Hillsong Founder Brian Houston Resigns After Misconduct Probe
The board of the global megachurch apologized to two women who made complaints against Houston.
By Josephine Harvey
Mar. 23, 2022
Brian Houston, founder of Hillsong, resigned after the megachurch revealed he had acted inappropriately towards two women in 2013 and 2019.
MARCUS INGRAM VIA GETTY IMAGES
The founder of Hillsong, the global megachurch that has attracted celebrities and young people, has resigned after an internal investigation determined he behaved inappropriately towards two women.
Brian Houston, the Australian pastor who co-founded the Sydney-based church with his wife Bobbie, had already stepped down as the director of all Hillsong boards in January. Houston said he needed time to defend a criminal charge that he concealed child sexual abuse by his father, who was also a pastor.
However, on Friday, the global board of the church stated that it had also been dealing with complaints from two women about Houston. An internal investigation determined that he had breached the church’s code of conduct.
The acting head of the church, Pastor Phil Dooley, announced at an emergency all-staff meeting Wednesday that Houston had resigned as global senior pastor of Hillsong and the board had accepted it, Australian media reported.
The church issued a statement online, saying it had committed to an independent review of its governance structure.
“Hillsong Church was birthed out of Brian and Bobbie’s obedience and commitment to the call of God and we are extremely grateful for all that Brian and Bobbie have given to build His house,” it stated. “We ask that you continue to pray for them, and the entire Houston family, during this challenging time.”
The church also apologized for Houston’s actions.
“We apologize unreservedly to the people affected by Pastor Brian’s actions and commit to being available for any further assistance we can provide,” it stated.
People pray during a service at Hillsong Church on Oct. 22, 2017, in New York.
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The first incident the church investigated, from 2013, involved “inappropriate text messages” sent to a female staff member that resulted in her resigning, the statement said.
“At the time, Pastor Brian was under the influence of sleeping tablets, upon which he had developed a dependence,” the statement continued. “He immediately apologized to the person. We also worked closely with Pastor Brian to ensure he received professional help to eliminate his dependency on this medication, and this was achieved successfully.”
The second complaint was received in 2019. In that instance, the board said Houston became disoriented after consuming anti-anxiety medication beyond the prescribed dose and mixing it with alcohol.
“This resulted in him knocking on the door of a hotel room that was not his, entering this room and spending time with the female occupant,” the statement said.
Although Dooley said the woman reported “no sexual activity,” Houston spent 40 minutes in her room. And he was “extremely remorseful,” the church stated.
The scandal was yet another blow to the reputation of the church, which has faced a string of controversies involving its pastors, including accusations of racist and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and exploitative behavior towards volunteers.
According to its website, Hillsong has churches in 30 countries and on six continents. It’s famous for appealing to young people with its upbeat atmosphere and music. According to the church, its worship tunes are sung by an estimated 50 million people in 60 languages.
The church has also attracted celebrity worshippers, like Justin and Hailey Bieber, Chris Pratt and Vanessa Hudgens.
Hillsong’s Brian Houston resigns from megachurch
Resignation comes after internal investigations found Houston engaged in inappropriate conduct ‘of serious concern’
Founder of the Hillsong Church, Pastor Brian Houston, has resigned.
Wed 23 Mar 2022
Hillsong’s founding pastor, Brian Houston, has resigned from the megachurch he founded in Sydney two decades ago after internal investigations found he had engaged in inappropriate conduct of “serious concern” with two women.
Houston stood down last Friday, but following another emergency staff meeting on Wednesday the Sydney-based church issued a brief statement announcing his resignation.
“We would like to advise you that Pastor Brian Houston has resigned as Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church and the board has accepted his resignation.
Hillsong church apologises after investigations find Brian Houston engaged in ‘inappropriate’ behaviour
“We understand there will be much emotion at this news, and we all share these feelings. Irrespective of the circumstances around this, we can all agree that Brian and Bobbie have served God faithfully over many decades and that their ministry has resulted in millions of people across the world being impacted by the power, grace, and love of Jesus Christ.”
Over two decades, Hillsong grew from a small church in Sydney to a global brand with over 150,000 weekly attendees at its churches in 25 countries. Its brand of Christianity, which focused on rock concert-type services and attracting celebrity parishioners, proved enormously popular.
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Wednesday’s statement noted that Hillsong Church “was birthed” out of Brian and and his wife, Bobbie’s “commitment to the call of God” and asked congregants to pray for the entire Houston family “during this challenging time”.
Last week Hillsong confirmed in a statement and in an extraordinary meeting involving 800 staff members that it was investigating two complaints about inappropriate conduct involving Houston, one from a decade ago and another from 2019.
The statement revealed that alcohol and prescription drugs had also been implicated in the behaviour.
