National Conference of Australian Christian Churches facts for kids

The National Conference of Australian Christian Churches is a big meeting held every two years for the leaders of Australian Christian Churches. This group is the Australian part of a worldwide church family called the Assemblies of God.

The very first conference happened in 1937. At this meeting, two church groups, the Pentecostal Church of Australia and the Assemblies of God in Queensland, joined together. This is how the Australian Christian Churches started! In 2021, Scott Morrison, who was Australia's Prime Minister at the time, even gave a speech at the conference.

What is the National Conference?

The National Conference is a special event where leaders and pastors from Australian Christian Churches all over Australia come together. It's a chance for them to meet, share ideas, and support each other. They also talk about important topics and vote on decisions that affect the whole church group.

This conference helps pastors and leaders stay connected and feel encouraged in their work. It also updates them on how the church is doing across Australia. The National Executive, which is like the main leadership team, shares news about different church departments and projects.

History of the Conferences

The National Conference has been happening for many years, with lots of important moments. Here are some of them:

Early Years (1937-1970s)

• 1937: The first conference was held in Sydney, NSW. This is where the two church groups officially joined to form the Assemblies of God in Australia.
• 1941: Henry Wiggins was chosen as the first Chairman of the Australian Christian Churches.
• 1943: The conference took place during the Second World War.
• 1947: A fund was started to help open a bible school. The next year, Commonwealth Bible College (now called Southern Cross College) began.
• 1951: The newly elected Chairman, Alec Davidson, started a special event called the 'Christ for the Crisis Hour' crusade.
• 1965: A program called Royal Rangers, which is like a scouting group for kids, was introduced to the churches.

Later Years (1970s-Today)

• 1975: At Stanwell Tops, NSW, pastors and leaders spent time reflecting and seeking guidance.
• 1977: Andrew Evans became the Superintendent (a top leader). A famous speaker from Korea, Dr. Yonggi Cho, also spoke at this conference.
• 1981: The conference theme was 'Every Town'. This showed their goal to have an Australian Christian Church in every town across Australia.
• 1987: This year marked 50 years since the church began, and they celebrated having 500 churches!
• 1997: Brian Houston became the national leader.
• 1999: Important changes were made to the church's rules. The leader's title was changed from Superintendent to National President.
• 2005: The National Conference hosted a big international meeting called the World Assemblies of God Congress.
• 2007: The church's public name was officially changed to Australia Christian Churches.
• 2009: Wayne Alcorn took over from Brian Houston as National President. Also, Southern Cross College changed its name to Alphacrucis.