Hillsong

WHERE: The Concert Hall at Yonge and Davenport CONGREGANTS: 2,000

At most churches, mass begins with a hymn. At Hillsong, services start with an EDM beat drop and confetti cannons. A fresh-faced 10-piece band strums the opening chords of a swelling Christian-rock anthem. As the song explodes into a cathartic singalong chorus, 800 worshippers sway and reach for the heavens. Worldwide, the Australian megachurch comprises 130,000 members, dozens of churches and a TV channel. Albums by the church’s legion of touring bands occasionally outsell Taylor Swift. Justin Bieber is a regular patron—superstar NYC pastor Carl Lentz baptized the Biebs in NBA star Tyson Chandler’s bathtub. At the new Toronto chapter, launched this year, pastors and wife-husband duo Julie and Damian Bassett deliver affirmations and scriptural interpretations, armed with the Bible in one hand and an iPad in the other. They founded their own Toronto church, Vantage, in 2009 and became an official Hillsong outpost this year. They suggest members tithe 10 per cent of their total income to the church. At every service, Julie asks attendees to stay up to date by following them on social media. “You’re all on Instagram, right?”