Hillsong founder Brian Houston has resigned from the Pentecostal megachurch amid allegations of “improper acts” towards two women, an emergency staff meeting was announced.
The church’s acting senior pastor, Phil Dooley, announced his resignation at the second staff meeting of the week on Wednesday.
He said it was a time of “humble reflection” for the church, which was founded in the west of Sydney and has since spread around the world.
The church has been investigating “two complaints against Pastor Brian” in the last 10 years.
Hillsong founder Brian Houston stepped down as the organization’s international leader in January (pictured with wife Bobby).
“We would like to inform you that Pastor Brian Houston has resigned as senior pastor of Hillsong Church and the board has accepted his resignation,” Dooley said in a statement.
“We understand that this news will cause a lot of emotions, and we all share these feelings.
“We ask that you continue to pray for them and the entire Houston family during this difficult time.”
One complaint was filed after a church employee said he was sent “inappropriate” texts, and the second was when Mr. Houston entered a woman’s hotel room in 2019 at a conference.
Mr. Dooley addressed the situation in an online service that aired on Sunday.
“I want to say that we are sorry for everyone who has been the victim of any form of persecution,” he said.
“Some of us here…understand the pain because you experienced it, and others of us do our best to empathize with you.
“Where you have been hurt, we pray for healing, strength and courage to move forward in your life.”
Hillsong’s global council said the two complaints were taken “extremely seriously”.
He added that previous statements, including when Mr. Houston temporarily stepped down in January, were not made out of privacy concerns for both him and the two women while the cases were being investigated.
Mr. Houston (pictured with wife Bobby) sent inappropriate texts to a former employee and entered a guest’s hotel room after the 2019 Hillsong conference, the board said.
“The first issue arose approximately ten years ago and involved inappropriate text messages from Pastor Brian to an employee, which subsequently led to his dismissal,” the board said in a statement.
The board explained that Mr. Houston was “under the influence of sleeping pills to which he developed an addiction” when he sent the texts.
Mr Houston immediately apologized and sought professional help to end his drug addiction, the church said.
“We once again apologize to this former employee and welcome the opportunity to provide further assistance if needed,” the board said in a statement.
The second incident occurred when Mr. Houston knocked on the door of a guest’s hotel after the 2019 Hillsong conference and went inside.
“In-depth investigation revealed that Pastor Brian became disoriented… after taking over-the-counter anti-anxiety drugs mixed with alcohol,” the post reads.
Mr Dooley had previously said that Mr Houston had been in the room for 40 minutes and the woman had not made any statement about the attack.
“The Board determined that Brian violated Pastor Hillsong’s Code of Conduct,” he said.
Hillsong interim global leader Phil Dooley (pictured) issued an apology in an online service as the church’s board released a statement of apology.
“The board also granted a request for a refund of the money donated to the church by this man…Pastor Brian was very remorseful and insisted that the money be returned to the church for this.”
The board said that since the latest investigation, Mr. Houston has taken “concrete action, including resigning from leadership for a specified period.”
“However, unfortunately, he did not take all of the agreed steps, leading to further board action at the end of 2021.
“We unconditionally apologize to the people affected by Pastor Brian’s actions and pledge to be available for any further assistance we can provide.”
The board stated that Hillsong is reviewing its governance to ensure a higher level of transparency and accountability.
Hillsong was founded in 1983 in the Hills area of Sydney and has grown into an international organization with over 100 churches and 150,000 weekly attendance worldwide.