In a plea for forgiveness, this church leader has resigned several times.
The founder and former leader of Australian-born Megachurch Hillsong has once again publicly revealed he has stepped down from power, this time amid multiple allegations of misconduct in the form of a resignation.
Pastor Brian Houston, 68, announced this January that he had made the decision to “completely step down” from leadership of the multinational church he and his wife Bobbie founded in 1983.
The move followed months of Houston gradually stepping down from his various Hillsong positions amid numerous scandals and an ongoing court case accusing Houston of concealing the sexual abuse of his late father’s children.
Now Houston has resigned after an internal misconduct investigation that confirmed two-year-old complaints from two women that he committed “indiscretions” with them while under the influence of pills and alcohol.
“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,” the multinational church told members in a website post on Wednesday.
“Hillsong Church was born of Brian and Bobbie’s obedience and dedication to God’s call and we are so grateful for all that Brian and Bobbie gave to build his home. We ask that you continue to pray for her and the entire Houston family at this challenging time.”
Hillsong Church alleged that Houston was abusing sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medication and alcohol, which he was under the influence at the time of the two interactions. Alamy Stock Photo
In addition to Houston’s formal exit from the church, Hillsong has removed his preaching from its website, religion-focused news site Protestia reported.
Hillsong did not respond to the Post’s request for further comment.
In a statement released March 18, the church said Houston sent “inappropriate” text messages to a staffer, leading to her termination nearly a decade ago. The statement attributes Houston’s behavior to being “under the influence of sleeping pills, on which he had developed an addiction.”
The church also noted that in 2019, Houston “became disoriented after a session at the Hillsong conference after consuming anti-anxiety medications in excess of the prescribed dose mixed with alcohol,” which caused him to “speak to the Door of a hotel knocked”. Space that did not belong to him, entered this space and spent time with an unknown woman.
Hillsong noted in the press release that Houston has since “received professional help to eliminate his addiction to this drug.”
At the time of his resignation in January, the former Hillsong pastor did not mention the claims brought by the two women, citing his court cases as the reason for his decision to resign. Hillsong officials have repeatedly denied claims that Brian Houston covered it up to The Post.
“Trials are likely to be lengthy and likely to take up most of 2022 (especially given the court backlog exacerbated by the COVID pandemic),” Houston said.
“We spoke to my father about the implications of the situation going back many years to the current legal case and the emotional impact it has had on me. As a result, the Hillsong Global Board believes this is in my best interest and that of the church, which is why I have agreed to step down from all ministry duties by the end of the year.”
The disgraced senior pastor was charged in August for failing to release evidence into the sexual offenses of his late father, Pentecostal pastor and pedophile Frank Houston, whose ministry career was effectively ended after Brian fired him in 1999.
“Police will allege in court that the man knew information about the sexual abuse of a young man in the 1970s and failed to bring that information to the police’s attention,” officials at the Royal Commission on Institutional Leaders’ Handling of Sexual said Abuse in Sydney versus publications charging Houston in August.
The indictment carries a maximum sentence of up to five years behind bars and follows a two-year investigation into the sexual abuse of then seven-year-old Brett Sengstock by Brian’s father, Frank Houston, in 1969 and 1970.
Frank – who died in 2004 at the age of 82 – “raped, choked and abused” Sengstock and then tried to bribe him with $10,000 (AUD) via a hand-scribbled contract on a McDonald’s napkin, Sengstock said. The payout was reportedly sent as a check in the mail by Brian himself after Frank appeared not to complete the agreed transaction, The Post previously reported.
The late televangelist Frank Houston rose to prominence as a pastor for the Assemblies of God in New Zealand and Australia before founding the Sydney Christian Life Centre, which would evolve into Hillsong Church in 1999. Getty Images
In a statement obtained by The Post in August, Houston admitted: “These allegations shocked me given how transparent I have always been on this matter. I vigorously maintain my innocence and will defend these allegations, and I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight.”
Hillsong officials continued, stating, “We are disappointed that Pastor Brian has been charged and ask that he be given the presumption of innocence and due process, as is his right. He has informed us that he will defend this and looks forward to clearing his name. As this matter is now in court, neither Pastor Brian nor Hillsong Church will make any further statements. We thank everyone who is part of our church for their support and prayers during this time.”
The latest update on the Hillsong Church drama comes ahead of Thursday’s premiere of the three-part docuseries Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed, produced in partnership with The Post and Discovery+/TLC.