Hillsong Church's Leadership
Our Leadership
Brian Houston
Brian Houston is the founder and Senior Pastor of world-renowned Hillsong Church and the visionary behind Hillsong Conference. His passion for the local church and desire to see people live a life of purpose and influence, in right relationship with God, fuels everything that he does.
Born in New Zealand to Salvation Army officers, Brian’s passion for God and people and his conviction about the power of the local church and its impact on nations began at an early age.
Alive for a Kingdom purpose, Brian's desire to build a church that empowers people to lead and impact in every sphere of life and that builds for the future, sparked the vision to plant a local church in the northwestern suburbs of Sydney, now a thriving congregation.
Brian’s down-to-earth teaching style, compelling, dynamic and relevant biblical-focus, continues to inspire and impact generations worldwide through his weekly sermons, Hillsong Television, Hillsong College and all of Hillsong’s conferences and global congregations.
Brian's approachable authority makes him a sought-after international speaker; passionate about championing the cause of the local church – globally and committed to building a legacy of purpose, value and justice into the next generation of leaders.
Brian has been married to Bobbie for over 30 years and they have three grown children; Joel, Ben and Laura. Together, they have an ever-growing family (including three beautiful granddaughters) and Brian continues to believe that the BEST is yet to come.
Bobbie Houston
With a contagious zest for life, Bobbie passionately believes in the potential of all people and is devoted to the Cause of Christ. Her and Brian’s all consuming desire is to place value on humanity. To that end they labor to see healthy men, women and youth emerge across the landscape of the Church.
Bobbie’s warm personality, fresh vitality, down-to-earth good humour and genuine love for God and His Word have helped her connect with countless people across the planet.
She is a wife, mother, grammy, friend, pastor, creative visionary, communicator, author, role model and mentor. Her life reflects the message that she teaches – that people have incredible God-given potential waiting to be unleashed. It is this message that has defined her life.
Bobbie has a desire to see value placed on womanhood, a passion that underpins the annual Colour Your World Women's Conference, which she and the Hillsong team host in Sydney, London and Kiev annually. Since 1997, Colour, has been bringing a message of value, worth and dignity to women from around the world, encouraging and inspiring them to be all God has created them to be.
Bobbie was born in New Zealand into a loving and tight-knit family. Her father was Tongan and her mother was of Scottish descent. At 15, Bobbie walked into a church service being held at Auckland Town Hall where she made a decision to follow Jesus. She’s never looked back!
When she was almost 17, she met Brian on Papamoa Beach in New Zealand during a Christian convention. They were married in 1977.
In 1978, they moved to Sydney from New Zealand, and started Hills Christian Life Centre in a school hall in Baulkham Hills in 1983. Today it is Hillsong Church.
The Hillsong Eldership
Brian Houston
Nabi Saleh
Nabi is Executive Chairman of Gloria Jean's Coffees worldwide and Chairman of Praise International USA which operates It’s A Grind coffee houses. His drive, passion and belief in people coupled with his strong business acumen and godly wisdom have enabled him to sit on several boards for large, non-profit organisations.
George Aghajanian
George is General Manager and a director of Hillsong Church Australia and its international entities. Upon leaving university he entered the private sector where he gained extensive experience in management, customer service, sales and marketing. George possesses a wealth of senior management experience working with both Australian and international organisations, and brings a strong balance of faith and practical business application to his role. George is married to Margaret and they have four children.
Joel A'Bell
Joel and his wife Julia are the Lead Pastors of Hillsong Church, Australia. Joel is an innovative leader and speaker with a genuine heart to see God's Kingdom established in people's lives and is resolute in his pursuit to see the local church flourish. Joel is a keen surfer and devoted family man.
Dr. Gordon Lee
Gordon is a highly respected General Practitioner, and operates successful medical practices in Sydney. He also pastors the Hillsong Chinese Extension Services.
Robert Fergusson
Robert is a Senior Associate Pastor at Hillsong Church. Originally from the UK, Robert Fergusson is one of the key team at Hillsong Church where he has been on staff for twenty years. He is passionate about imparting practical life principles from the Bible and his primary responsibilities involve pastoral oversight, preaching and teaching. Robert is married to Amanda and they have three married children and currently four beautiful grandchildren.
Gary Clarke
Gary and his wife, Cathy, are Lead Pastors at Hillsong London and oversee its fast-growing extension services in the UK and Europe. Originally from Hillsong Sydney, Gary works closely with the lead pastors of our international Hillsong Churches to facilitate Hillsong’s growth and ministry globally.
