Music
Hillsong Church has a well-recognised music ministry with songs such as "Power of Your Love" by Geoff Bullock and "Shout to the Lord" by Darlene Zschech sung in churches worldwide. Originally published as "Hillsongs", Hillsong Church now produces its music through its own label, Hillsong Music Australia. Hillsong Music has released over 40 albums since 1992, many of them achieving gold status in Australia and one of them, People Just Like Us, achieving platinum status. The church's 2004 live praise and worship album For All You've Done reached No. 1 in the mainstream Australian album charts (ARIA).
Hillsong's most successful albums, the Live Album Series, lead by Darlene Zschech and Reuben Morgan, have all achieved gold status in Australia and, since the inception in 1992 of the annual live praise and worship albums, Hillsong has branched out and released other albums including the worship series Hillsong United, Hillsong Kids, Hillsong London, Christmas albums and compilation albums. The Live Album Series are recorded at the Sydney campus(es) and then edited and produced by Hillsong Music Australia. The worship series began as a compilation of songs and developed into studio recorded albums. The Hillsong United series and the Hillsong United band led by Joel Houston, contains songs from the Hillsong United youth ministry. Hillsong Kids has released an annual worship for kids album since 2004. Hillsong Music has released two Christmas albums, several compilation albums as well as recordings from Hillsong London, Hillsong Kiev and Youth Alive. To help take Hillsong Music mainstream an agreement with Warner Music Australia took place in 1999. In 2003 Sony Music Australia also signed with Hillsong Music to take the group even more mainstream.
Geoff Bullock served as Hillsong's first worship pastor. Darlene Zschech led Hillsong's music ministries as worship pastor from 1995 until 2008. Reuben Morgan is currently the worship pastor.
On 24 October 2010, it was announced that Darlene Zschech and her husband, Mark, would be taking over as senior pastors at Church Unlimited in Charmhaven on the central coast region of New South Wales, effective as of 23 January 2011. However, Zschech also continues to be a part of the Hillsong Worship Team for key Hillsong events as well as featuring as lead vocal on all of Hillsong's annual Live Album Series as well as many other Hillsong songs. She also continues to lead tours with the Hillsong Team around the world and remains a part of the executive team for both the Colour Your World Women's Conference and the annual Hillsong Conference, hosting the Creative Worship Stream at the conference.
As of December 2011, Hillsong has sold more than 12 million records across the globe, following its first release in 1991 and a quarter of all contemporary songs heard in Australian churches in 2011 were written by Hillsong.
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“Sweet spring, full of sweet days and roses,
A box where sweets compacted lie;
My music shows ye have your closes,
And all must die.”
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