CityLight Church began in August 1982 under the name Mercy Community Church. It was founded and pioneered by Bernie and Susie Hartog, who left their successful fishing business to follow the call of God on their lives.

Within a year, the church had grown to seventy, and meetings continued in a rented local council hall for the next three years in Blackmans Bay.

Rapid growth occurred during this period with two other churches being planted in St Helens and Woodbridge. Thirty-eight acres of land was purchased in October 1983 in Kingston, part of the Kingborough Municipality, which has a current population of approximately 30,000 people.

Southern Christian College (originally Kingston Christian Community School) was birthed in 1986 as a ministry of the church, with buildings constructed on the new site to accommodate both church and school completed in June of that year. Initially commencing as a primary school, it now offers education from Kinder to Grade 10. An Early Learning Centre for 3-5 year old children was launched in 2005.

The church can be classified as Autonomous Pentecostal, affiliated with Ministers Fellowship International (MFI). It is a church of 150 people having an eldership form of church government with the Lead Pastor being the first among equals and providing visionary leadership. It is a multi-staffed, multi-faceted, mid-sized church with a vision of becoming a large church of over 1000 people.

In January 2005, Bernie and Susie stepped down from the role of Lead Pastors to focus on apostolic itinerant ministry while remaining closely connected to CityLight and serving with the eldership team. Peter and Veronica Rowe then took on the role of Lead Pastors, faithfully serving until January 2010 where after 27 years of commitment to CityLight Church, they felt called to transition the leadership to be closer to their family in NSW. Bernie and Susie then resumed leadership from 2010 to 2015, continuing to build upon the church's strong foundation. From 2015 to 2021, Adrian Nyhuis took on the role of Lead Pastor.

In 2025, CityLight Church embarked on an exciting new chapter with the expansion of its Pastoral Team. Alongside Bernie Hartog, the team now includes Domingo Galang Jr and Mark and Sue Brown, bringing fresh perspectives and a shared heart for ministry. Their leadership reflects a commitment to spiritual growth, community, and the ongoing mission of CityLight.

Today, CityLight Church continues to see people in our community impacted by the incredible love of Father God. As we look to the future, we see that there is still so much to be accomplished, but our prayer is that Father would continue to lead us as we together 'love God, love people and serve the world'.