Kingdomcity pastor comments on church success and motivations

The church membership of Kingdomcity in Perth has risen to more than 7000 members; a leap from its humble beginnings of about 300 people in 2008. 

After having an encounter with God at 30-years-old, Mark Varughese moved to Malaysia, from Australia, to set up a church.

Within a year he was married to Jemima and Kingdomcity began to grow. 

Ten years on, Mr and Mrs Varughese have seen the church expand to seven countries, with congregations in London, Cambodia, Singapore, Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

“We sort of walked it out more than worked it out,” he said.

“It didn’t come from some detailed blue print...our faith is our faith.”

Mandurah campus pastor Jonothon (Jono) Deal moved to Mandurah from Perth to run the campus, with wife Katie and daughter Madison, under Mr and Mrs Varughese’s guidance.

Mr Deal, 31, said he had not looked back since. “You cant really be part of a community from a distance,” he said. 

“I am sure you can have varying degrees of success but when you are part of the fabric, it is easier to understand the needs of people. That’s why we moved down and we love it.”

Mr Deal said Christianity was rarely presented in a positive light and people would be surprised by the way Kingdom City operated. 

“When people think religion and church, they think restriction, negativity and boundaries,” he said.

“What we actually are is very different to what a lot of people think.”

Mr Varughese said himself and his wife’s diverse backgrounds made the church culturally unique. 

“I was born in Singapore, grew up in Malaysia, am from Indian origin and have spent 30 years in Australia,” he said.

“Jemima, my wife, was born in New Zealand, is half Aussie half Kiwi, and she grew up in the Philippines.”

He said they believed in being authentic and relevant to people in 2018. 

“All we have tried to do is answer the questions that our culture and society is asking,” he said.

“We’re not answering questions that no one is interested in….we are trying not to make sandwiches no one is ordering.”

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Mr Varughese said people may wonder why himself and other Kingdomcity pastors dressed casual, but he said they were just “normal people, doing life”.

“We have a belief in God that is real and founded in our own faith,” he said.

“It’s not compromising the essence of what has been a fairly timeless faith and something that has been going on for centuries.”

He said the church’s use of technology, live streaming and the internet and was another example of their relevancy to this day and age.

“We live in a technology generation,” Mr Varughese said. “The scale and the ability to reach people is multiplied exponentially.”

The pair spend half of the year in Western Australia and the other half overseas, growing their ‘kingdom’.

He said he did not know where they would be in five years, but it would probably be further down the path of expanding the church.

“If you asked me five years ago where we would be, I wouldn’t think it would be here,” he said. “It’s not that we didn't want to grow and see this happen – but we didn’t do it with that in mind.

“As long as people are finding what they are looking for here, we’ll continue to expand...but its not driven by any numerical conquest.

“We hope we can continue to make a difference and things will take care of themselves.”

For more information on Kingdomcity, go to www.kingdomcity.com.

Kingdomcity has Easter services this weekend at the Foundation Christian College in Greenfields. 

Good Friday Service: 9am and 11am.

Easter Sunday Services: 9am, 11am and 5pm.

All services have a children program and an Easter egg hunt.