Editing Destiny Church (New Zealand) (section)

==Organisation==
===Leadership===
[[File:Bishop-Tamaki-Auckland-2006.jpg|thumb|upright|Brian Tamaki at a church conference in [[Auckland]] (22 October 2006)]]
Described by religious expert Peter Lineham as "Māori-focused",<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Team |first1=Waatea |last2=Website |date=2013-07-31 |title=Race slant to Destiny criticism |url=https://waateanews.com/2013/08/01/race-slant-to-destiny-criticism/ |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=Waatea News: Māori Radio Station |language=en-NZ |archive-date=5 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205175906/https://waateanews.com/2013/08/01/race-slant-to-destiny-criticism/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Destiny Church is led by [[Brian Tamaki]] and his wife [[Hannah Tamaki]], who hold the positions of Visionary and Senior Ministers. The Tamakis established the organisation together in 1998 as a splinter from their previous investment, Lake City Church in [[Rotorua]].<ref name=":1">“Cults” and “New Religious Movements” – University of Auckland

https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/files/1426866/download?download_frd=1 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401085215/https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/files/1426866/download?download_frd=1 |date=1 April 2024 }}</ref> Their three adult children Jasmine, Jamie, and Samuel are all actively involved in the church ministry. Samuel and his wife pastor the Destiny church on the [[Gold Coast, Queensland|Gold Coast]] in [[Australia]], Jamie and her husband are the CEO of ManUp and Legacy International, Jasmine and her husband facilitate social services within the ManUp and Legacy organisation. Brian and Hannah have 5 generations of their family in Destiny Church.<ref name="About Us">{{cite web|title=About Us|url=https://www.destinychurch.org.nz/about-us|publisher=Destiny Church New Zealand|accessdate=23 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423102224/https://www.destinychurch.org.nz/about-us|archive-date=23 April 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Following a unanimous agreement by the then 19 other pastors of Destiny Churches throughout New Zealand, Tamaki was ordained as a [[bishop]] during a ceremony performed by [[kaumātua]] and Destiny Pastor,<ref>{{cite news |title=State religion for further debate |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10424770 |accessdate=21 March 2019 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=19 February 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927085721/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10424770 |archivedate=27 September 2018}}</ref> Manuel Renata, on 18 June 2005.<ref name="NZ_Herald_10331506"/> The church's leadership encourage obedience to its teachings<ref>"Cultism in religion rings the alarm bells", NZ Herald, 13 August 2004.</ref> and its rhetoric has sometimes alienated other churches that have different approaches to Christianity.<ref>"[http://www.challengeweekly.co.nz/stories/~d//post/Vol-62-Issue-No-25/id/94/ Enough is Enough]{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}". ''Challenge Weekly'', Vol. 62 Issue 25, July 2004
{{blockquote|''VISION Network, which represents a large number of churches, says that although they were supportive of the general message of Destiny Church's "Enough" campaign, response from its Advisory Board had overwhelmingly indicated that they preferred to see this issue handled differently ... "The difficulty is that when any individual or group calls for unity on a single issue but operates outside of a wider unity movement that others have committed to, it is more likely to create division rather than the unity which is sought"''}}</ref> In 2003, Tamaki, in what he described as a prophetic utterance, predicted that Destiny would be "ruling the nation" within five years.<ref name="TVNZ_451171">{{cite web |url=http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_national_story_skin/451171?format=html |title=Is Destiny destined to rule? |date=3 October 2004 |work=[[Television New Zealand]] |accessdate=28 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614123253/http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_national_story_skin/451171?format=html |archivedate=14 June 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211206/7VbSE3VKn8c Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140407162131/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VbSE3VKn8c Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VbSE3VKn8c| title = Brian Tamaki's We Will Rule NZ Prophesy | website=[[YouTube]]| date = 29 October 2008 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Ministry===
The church claims to provide not only biblical guidance and teaching but also a range of social services including budget advice, family and parenting advice, support for drug and alcohol abusers, anger management and resolution, provision of food and housing. Church services are energetic and have a [[Pentecostal]] worship style. The preaching and teaching is strongly conservative, [[Biblical literalism|literalist]] interpretation of [[Bible|Biblical]] teachings. Its membership is predominantly [[Māori culture|Māori]] and [[Polynesian culture|Polynesian]], intergenerational, and from all levels of the socio-economic sections of New Zealand society.<ref>Peter Lineham contextualises Destiny Church as a part of a broader cultural phenomenon in "[http://listener.co.nz/default,2554,2548,0.sm Wanna be in my gang?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060316154004/http://listener.co.nz/default,2554,2548,0.sm |date=16 March 2006 }}". ''The Listener''. '''195''' (3357). 11 September 2004.</ref> Religious expert Peter Lineham has said of the church's followers: "they stem from the endemic Māori struggle to find a secure space in Western capitalist society, although there are obviously huge differences between the rural Māori that Rātana reached out to and the urban Māori community that has flocked to Tamaki. The development of a socially and politically active Christianity was a logical response in both cases."<ref name=":1" />