Steve Dixon
Steve is married to Joyce and they have two children. Steve and Joyce are the Campus Pastors of Hillsong Brisbane. Originally from the UK, Steve spent nine years in Spain as a church planter and founding president of the ‘El Faro’ charity rehabilitating substance abusers, followed by 13 years in the UK as a leader in the Kingsnet network; founder of Heathrow Gateway Church, Bible school lecturer and mission director. Steve ministered in such diverse places as China, Estonia, Spain, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Steve holds a Masters Degree in Missiology from the University of Wales.
Craig Coles
Craig and his wife, Amy, have been active members of Hillsong Church since 1992 and are both graduates from Hillsong International Leadership College. Craig is National Product Manager for a logistics equipment manufacturer and has an equal passion for the house of God as he does business. Craig and Amy currently have one child.
Dr Jo Thomas (MBBS, FRACGP)
Jo and his wife, Leanne, have been part of Hillsong Church since the mid-eighties. They have two children. He and his wife are volunteer Service Pastors at one of the City Campus services, in Sydney. Jo works as a general practitioner and runs several practices within the Sydney region.
Andrew Denton
Andrew is an Executive Director of Hillscorp and director of a number of other companies involved in property development. He was a licensed plumber and worked for a multinational building company before moving into developing over ten years ago. In over 30 years of working, Andrew gained considerable experience in senior project management, joint venture and client relationships. Andrew and his wife Susan and their three children have been active members of Hillsong Church since 1991.
The Hillsong Board
Brian Houston
Nabi Saleh
George Aghajanian
Joel A'Bell
Leigh Howard-Smith
Leigh is the Director owner of a national logistics and transport business. He is a long-standing board member of Hillsong Church and brings a wealth of business acumen to that role. Leigh is married to Denise.
Grant Thomson (D Min (candidate), MA (Theology), MBA, Grad Cert Man)
Grant has been in Hillsong Church for over 25 years, in church leadership roles for over 20 years and full time ministry for over 10 years. He currently oversees the Hills Campus. Prior to full time ministry, a breadth of corporate experience in multiple industries and roles gives Grant a broad business perspective. Grant has been married for 18 years to the love of his life and has three incredible children.
Dane Gambrill
Dane is employed as a Client Executive of the Media & Entertainment industry at IBM, responsible for the relationship and business development of Australia's largest publishing, broadcast and post production organisations. He is also the pastor of Hillsong Northern Beaches Extension Service, and a participant in Hillsong's IT Steering committee. He has a number of technical and business related qualifications, most recently in direct marketing. Dane is married to Louise and they have three beautiful children.
Phillip Bradley Denton
Phillip is an Executive Director of Hillscorp, a property development company, and is the director of several other property-related companies. In his past 25 years in the industry, he has gained a wealth of experience and skills in negotiation, sales and acquisitions, feasibilities and building relationships with joint-venture parties, clients and staff.
Dwayne Mark Nielsen (Registered Architect Qld, NSW; FAIA; Grad Dip Arch. QUT)
Dwayne is the CEO and a Director of Merrin and Cranston Architects. Whilst a Director of Merrin and Cranston, Dwayne was treasurer and a member of the management committee for The Practicing Architects Group in Queensland, which went on to become The Association of Consulting Architects. In this role he was appointed to the National advisory committee, which helped develop and negotiate the National Architects Award. Dwayne is married to Kym and has been involved in the management of the Brisbane campus for many years.
Don Cooper-Williams
Don is a Senior Marketing Executive within the IT Industry. With both godly wisdom and management skills, he is a gifted communicator within the church and the corporate community.
Lalita Stables (nee Ari) BBus, Sys,
Lalita is Enterprise Sales Manager at Google Australia, following a successful corporate career with IBM for 11 years. She holds a Business Computing/Marketing degree. In 2002 she initiated a business advisory practice, consulting to recruitment agencies and their senior candidates, specialising in presentation skills. A steering committee member for the Inaugural Women's Build Habitat for Humanity Project in Sydney, Lalita also co-founded Oasis Africa Australia, raised awareness and funds to start a school for orphans and now supports over 1200 students as well as presenting regularly at fundraising and philanthropic events. Lalita has worked as a professional session singer for 15 years with a strong theatre background in singing and acting and performed on a professional basis within Australia and internationally.