Inside one of Australia's longest running 'cults' still operating in 2024.

For Stacey*, everything was fine until it wasn't. 

She grew up in an ultra-conservative Pentecostal church in the suburbs of Geelong, Victoria, and as a relative of the pastor, she was treated as royalty.

But at the age of 18, Stacey was allegedly raped by a man she thought was her friend. When the pastor found out, she says he told her to marry him and was ex-communicated for a year as punishment for having sex before marriage. 

Cut off from everyone, it was that time in exile that gave Stacey the space to think for herself. To question the life she'd been born into and the church she'd followed without question.

Why were they forcing her to marry someone she'd accused of raping her?

Why was that her fault? 

Why did she believe the preaching of this church so wholly, when the rules and ramifications hurt so deeply?

+++

Since releasing his damning investigation into the Geelong Revival Centre in late 2024, via the podcast Pray Harder, journalist Richard Baker has already been contacted by 45 more alleged victims on top of the dozens he's already spoken to.

He continues to be inundated with harrowing stories of physical and sexual abuse, repression, misogyny and sexism, homophobia and heartbreaking tales of families being torn apart by the church's strict rules.

Listen: To Richard Baker discuss the Geelong Revival Centre on True Crime Conversations. Post continues after podcast.

You see, the Geelong Revival Centre is no ordinary church. Run by Pastor Noel Hollins since its inception in 1972 until his death in April 2024, it pushes a controversial interpretation of Pentecostalism.

Even with Pastor Noel's passing, Baker is confident the church's strict doctrine remains to this day — with The Geelong Revival Centre also overseeing a network of 50 chapters across Australia and the world who all follow a similar doctrine.

"I think, if anything, they've got more — from what I'm hearing — more repressive, more secretive, and building up the walls around them because they perceive what I've done as an attack on them," he told Mamamia's True Crime Conversations.

But secrets within the church are starting to make headlines.

In August 2024, a man named Todd Hubers — a senior member of the church — pleaded guilty to sexually abusing young boys over the course of seven years.

Baker sat through the court appearances, and stressed to True Crime Conversations, "when we're talking abuse here, I don't want to downgrade any form of abuse, but the stuff that he admitted to doing to boys aged between six and 12 is at the extreme end of offending".

But that's just the start of the harrowing allegations being linked to the Geelong Revival Centre, most of which haven't seen the inside of a courtroom.

Growing up in the Geelong Revival Centre.

Baker was told time and time again that children grew up in fear of going to hell, fear of the end of the world (which Pastor Noel insisted was coming), and fear of being physically punished.

Corporal punishment isn't just accepted in the Geelong Revival Centre, it's encouraged, former members insisted.

"One thing that they heard over and over was 'spare the rod, spoil the child'. People got caned, belted, hit with fists, choked — they described some terrifying encounters growing up as children," Baker told True Crime Conversations.

Watch: A Current Affair has also investigated the church. Post continues after video.

Usually, physical punishments are carried out by the father, but any man within the congregation is allowed to hit a child if they perceive them to be doing something wrong, Baker explained.

If you are in a single-mother household, a 'brother' in the church is appointed to your family as overseer and disciplinarian of the children.

There is a lot you aren't allowed to do; no team sports, no outside friends, no sleepovers or play-dates, no alcohol, no flesh showing clothing (for women), no medication, no holidays not linked to the church and all dating must go through the pastor.

Followers are encouraged to spy and dob on other churchgoers if they are caught breaking any rules.

Women aren't allowed to pick who they want to date and marry. Their only role within the church is to serve men and bear children, with working discouraged and even banned if a woman's husband says so.

"They basically sit on the shelf waiting for a man in the church, or it could be from one of the other churches around Australia that are affiliated with them, to go 'I like you,'" said Baker.

Medical intervention and any medicine whatsoever is banned within the church, even for those suffering life-threatening illnesses.

Noel Hollins believed sickness was healed through prayer, banning all medicine. Image: A Current Affair.

"They're told that if they are walking with the Lord, they'll be healed. So families and people who have serious medical issues either don't seek treatment, delay treatment, or have infrequent treatment.

"When they aren't healed, the problem doesn't go away, or someone dies, they're made to feel guilty that this happened because they had a 'spiritual problem,'" Baker explained.

Allegations of sexual abuse, homophobic bashing and questionable finances.

As well as the multiple allegations of physical abuse, Baker told True Crime Conversations about an alleged "undercurrent of sexual abuse" within the church.

"What I've been told is that all of these things were never reported to police. Certainly, Pastor Noel made it clear that he was the authority in every matter, and he was the first port of call rather than any external or secular authority."

Speaking to Baker's podcast, a man named Robert alleged that he was groomed as a child by a man within the church who took him surfing and then introduced him to soft porn magazines, before allegedly sexually abusing him.

His was just one of dozens of stories, with Baker telling True Crime Conversations that Pastor Noel would dismiss allegations and "basically his response was 'that sort of stuff doesn't happen'".

With anything other than heterosexual relationships banned within the church, Baker also heard stories about men within the church allegedly "gay bashing" men they knew to be homosexual within the community.

"If you are gay, you are ex-communicated," he said.

It's a punishment that is afforded to rule-breakers or 'backsliders' (those who don't want to believe anymore), and who are considered the "lowest of the low".

"To me that's the biggest tragedy of a place like this — the destruction of families generation after generation, because this has been around for 70 years. This network of churches [and the] constant ripple effects. We've got families that have had suicides and stuff because of the trauma of being split apart from children or brothers and sisters."

Baker has also been investigating the tax-exempt status of the Geelong Revival Centre as a 'basic religious charity' in Australia, something he says needs to be looked into.

Their status as a charity means they don't have to submit financial reports, so there's no way to see how contributions or 'tithings' are being used, and as Baker pointed out, "these basic religious charities aren't subject to the same governance guidelines and rules that other non-religious charities are, and I don't see the need. Why?"

Baker's investigation is only getting bigger, as more and more former members contact him from not just the Geelong branch, but the dozens of other affiliated churches operating across Australia.

"I don't know exactly where it's all going to go, but my lines of inquiry are many," he told True Crime Conversations.

"I am hoping to really drill into a part of Australian life that most of us don't know about, that is happening every day quietly out there in the suburbs and in our regional towns….

"People living in a way that is not healthy for a large proportion of members, particularly young people. The things they're being told about the world aren't true, [and] it sets them on a path for a life that no one would really want."

*name changed by Richard for privacy reasons

Feature image: Google reviews.