of the streaming era. The band's sound makes them a perfect fit for full arenas, and the band regularly tours and performs at many prevalent Christian festivals and conferences. Joel Houston, son of the church's founders, is their most prominent member and leader.

[[note]]^ indicates studio albums, * indicates [=EPs=][/note]]

* ArchivePanic: See the discography list above; with three different music groups constantly reducing albums stretching back to the ''late '80s'' (many of them ''long'' projects due to being recorded from live worship performances), actually listening through their entire catalogue would be a lengthy task.

Since then, Hillsong has grown to become one of the largest and most influential churches in the world, with over 80 locations and 130,000 people in attendance every Sunday. Much of their popularity has been driven by the massive commercial success of their music, which has had a ''significant'' influence on bringing ChristianRock into actual church services in the 21st century; enter any [[UsefulNotes/AmericanChurches modern megachurch]] on a given Sunday and you will likely hear at least one song from their vast catalogue played during the worship set. The church's high profile led many American celebrities, including [[Series/KeepingUpWithTheKardashians the Kardashians]], Creator/ChrisPratt, Music/JustinBieber, and [[UsefulNotes/NotablePlayersOfTheNBA Kevin Durant]] of the UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation, to attend and associate with the church and its affiliates. This made Hillsong even more popular and even elevated some of the church's American pastors to celebrity status themselves, particularly the UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity head pastor Carl Lentz, who became a "spiritual mentor" of sorts to Bieber. However, following Lentz's firing for "moral failures" in 2020, Hillsong has somewhat stepped back from their identity as the "church of the stars", though it continues to be a major force in the Christian music industry.

** ''We Are Young & Free'' (2013)

** ''III'' (2018)
*** ''III (Live at Hillsong Conference)'' (2018)^^
** ''III (Studio Sessions)'' (2019)^

[[note]]^ indicates studio albums, * indicates [=EPs=], ^^ indicates live albums[[/note]]

'''''Discography'''''

Since then, Hillsong has grown to become one of the largest and most influential churches in the world, with over 80 locations and 130,000 people in attendance every Sunday. Much of their popularity has been driven by the massive commercial success of their music, which has had a ''significant'' influence on bringing ChristianRock into actual church services in the 21st century; enter any [[UsefulNotes/AmericanChurches modern megachurch]] on a given Sunday and you will likely hear at least one song from their vast catalogue played during the worship set. The church's high profile led to many American celebrities, including [[Series/KeepingUpWithTheKardashians the Kardashians]], Creator/ChrisPratt, Music/JustinBieber, and [[UsefulNotes/NotablePlayersOfTheNBA Kevin Durant]] of the UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation, to attend and associate with the church and its affiliates. This made the church even more popular and even elevated some of the church's American pastors to celebrity status themselves, particularly the UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity head pastor Carl Lentz, who became a "spiritual mentor" of sorts to Bieber. However, following Lentz's firing for "moral failures" in 2020, Hillsong has somewhat stepped back from their identity as the "church of the stars", though it continues to be a major force in the Christian music industry.

Hillsong Church is an Australian Evangelical Protestant megachurch founded in 1983 by Pastor Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie. Initially, the church was known as Hills Christian Life Centre, and it met at a public school hall with just short of 50 people. Over the rest of the decade, though, it grew into the hundreds, then the thousands, eventually relocating to a new building in a nearby business park. Integral to this massive growth was their own worship band, Hillsong Life, which used a small variety of styles in their worship music. Their first album, ''Spirit and Truth'', was released in 1988.

Since then, Hillsong has grown to become one of the largest and most influential churches in the world, with over 80 locations and 130,000 people in attendance every Sunday. They now have three main bands which lead worship:

* '''Hillsong Worship''': Originally known as ''Hillsong Life'' (having rebranded in 2014), this band is the original. They're known for releasing and leading contemporary worship music from one of the church's native campuses. Their current leader is Brooke Ligertwood, who stepped up in 2017.

* '''Hillsong United''': Stylized as ''Hillsong UNITED''(or just ''UNITED''), this band grew out of the church's youth ministry, which in 1995 was split into Wildlife for teens aged 12-17 and Powerhouse for teens and young adults aged 18-25. After being two separate bands, several members agreed to form an official one to release their many written songs. The result was the EP ''One'', released in the fall of 1998. Today, ''UNITED'' is Hillsong's most popular of the three, and they frequently go on tour, performing at many prevalent Christian festivals and conferences. Joel Houston is their most prominent member and leader.

