Prosper to depict Australian megachurch with shameful secrets

Australian Christian Lobby announces new CEO

The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has replaced longstanding CEO Martyn Iles with Michelle Pearse, the group announced on Monday 3 April.

Ms Peace is currently in London and will start in the role in July.

“I am excited to be stepping into the leadership of the Australian Christian Lobby,” she said.

“Christian influence in politics has been a long-held passion of mine.”

Jim Wallace is the ACL’s Chair. He welcomed the appointment.

A new streaming series will depict an Australian megachurch led by a powerful family that is protecting secrets.

Richard Roxburgh and Rebecca Gibney have been cast on the drama series Prosper, which will stream on Stan. Roxburgh and Gibney will lead the cast show, which currently being promoted as a family drama and a “provocative peek behind the curtain of power and privilege.”

The series is currently being produced in New South Wales, and the first episode will be called ‘Man of God.’

Mr Roxburgh will play Cal Quinn, the founder and global pastor of fictional Sydney megachurch U Star. Ms Gibney will play Abi Quinn, Cal’s wife and the church’s worship leader. The series’ megachurch will be depicted as a fast growing Australian denomination expanding overseas.

“Prosper is a powerful family drama that is cleverly written, and arrives with impeccable timing,” Mr Roxburgh said.

“Cal Quinn is an irresistible character. He’s a luminous and powerful figure, yet plagued with doubt and secrets. And the excellent writing team have surrounded him with equally complex characters. I can’t wait to jump into this with the cast and bring it all to life.”

“I am thrilled to be joining the cast of Prosper and can’t wait to start working with the incredibly talented team behind this very special and timely drama series,” Ms Gibney said. “The producers have assembled an astonishing cast and crew, the scripts are fabulous and Abi Quinn is unlike anyone I have played before.”

Prosper will stream on Stan.

JONATHAN FOYE

“After what I am sure is godly intervention, I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Michelle Pearse as the new CEO of ACL,” he said.

“Michelle comes with an impressive track record in strategically working in and lobbying into parliaments, and most recently, together with her husband and three children, they have built an influential church in the heart of London for the past five years - showing their great commitment to the Gospel,” Mr Wallace said.

The ACL is a lobby group. It does not claim peak status. According to the organisation’s website, “We want to see Christian principles and ethics accepted and influencing the way we are governed, do business and relate as a society. We want Australia to become a more just and compassionate nation.”

In October 2022, the ACL was listed as a hate group by The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) is an international think tank created by members of the civil rights group Southern Poverty Law Center.

JONATHAN FOYE