About Us - History

The Beginning of Christian Outreach Centre Movement
The first meeting of Christian Outreach Centre was on June 23rd 1974, when 25 people met in the 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 were 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.

Today churches are located in New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, the Gilbert Islands and Naru, Papua-New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, UK, Malaysia, South Africa, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Germany, Tonga, Western Samoa, Spain, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Slovenia, Ukraine and the USA.

Citilife Toowoomba
This church was one of the first churches planted by the main Brisbane centre. Christian Outreach Centre Toowoomba was established in 1978 and soon moved to market gardens on the outskirts of the city where it is still located today. A change of name to Citilife and a fresh injection of vision and passion from our senior pastors in 2008 has seen COC Toowoomba transformed and realeased for a new generation of people rise and take hold of the promises of God.