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 consists of over 1,100 churches with over 385,000 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.
GLOBAL INVOLVEMENT
OUR HISTORY
THE AUSTRALIAN CHRISTIAN CHURCHES (formerly called Assemblies of God in Australia) was formed in 1937. It 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 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 1,100 churches and more than 385,000 believers across Australia.
VIEW OUR CONSTITUTION
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.
NATIONAL PRESIDENT
WAYNE ALCORN
Pastor Wayne Alcorn was elected National President of the Australian Christian Churches in 2009. As an ACC pastor for over 37 years, he has held key leadership roles in the Movement, that include National Director for Youth Alive and Queensland/Northern Territory State President for 12 years. His first book ‘My Father’s Son’ was published in April 2023. Together with his wife Lyn, Wayne pastors the multi-campus Hope Centre church in the South-East corner of Queensland. They have two married sons, and five grandchildren.
VICE PRESIDENT
JOHN HUNT
Pastor John Hunt has over 35 years pastoral experience including pastoring Centro Church for 27 years. He was the State President of Queensland + Northern Territory for 12 years and is currently the Director of ACC International. He and Francine have been married for 40 years and have three married daughters and six grandchildren.
NATIONAL SECRETARY/TREASURER
SEAN STANTON
Pastor Sean Stanton has been involved with the ACC movement for over 40 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/Treasurer. Sean and his wife Lynda are the Senior Pastors of Life Unlimited Church in the ACT. They have two adult children, and have three grandchildren.
EXECUTIVE MEMBER
ALLY CAWTHORN
Pastor Ally Cawthorn is currently the Vice President of ACCWA and was elected as a member of the National Executive in 2021. She graduated from Fuller Seminary in California with a Doctor of Ministry in 2020, and also holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies completed through Southern Cross College (now Alphacrucis). She is the Founder and Director of ‘The Immersion Academy’. Ally and her husband Steve are the Neuma Australia Hub Leaders. They have three children.
EXECUTIVE MEMBER
JOEL CHELLIAH
Pastor Joel Chelliah was elected ACC State President of Western Australia in 2012 and has since brought a fresh vision to the State, leading to significant growth and improved health. He has served on the National Executive for the past four years, and is also Director of Harvestnet church planting movement. Joel is the founder and Senior Pastor of Centrepoint, a multi-site church located in Perth. Together with his wife Sharon, they minister to couples on healthy marriages and families. Joel is the author of ‘The Chat’ and he and Sharon are the parents of three sons.
EXECUTIVE MEMBER
MATT HEINS
Pastor Matt Heins is the ACC State President of Victoria and was elected to the National Executive in 2019. He and his wife Franca are the Senior Pastors at Faith Christian Church, a significant multi-site church that has a reputation in the south-eastern region of Melbourne that actively cares for their community and beyond. Matt is a dynamic speaker with a gift for prophecy and leads Faith CC’s thriving local and international missionary initiatives. Matt and Franca have been married for 27 years, and have three children.
EXECUTIVE MEMBER
BEN NAITOKO
Pastor Ben Naitoko is the ACC QLD/NT State President, and has been a member of the Queensland State Executive for four years. He is Senior Pastor of King’s Church Australia with his wife Trish –a thriving multi-site church and multi-site Christian School. Ben has been an ACC Pastor for over 20 years – starting as a Youth Pastor in Mackay, founding Principal of Planetshakers College (now iSEE College) in Brisbane, and founding campus director of the Alphacrucis Brisbane Campus. Ben is also the current board chairman of Youth Alive Queensland. Ben and Trish are the parents of three sons.
EXECUTIVE MEMBER
MARK VARUGHESE
Pastor Mark Varughese is the founder and Senior Leader of Kingdomcity along with his wife Jemima. Kingdomcity is a growing, vibrant church in multiple locations around the world. Mark left his legal career in 2003 to pursue full-time ministry and in 2006, planted what is now Kingdomcity in Malaysia. His first book ‘Ready, Fire! Aim’ shares his personal journey. As a pianist, Mark works closely with the worship team and has written multiple songs. Mark was elected to the ACC National Executive in 2021. Mark and Jemima are parents to two sons.
EXECUTIVE MEMBER
MARK ZSCHECH
Pastor Mark Zschech is a member of NSW+ACT State Executive, and pastors the multi-site Hope Unlimited Church with his wife, Darlene on the NSW Central Coast. Mark has a background in engineering, music, youth work and business development, and has used his entrepreneurial skills to launch significant ministry initiatives, including Hope Global that impacts those living in poverty in Rwanda, Cambodia and India. Likewise, 4B Media maximises TV media ministries that support developing nations. Mark and Darlene have three married daughters and six grandchildren.
OVER 1,100 CHURCHES
OVER 3,300 PASTORS
OVER 384,000 CONSTITUENTS
WHAT WE BELIEVE
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.