===Locations and membership===
Destiny Church is located in South Auckland, New Zealand. The current site is in Wiri, and houses the church auditorium and its administration offices, a chapel, a multipurpose room, a fitness/boxing gym, a medical centre, an early childhood centre and school. The church began in [[Rotorua]] as "Lake City Church", which had a membership of 20 people. Within two years, it had grown to 300 members. Over the years, Destiny churches were established in the following locations:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.destinychurch.org.nz/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=26&Itemid=178 |title=Locations |access-date=7 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091107190908/http://www.destinychurch.org.nz/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=26&Itemid=178 |archive-date=7 November 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|[[Auckland]] <small>- July 1998</small><ref>Destiny Church Auckland was initially named "City Church" but renamed to "Destiny Church" when relocated to Mt Wellington</ref>
|[[Whakatane]] <small>- March 2001</small>
|[[Tauranga]] <small>- April 2001</small><ref>Destiny Church Tauranga was formerly known as "Harbour City Church"</ref>
|[[Nelson, New Zealand|Nelson]] <small>- June 2001</small>
|-
|[[Hamilton, New Zealand|Hamilton]] <small>- June 2002</small>
|[[Christchurch]] <small>- April 2003</small>
|[[Whangārei]] <small>- June 2003</small>
|[[Wellington]] <small>- August 2003</small>
|-
|[[Wanganui]] <small>- May 2004</small>
|[[Taranaki]]
|[[Rotorua]]
|[[Brisbane]]
|}

At its peak in 2003, Destiny Church had a network of 19 church branches throughout New Zealand, with a total membership in excess of 5,000. By June 2012 it had 11 remaining branches, with around 3000 regular attendees. In 2019, Brian Tamaki claimed the church had in excess of 6,000 members. However, in the [[2018 New Zealand census|2018 census]], just 1,772 gave their religion as "Destiny Church", less than did for the satirical [[Flying Spaghetti Monster|Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster]] (4248) and [[Jediism]] (20,409), and only slightly more than [[Zoroastrianism]].<ref name=":7"/> In the aftermath, [[New Zealand Media and Entertainment|NZME]] described Destiny Church's membership as "surprisingly low",<ref name=":7" /> while ''[[The Spinoff]]'' went further, describing Destiny Church as "utterly marginal".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Braae |first=Alex |date=2019-09-23 |title=The most buzzy data points from the just-released Census |url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/23-09-2019/the-most-buzzy-data-points-from-the-just-released-census |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=[[The Spinoff]] |language=en |archive-date=29 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329080645/https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/23-09-2019/the-most-buzzy-data-points-from-the-just-released-census |url-status=live }}</ref> Church branches have closed in [[Porirua]] (the second in Wellington, after [[Petone]]), Wanganui and Dunedin.<ref name="Hurley201206">{{cite news |title=Destiny family firm: for theirs is the kingdom |first=Bevan |last=Hurley |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10810290 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=4 June 2012 |accessdate=4 June 2012 |archive-date=3 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603201533/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10810290 |url-status=live }}</ref> By June 2013, Destiny Church Wanganui was no longer listed on the main church website.<ref>{{cite web|title=Find Your Local Destiny Church|url=https://www.destinychurch.org.nz/locations|publisher=Destiny Church|accessdate=23 April 2018|archive-date=23 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423102603/https://www.destinychurch.org.nz/locations|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, other branches such as [[Kaitaia]], [[Ōpōtiki]], [[Taumarunui]], and [[Hawkes Bay]] had either closed down or merged with other church branches.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Young|first1=Craig|title=Comment: Uncertain Destiny?|url=http://www.gaynz.com/article/print/31/article_1646.php|accessdate=23 April 2018|publisher=GayNZ.com|date=28 March 2007}}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  Destiny Church has also expanded to Australia, with one branch formerly in Brisbane and a current one on the [[Gold Coast, Queensland|Gold Coast]].<ref name="auto"/> The Gold Coast has a very significant Māori population.<ref name=":6" />

===Broadcasting===
Destiny TV, a [[televangelism|televangelist]] ministry, launched in 2001 and produced 30-minute programmes that ran every weekday morning on New Zealand's national television broadcaster.  The programmes were funded by donations from Destiny Church members.  TVNZ ceased to broadcast the programme in late 2004 just after the formation of the [[Destiny New Zealand]] political party.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mather|first1=Mike|title=TVNZ pulls plug on Destiny Church programme|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=10917940|accessdate=23 April 2018|work=[[Rotorua Daily Post]]; [[The New Zealand Herald]]|date=10 December 2004|archive-date=23 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423170409/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=10917940|url-status=live}}</ref> {{as of | 2018 | lc = on}}, Destiny TV still operates as the video production arm of Destiny Church.<ref>{{cite web|title=Destiny TV|url=https://www.destinychurch.org.nz/copy-of-production|publisher=Destiny Church|accessdate=23 April 2018|archive-date=23 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423170929/https://www.destinychurch.org.nz/copy-of-production|url-status=dead}}</ref> Weekly Destiny TV programmes are available for streaming on Destiny Church's website.<ref>{{cite web|title=Watch Live|url=https://www.destinychurch.org.nz/watch|publisher=Destiny Church|accessdate=23 April 2018|archive-date=23 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423170914/https://www.destinychurch.org.nz/watch|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Destiny School ===
The church also operates a [[Education in New Zealand|composite school]] (catering for both primary and secondary students), known as Destiny School,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Destiny School {{!}} Education Review Office |url=https://ero.govt.nz/institution/1655/destiny-school |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=ero.govt.nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-19 |title=Destiny School: Profile and Contact Details |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?school=1655&district=7619&region=2 |website=Education Counts {{!}} New Zealand Government}}</ref> which uses the [[Cambridge Assessment International Education|Cambridge education system]] alongside the New Zealand curriculum.<ref>{{TKI|1655|Destiny School}}</ref>