[[note]]^ indicates studio albums, * indicates EPs[[/note]]

* '''Hillsong Young & Free''': By the early 2010s, nearly every member of UNITED was at least in their early 30s, and most had married and started families. Many people at Hillsong felt a need for a new, younger band that would resonate more with younger people and youth groups with a louder, more modern, and fast paced sound. Enter ''Young & Free'', a band made of members in their late teens and early-mid 20s that innovated a new style of CWM: Pop, EDM, and Dance. They perform in the main campuses' youth ministries, but also occasionally go on tour. As they each share performance roles equally, they have no firm leader.

[[note]]^ indicates studio albums, * indicates EPs, ^^ indicates live albums[[/note]]

Hillsong Church is an Australian Evangelical Protestant megachurch founded in 1983 by Pastor Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie. Initially, the Church was known as Hills Christian Life Centre, and it met at a public school hall with just short of 50 people. Over the rest of the decade, though, it grew into the hundreds, then the thousands, eventually relocating to a new building in a nearby business park. Integral to this massive growth was their own worship band, Hillsong Life, which used a small variety of styles in their worship music. Their first album, ''Spirit and Truth'', was released in 1988.

Since then, Hillsong has grown to become one of the largest and most influential Churches in the world, with over 80 locations and 130,000 people in attendance every Sunday. They now have three main bands which lead worship:

* '''Hillsong Worship''': Originally known as ''Hillsong Life'' (having rebranded in 2014), this band is the original. They're known for releasing and leading contemporary worship music from one of the Church's native campuses. Their current leader is Brooke Ligertwood, who stepped up in 2017.

* '''Hillsong United''': Stylized as ''Hillsong UNITED''(or just ''UNITED''), this band grew out of the Church's youth ministry, which in 1995 was split into Wildlife for teens aged 12-17 and Powerhouse for teens and young adults aged 18-25. After being two separate bands, several members agreed to form an official one to release their many written songs. The result was the EP ''One'', released in the fall of 1998. Today, ''UNITED'' is Hillsong's most popular of the three, and they frequently go on tour, performing at many prevalent Christian festivals and conferences. Joel Houston is their most prominent member and leader.

* '''Hillsong Young & Free''': By the early 2010s, nearly all the members of UNITED were at least in their early 30s, and most had married and started families. Many people at Hillsong felt a need for a new, younger band that would resonate more with younger people and youth groups with a louder, more modern, and fast paced sound. Enter ''Young & Free'', a band made of members in their late teens and early-mid 20s that innovated a new style of CWM: Pop, EDM, and Dance. They perform in the main campuses' youth ministries, but also occasionally go on tour.

Since then, Hillsong has grown to become one of the biggest and most influential Churches in the world, with over 80 locations and 130,000 people in attendance every Sunday. They now have three main bands which lead worship:

Hillsong Church is an Australian Evangelical Protestant megachurch founded in 1983 by Pastor Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie. Initially, the Church was known as Hills Christian Life Centre, and it met at a public school hall with just short of 50 people. Over the rest of the decade, though, it grew into the hundreds, then the thousands, eventually relocating to a new building in a nearby business park. Integral to this massive growth was their own worship band, Hillsong Life, which used a small variety of styles in their worship music. Their first album, ''Spirit and Truth'' was released in 1988.

* '''Hillsong Worship''': Originally known as ''Hillsong Life'' (having rebranded in 2014), this band is the original. They're known for releasing and leading contemporary worship music from one of the Church's native campuses. The current leader is Brooke Ligertwood, who stepped up in 2017.

** ''Spirit and Truth''(1988)
** ''Show Your Glory''(1990)
** ''The Power of Your Love''(1992)
** ''Stone's Been Rolled Away''(1993)
** ''People Just Like Us''(1994)
** ''Friends in High Places''(1995)
** ''Shout to the Lord''(1996)
** ''God Is in the House''(1996)
** ''All Things Are Possible''(1997)
** ''Touching Heaven Changing Earth''(1998)
** ''By Your Side''(1999)
** ''For This Cause''(2000)
** ''You Are My World''(2001)
** ''Blessed''(2002)
** ''Hope''(2003)
** ''For All You've Done''(2004)
** ''God He Reigns''(2005)
** ''Mighty to Save''(2006)
** ''Saviour King''(2007)
** ''This Is Our God''(2008)
** ''Faith + Hope + Love''(2009)
** ''A Beautiful Exchange''(2010)
** ''God Is Able''(2011)
** ''Cornerstone''(2012)
** ''Glorious Ruins''(2013)
** ''No Other Name''(2014)[[note]]Their first rebranded as ''Hillsong Worship''[[/note]]
** ''Open Heaven / River Wild''(2015)
** ''Let There Be Light''(2016)
** ''The Peace Project''(2017)
** ''There Is More''(2018)
** ''Awake''(2019)

* '''Hillsong United''': Stylized as ''Hillsong UNITED''(or just ''UNITED''), this band grew out of the Church's youth ministry, which in 1995 was split into Wildlife for teens aged 12-17 and Powerhouse for teens and young adults aged 18-25. After being two separate bands, several members agreed to form an official one to release their many written songs. The result was the EP ''One'', released in the fall of 1998. Today, ''UNITED'' is Hillsong's most popular of the three, and they frequently go on tour, performing at many prevalent Christian festivals and conferences. Joel Houston is their most prominent leader and member.

