Faith on Trial podcast: Hillsong accused of exploiting students at Sydney college to make millions

Australian whistleblowers have made disturbing claims about how Hillsong leaders ran the megachurch. Listen to the podcast.

Hillsong leaders boasted about using students as slave labour to run the church, with some coerced into volunteering for more than 40 hours a week, former students claim.

A new podcast, Faith on Trial, has exposed how the megachurch allegedly exploited students at its Sydney college.

Students at the college, which offers fee-help places, claimed they became so exhausted that doctors warned them they had to choose between volunteering for the church and their health.

Luc Hilton, 40, told the podcast Hillsong conferences – the events that turned the church into a global brand – relied on students’ labour.

“It was very, slave labour-ish,” he said in the second episode of the podcast, which is out on Wednesday.

“People that I know who I went to college with worked themselves to the bone to the point where they were working 16 hour days, especially when we got to Hillsong conference, it was ridiculous,” Mr Hilton said.

“There were hundreds and hundreds of college students who were literally running the whole conference for free.

“The whole thing was built on the back of college students working for free”.

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He said organisers “glamorised everything”, labelling those tasked with cleaning the toilets “as working in guest relations”.

“Cleaning toilets, picking up rubbish, running the merch stand, literally hand over fist taking money from customers – because that’s what they are – customers not congregants,” the Melbourne resident said.

Luc Hilton has spoken about his experience with the Hillsong Church. Picture: David Caird

“Taking money from customers selling the latest Hillsong CD so that CD ends up charting on the ARIA charts … literally watching hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise being sold and the people who are selling that merchandise are free labour”.

Hillsong made more than $5 million in revenue from its conferences in 2020 and 2021, according to its latest annual report.

Laura Hamilton, 32, said she left Hillsong after a leader joked to her at a party about the students’ free labour.

“I got talking to this guy and he just said, you do realise that you college students are the slave labour force who just do everything for us,” Ms Hamilton told the podcast.

“And hearing that from someone I’d only met very recently. It was just crushing to be basically called a slave by someone.”

Laura who was a member of the Hamilton Hillsong Church. Picture: David Geraghty

More than 20,000 students have attended Hillsong College, which offers Tafe training courses and non-university bachelor degrees.

Hillsong advertises the courses at its services, highlighting government-backed fee-help loans were available to pay for the courses.

Theology courses at Hillsong College cost more than $16,320 a year for Australian students, while international students pay $18,080, according to its website.

A diploma of ministry costs $10,320.

Former students claimed there was an expectation of volunteer hours, with some duties including cleaning toilets, or working as a nanny for pastors’ children.

Yolandi Bosch said her doctor raised concerns about her health when she was volunteering at Hillsong College.

“You would still be cleaning up the auditorium at 2am.,” Ms Bosch said.

“And if you don’t do it, they’ll come back to you and say, Well. Well, you’re not serving enough.”

Hillsong was contacted for comment.

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Originally published as Faith on Trial podcast: Hillsong accused of exploiting students at Sydney college to make millions