CityLife Church is a Christian community in Melbourne, Australia that has been a spiritual home for thousands of people. It has been instrumental in providing a place where people’s lives have been transformed, where they have encountered God and where they are passionate about family, friends, following Jesus and making a positive difference in our world… it all started with a vision.



"I can't believe it's 50 years, just amazing!" - Colleen Dunis
“It was at this time, with just a handful of people attending, that God broadened my vision for a church that would make its presence felt in the community. That vision, of course, is fulfilled today, not by my ministry only but as a continuation of the foundations laid and structures built by others; Kevin Conner in 1986 and then followed by Mark Conner in 1995.” - The late Richard John Holland, founding pastor

A New Story Begins

Every night around the dinner table, a loving husband and proud father would enthusiastically open his Bible, select a scripture and say a prayer, treasuring those moments learning about God and sharing it with his family.

Richard Holland was a ‘people person’, who loved and genuinely cared about everyone he met. People from all walks of life were drawn to him - he truly was ‘once met, never forgotten’. This love for people and desire to share the gospel with those around him were the catalysts for Richard starting a Sunday school in his house with neighborhood children, which was subsequently attended by adults. The small group quickly grew into quite a few families.

The vision that became CityLife Church was started in a small rented shop-front in Glen Waverley that was called ‘Waverley Mission’. But more importantly, it started in the heart of one man and a small group of fervent followers of Jesus Christ.