The Beginning:
The first meeting of Christian Outreach Centre was on June 23rd 1974, when 25 people met in a lounge-room in Brisbane, Australia.
The following week the group met in the Teacher's Union Building and remained there for nine months. As numbers grew, the church moved into a Salvation Army Hall in Trafalgar Street, Woollongabba. This building was extended at regular intervals due to the centre's growing popularity.
The early days of the COC movement were synonymous with excitement, miracles and a boldness which defied common theories of what a church should be.
There was a deliberate focus on the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life. This focus resulted in prayer for the sick by which many were healed, helped and changed forever.
The custom of making an "altar call" was adopted right from the start. An opportunity was given during each meeting when people could publicly commit their lives to Jesus Christ or receive ministry in various forms. This custom continues in all COCs to this day.
Freedom
And Acceptance
There was a freedom of worship that was uncommon in other Australian churches.
COC was noted for its members dancing and clapping during the singing
of choruses. The choruses sung were not of a traditional origin but written
by members of COC or by members of similar churches.
In late 1975, COC moved to a warehouse located in Victoria Street, West End, Brisbane where it remained for 6 1/2 years. By 1977 over 1000 people were gathering at West End, and COCs had been planted in nearby townships.
That year also marked the start of the television show "A New Way Of Living", featuring footage from the Brisbane meetings and shown on stations in Australia from Mt Isa to Hobart. Miracles where phenomenal, both on the TV screen and in the homes of those who watched. Hundreds of people rang the Brisbane Centre from around Australia wanting healing or salvation. Each week in Brisbane hundreds were being born-again, many of them visiting a church for the first time in their lives.
Spreading
Far And Wide
The TV show widened public awareness of Christian Outreach Centre throughout
Eastern Australia, and before long COCs were being planted in South East
Queensland and Northern New South Wales.
Because of unprecedented growth of the church and the advent of a steadily growing Christian school which was launched in 1978, Brisbane COC sought bigger premises. In 1980, the centre purchased 25 acres at Wecker Road Mansfield. In 1982, worked commenced on the existing main auditorium with a seating capacity for 3500 - in all a $2.5 million project, undertaken with only $70,000 in the bank - but there was confidence that God would provide. In 1985 the auditorium was extended to accommodate 5500 people.
Meanwhile, through Australia, men and women with a heart to pioneer for Jesus Christ began launching COCs in cities and towns far and wide. By late 1985 Christian Outreach Centres in Australia numbered 48, including centres in Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.
International
Vision
Some churches began to embrace a more international vision, in particularly
targeting the South Pacific. Teams of believers from Australian centres
traveled to such places as the Solomon Islands, the Gilbert Islands and
Naru. News of such a plentiful harvest of soul, together with other news
of God's favour through the movement, created the need for a communication
tool. In October 1987, "Australia For Christ" was launched,
a magazine that would convey the vision and portray the "mantle"
of Christian Outreach Centre. In 1989 the magazine's name was changed
to "A New Way Of Living" and in 1996 to "Outreach".
The COC movement became an international movement officially when in 1988 it started churches in New Zealand and the Solomon Islands. By the end of 1988 there were 136 churches across the Pacific region.
During 1978 churches were established in Papua-New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, UK and Malaysia. The movement was experiencing rapid growth with some 44 new churches opening in 1990 alone. It was in 1990 that Pastor Neil Miers became president of Christian Outreach Centre International.
The period 1991 to 1996 also saw churches commence in South Africa, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Germany, Tonga and Western Samoa.
COC began to flourish in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe after 1993 with the establishment of a short-term local ministry training school in Brighton, south of London. New churches sprung up throughout England, Scotland and Spain, and existing churches in Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Slovenia and Ukraine joined the Christian Outreach Centre movement. In 1996 several churches from the USA joined forces with COC.
Now in 2001,
COC is found in 31 nations, with the total number of churches approaching
1000.
