Victory Christian Church
Victory Christian Church is a non-denominational neo-charismatic church in Auckland, New Zealand. First established as the Queen Street Assembly of God in 1965, the church moved from its premises on Queen Street, constructing the Victory Convention Centre in Freemans Bay.
Origins
The church was founded in 1965 as Queen Street Assembly of God by Bob and Noelle Midgley.The 1970s
When the Midgleys left for further work overseas in December 1970, Neville Johnson became the new senior pastor. The work continued to experience growth seeing “amazing acts of healing and greatly increased attendances”Growth occurred in all areas. Missionary work flourished under the leadership of John Watson, with outposts in Asia, Africa and South America. At one stage over 60% of the church income was spent on missions. The church was known for vibrant music, producing some recordings of live worship. Youth work flourished. An effective Bible School the Zion Bible Training Centre was established.
People were attracted from all over Australasia to Johnson's teaching. He was a proponent of the “Covering” or “Submission” theology and totally opposed to divorce and remarriage. Other teaching themes included victorious living and a strong emphasis on applications of the Old Testament.
The 1980s
In 1982, pastor Johnson publicly opposed plans for a proposed monolithic statue of Jesus in the Waitematā Harbour.Difficult times followed the resignation of Johnson from the church on 27 April 1983. The reasons given in a prepared public statement were 'misuse of office, and immoral, improper and deceitful conduct'. Such was the ambiguity and lack of clarity of the situation that many continued to give to Neville for months to come believing he had done nothing wrong. In the light of potential impact on the denomination as a whole, Jim Williams wrote to every AoG pastor in the country.
Attendances fell from 2,500 to around 1,000. Income also fell. Mission work was scaled back and the Zion Bible Training Centre had to close. This from Clarke's history or the AoG in New Zealand:
The new senior pastor of the Auckland assembly was Kem Price, and under his leadership, large numbers of people left the church en masse, as he did not have the spiritual mandate or mantle to lead this flock - made evident by their exodus.