ABSTRACT
This chapter looks more closely at some of the ways the church and its brand are organized, and how this in turn organizes the experience of its stakeholders. It posits Hillsong’s brand as a brandscape. The chapter describes how another important touchpoint, Hillsong’s music, has evolved along with the church as its congregation has transformed from a small Australian gathering into a transnational enterprise. It describes Hillsong as a music-led brand and demonstrates how the production of its music affects the production of its liturgy and vice-versa. Head Pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston founded Hillsong Church in 1983 as the Hills Christian Life Centre. Hillsong’s ecosystem of branded media affords participants different, mutually informing ways of knowing. Physical places are the foundation of Hillsong’s brandscape. Hillsong’s physical places are important sites of interpersonal contact within Hillsong’s brandscape, particularly for those stakeholders who consider Hillsong their ‘home’ church.
