CHRIST NEWS.COM.- Hillsong’s founding pastor, Brian Houston, 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 withdrew last Friday, but following another emergency staff meeting on Wednesday, the Sydney-based church released a brief statement announcing its resignation.
Hillsong accepted his resignation
“We would like to inform you that Pastor Brian Houston has resigned as Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church and the board has accepted his resignation.
“We understand that there will be a lot of emotion over this news, and we all share these sentiments. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding this, we can all agree that Brian and Bobbie have faithfully served God for many decades, and that their ministry has resulted in millions of people around 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 more than 150,000 weekly churchgoers in 25 countries.
His brand of Christianity, which focused on rock concert-type services and attracting celebrity worshipers, proved enormously popular.
Wednesday’s statement noted that Hillsong Church was “born” out of Brian and his wife, Bobbie’s “commitment to God’s call,” and asked parishioners to pray for the entire Houston family, “during this difficult time.”
Last week, Hillsong confirmed in a statement and a special meeting attended by 800 staff members that it was investigating two allegations of misconduct involving Houston, one from a decade ago and one from 2019.
The statement revealed that alcohol and prescription drugs had also been implicated in the behavior.
Complaints from 10 years ago
“Unfortunately, we have been dealing with two complaints against Pastor Brian in the last 10 years,” the board said last week. By this time, Houston had already withdrawn from the board and from the ministry, citing unrelated reasons.
In a statement Saturday, the church said the first incident “involved inappropriate text messages” sent to a staff member. Subsequently, the woman resigned.
According to the statement, the second issue involved a complaint received in 2019. After further investigation, Houston was found to have become disoriented after a session at the Hillsong conference, following the use of anti-anxiety medication beyond the prescribed dosage. along with alcohol.
This resulted in her knocking on the door of a hotel room that was not hers, entering this room, and spending time with the female occupant.
violated code of conduct
“Investigation by the global board-appointed integrity unit found that, although not all parts of the complaint could be upheld, significant elements of the complaint were upheld and the conduct was of serious concern,” the board said.
“Ultimately, the board found that Brian had violated Hillsong’s Pastor’s Code of Conduct. We unreservedly apologize to those affected by Pastor Brian’s actions and pledge to remain available for any further assistance we can provide.”
Houston was a close friend and spiritual guide to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, a fellow Pentecostal. Morrison thanked Houston in his inaugural address to Parliament and, most recently, was asked if 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, structure and processes. The statement said the church was praying for Houston.
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