Church aims for the sky

Congregation grows from 25 to 2000 in five years

THE Gold Coast is going through a “spiritual awakening” as home to the “fastestgrowing church in Australia”.

Yesterday morning more than 2000 people were on their feet, hands raised with the founders of Glow Church, Joel and Ellen Cave, during the first service at their new premises in Robina.

In five years Glow has grown from 25 members to more than 2000. According to publicly available financial records, Glow Church’s annual gross income has grown from $500,000 to more than $2 million while its staff has grown from five to 14. To acquire the building the congregation donated $1 million in one day of fundraising in August.

On Sunday, the congregation prayed for Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate and Mayoress Ruth after the civic leader cut the ribbon on the new space at 10 Electricity Circuit, a massive 2698sq m building which was once home to the trampoline-based Bounce.

“Our city is going through a spiritual awakening,” Cr Tate said. “Christianity is growing, or glowing, on the Gold Coast.”

Mr Cave said the Gold Coast could become the best city in Australia.

“With our church and other churches, we want to create an environment for healthy families, healthy young people who are apart of building a great city,” he said.

The morning service on Sunday was like a rock concert, four guitarists, a drummer, keyboard player, five singers in the foreground and a smiling choir behind them. Hip-hop dancers also hit the stage.

The majority of the congregation was young, sound and lighting engineers ran the show, a swarm of trendy volunteers directed parking and churchgoers to seats in the auditorium, and man-bunwearing baristas made coffees.

Mr Cave said Glow’s success was driven by its focus on people and modern services.

The former Kings Christian College teacher and his wife Ellen started Glow on January 13, 2013 during a meeting with friends and family on a Gold Coast balcony.

“We put it out there on social media to see if anyone was interested in forming a church that would intentionally be about people and Jesus, and aimed at younger people,” he said.

“There is a really strong positive momentum towards Christianity on the Coast as people look for something new and different.”