** ''One''(1998)*
** ''Everyday''(1999)
** ''Best Friend''(2000)
** ''King of Majesty''(2001)
** ''To the Ends of the Earth''(2002)
** ''More than Life''(2004)
** ''Look to You''(2005)
** ''United We Stand''(2006)
** ''All of the Above''(2007)^
** ''Unidos Permanecemos''(2007)
** ''The I Heart Revolution: With Hearts as One''(2008)
** ''[a_CROSS // the_EARTH]''(2009)
** ''Aftermath''(2011)^
** ''Live in Miami: Welcome to the Aftermath''(2012)
** ''Zion''(2013)^
** ''Zion Acoustic Sessions''(2013)
** ''Empires''(2015)^
** ''Of Dirt and Grace: Live from the Land''(2016)
** ''Wonder''(2017)^
** ''People''(2019)

** ''We Are Young & Free''(2013)
** ''This is Living''(2015)*
** ''We Are Young & Free: The Remixes EP''(2015)*
** ''Youth Revival''(2016)
** ''Youth Revival Acoustic''(2017)
** ''III''(2018)
[[note]]* indicates EPs[[/note]]

Hillsong Church is an Australian Evangelical Protestant megachurch founded in 1983 by Pastor Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie. Initially, the Church was known as Hills Christian Life Centre, and it met at a public school hall with just short of 50 people. Over the rest of the decade, though, it grew into the hundreds, then the thousands, eventually relocating to a new building in a nearby business park. Integral to this massive growth was their own worship band, Hillsong Live, which used a small variety of styles in their worship music. Their first album, ''Spirit and Truth'' was released in 1988.

* '''Hillsong Worship''': Originally known as Hillsong Life (having rebranded in 2014), this band is the original. They're known for releasing and leading contemporary worship music from one of the Church's native campuses. The current leader is Brooke Ligertwood, who stepped up in 2017.

!!!Troper lead me where my trust is without borders...

BigFun: Pretty much describes Joel Houston whenever he's not leading worship.
YoungerAndHipper: ''Young & Free'' relative to the other two.

* '''Hillsong United''': Stylized as Hillsong UNITED, this band grew out of the Church's youth ministry, which in 1995 was split into Wildlife for teens aged 12-17 and Powerhouse for teens and young adultd aged 18-25. After being two separate bands, several members agreed to form an official band to release their many written songs. The result was the EP ''One'', released in the fall of 1998. Today, United is Hillsong's most popular of the three, and they frequently go on tour, performing at many prevalent Christian festivals and conferences. Joel Houston is their most prominent leader and member.

** ''One''(1998)

[[note]]^ indicates studio albums[[/note]]

* '''Hillsong Young & Free''': By the early 2010s, nearly all the members of UNITED were at least in their early 30s, and most had married and started families. Many people at Hillsong felt a need for a new, younger band that would resonate more with younger people and youth groups with a louder, more modern, and fast paced sound. Enter Young & Free, a band made of members in their late teens and early-mid 20s that innovated a new style of CWM: Pop, EDM, and Dance. They perform in the main campuses' youth ministries, but also occasionally go on tour.

** ''We Are Young & Free''(2013)

!!!Discography:

** ''Awake''(2019)

!Discography:

** ''Stone's Been Rolled Away'' (1993)
** ''People Just Like Us'' (1994)
** ''Friends in High Places'' (1995)
** ''Shout to the Lord'' (1996)
** ''God Is in the House'' (1996)
** ''All Things Are Possible'' (1997)
** ''Touching Heaven Changing Earth'' (1998)
** ''By Your Side'' (1999)
** ''For This Cause'' (2000)
** ''You Are My World'' (2001)
** ''Blessed'' (2002)
** ''Hope'' (2003)
** ''For All You've Done'' (2004)
** ''God He Reigns in 2005,
Mighty to Save in 2006,
Saviour King in 2007,
This Is Our God in 2008,
Faith + Hope + Love in 2009,
A Beautiful Exchange in 2010,
God Is Able in 2011,
Cornerstone in 2012,
Glorious Ruins in 2013,
No Other Name, their first as Hillsong Worship, in 2014,
Open Heaven / River Wild in 2015,
Let There Be Light in 2016,
The Peace Project in 2017
There Is More in 2018
Awake in 2019
* '''