Our History
Explore the significant events in INC's history and witness its development and impact over the decades.
1974
Christian Outreach Centre was born on 16 June 1974 when a group of 25 adults and some children met together in Clark and Anne Taylor’s home in Keperra, QLD, Australia. The first service took place at 10:30am on Sunday 23rd June with 126 people taking communion in the ground floor auditorium of the Teachers Union Building, Boundary Road, Spring Hill.
1975
The Church relocated to Victoria Street, West End in November. They began outreaches to nearby towns, and as a result, the Church multiplied. The first church plant was in Ipswich, QLD. Rapid growth was happening, with pastors carrying the vision of ‘Australia for Christ’ and aiming to establish a Christian Outreach Centre in every city and town in the nation.
1977
COC’s first broadcast of 'A New Way of Living' occurred on Channel 9 on 17 July 1977. 'A New Way of Living' initially only reached Brisbane viewers but eventually was shown on several stations across Australia, leading to rapid growth of the Church as a Movement in the late 70s and early 80s. ‘A New Way of Living’ magazine was also in circulation.
1978
COC's key focus on training the next generation led to the establishment of its first school, Christian Outreach Education Centre (now Citipointe Christian College), on Tuesday 16th May.
The Church’s first Bible College was held at Mount Tuchekoi, a 186 acre property purchased by the Church in January 1975.
1979
The school in Woombye, QLD (now Suncoast Christian College) was established.
1980
The school in Gympie, QLD (now Victory College) was established.
1981
Churches continued to grow in NSW and QLD, and the first church was established in Victoria.
1982
The Federal Government recognised COC as a religious organisation and denomination.
Land was purchased at 322 Wecker Road, Carindale. School buildings were constructed in 1982. A 3500-seat auditorium was built with the first meeting held in the basement on Sunday 19th September 1982 and the main auditorium officially opened on Saturday 28 May 1983.
1986
Christian Heritage College (CHC) was established with the vision of bringing reformation to the university sector, particularly education.
1988
COC became international with the first churches established on the Solomon Islands by students returning to their homeland following training in Innisfail.
1990
The first church was established in the UK with a church plant in Swindon, England. Churches were also started in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Fiji, Vanuatu, Thailand and Malaysia.
The Balasuna Bible College was established in the Solomon Islands.
1991-1996
Churches were established in the Netherlands (1991), New Zealand (1991), Scotland (1991), Tonga (1992), Argentina (1993), Germany (1993), the Philippines (1993), Singapore (1993), France (1996), Spain (1996) and the USA (1996).
In 1996 Global Care begins as a network of professionals supporting international aid projects with the slogan ‘making a world of difference.’ In 1997, Global Care responded to its first disaster – the Townsville and Katherine floods. By 1998, local operations began to emerge out of local churches across Australia and by 2011, the slogan changed to ‘mates helping mates’ to reflect the more localised mission of Global Care.
1997
Churches were established in Bulgaria, Chile, Egypt and Slovenia.
Red Frogs was established. Red Frogs can now be found in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, South Africa, Zimbabwe, France and the UK, and is now supporting people through high schools, universities, sporting events, Schoolies and music festivals.
1998-2004
Churches were established in Samoa and Ukraine (1998), Niue (1999), Uruguay and Mozambique (2000), Russia (2002), Nepal (2003) Algeria (2004) and Sri Lanka (2004).
In 2004 INC Invest is established as the treasury and lending office of the Movement with a vision to ‘resource the vision’ of the local church and its charitable objectives.
2006-2012
COC expands to Canada (2006), Bangladesh (2007), Pakistan (2008), India (2009), South Africa (2009), Brazil (2012) and Peru (2012).
2013-2023
In 2013 The Movement is rebranded as the International Network of Churches (INC), maintaining the same shared vision and embracing the idea that we are ‘Born For More.’
INC expanded to Denmark (2013), Colombia (2014), the Dominican Republic (2014), Nigeria (2015), Ecuador (2017), Venezuela (2017) and Vietnam (2023).
2024+
2024 marks 50 years of our Movement. Today you’ll find INC churches in almost every continent of the world and countless people every weekend call INC their home. But no matter where we are, whether in large cities or remote villages, one thing remains constant – our vision to reach our world for Christ.
Continuing the INC Legacy
Discover the ministries that drive INC to reach our world for Christ.