“We have sadly been dealing with two complaints made against Pastor Brian over the last 10 years,” the board said last week.
At the time Houston had already stepped down from the board and from the ministry, citing unrelated reasons.
In a statement on Saturday, the church said the first incident “involved inappropriate text messages” sent to a female member of staff. The woman subsequently resigned.
“At the time, Pastor Brian was under the influence of sleeping tablets, upon which he had developed a dependence. He immediately apologised to the person. We also worked closely with Pastor Brian to ensure he received professional help to eliminate his dependency on this medication, and this was achieved successfully.”
According to the statement the second issue involved a complaint received in 2019. Following an in-depth investigation, it was found that Houston became disoriented after a session at the Hillsong conference following the consumption of anti-anxiety medication beyond the prescribed dose along with alcohol. This resulted in him knocking on the door of a hotel room that was not his, entering this room and spending time with the female occupant.
“The investigation by the integrity unit appointed by the global board found that although all parts of the complaint were unable to be sustained, important elements of the complaint were sustained and the conduct was of serious concern,” the board said
“Ultimately, the board found that Brian had breached the Hillsong Pastor’s Code of Conduct. We apologise unreservedly to the people affected by Pastor Brian’s actions and commit to being available for any further assistance we can provide.”
Houston was a close friend and spiritual guide to the prime minister, Scott Morrison, a fellow pentecostal. Morrison thanked Houston in his maiden speech to parliament and more recently was asked about whether he tried to get Houston an invitation to a White House dinner while he was in Washington.
Wednesday’s statement said Hillsong had committed to an independent review of its governance and structure and processes.
The statement said the church was praying for Houston.
Comment is being sought from Houston.
Hillsong’s founding pastor, Brian Houston, has resigned from the megachurch he founded in Sydney two decades ago after internal investigations found he had engaged in inappropriate conduct of “serious concern” with two women.
Houston stood down last Friday, but following another emergency staff meeting on Wednesday the Sydney-based church issued a brief statement announcing his resignation.
“We would like to advise you that Pastor Brian Houston has resigned as Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church and the board has accepted his resignation.
Hillsong church apologises after investigations find Brian Houston engaged in ‘inappropriate’ behaviour
“We understand there will be much emotion at this news, and we all share these feelings. Irrespective of the circumstances around this, we can all agree that Brian and Bobbie have served God faithfully over many decades and that their ministry has resulted in millions of people across the world being impacted by the power, grace, and love of Jesus Christ.”
Over two decades, Hillsong grew from a small church in Sydney to a global brand with over 150,000 weekly attendees at its churches in 25 countries. Its brand of Christianity, which focused on rock concert-type services and attracting celebrity parishioners, proved enormously popular.
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Wednesday’s statement noted that Hillsong Church “was birthed” out of Brian and and his wife, Bobbie’s “commitment to the call of God” and asked congregants to pray for the entire Houston family “during this challenging time”.
Last week Hillsong confirmed in a statement and in an extraordinary meeting involving 800 staff members that it was investigating two complaints about inappropriate conduct involving Houston, one from a decade ago and another from 2019.
The statement revealed that alcohol and prescription drugs had also been implicated in the behaviour.
“We have sadly been dealing with two complaints made against Pastor Brian over the last 10 years,” the board said last week.
At the time Houston had already stepped down from the board and from the ministry, citing unrelated reasons.
In a statement on Saturday, the church said the first incident “involved inappropriate text messages” sent to a female member of staff. The woman subsequently resigned.
“At the time, Pastor Brian was under the influence of sleeping tablets, upon which he had developed a dependence. He immediately apologised to the person. We also worked closely with Pastor Brian to ensure he received professional help to eliminate his dependency on this medication, and this was achieved successfully.”
According to the statement the second issue involved a complaint received in 2019. Following an in-depth investigation, it was found that Houston became disoriented after a session at the Hillsong conference following the consumption of anti-anxiety medication beyond the prescribed dose along with alcohol. This resulted in him knocking on the door of a hotel room that was not his, entering this room and spending time with the female occupant.
“The investigation by the integrity unit appointed by the global board found that although all parts of the complaint were unable to be sustained, important elements of the complaint were sustained and the conduct was of serious concern,” the board said
“Ultimately, the board found that Brian had breached the Hillsong Pastor’s Code of Conduct. We apologise unreservedly to the people affected by Pastor Brian’s actions and commit to being available for any further assistance we can provide.”
Houston was a close friend and spiritual guide to the prime minister, Scott Morrison, a fellow pentecostal. Morrison thanked Houston in his maiden speech to parliament and more recently was asked about whether he tried to get Houston an invitation to a White House dinner while he was in Washington.
Wednesday’s statement said Hillsong had committed to an independent review of its governance and structure and processes.
The statement said the church was praying for Houston.
Comment is being sought from Houston.
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