The wife of Hillsong founder Brian Houston has vowed to support her man after he resigned due to scandalous behavior towards women.
The Pentecostal Church said Houston walked into a women’s hotel room after drinking at a conference in 2019 and sent “inappropriate” texts to another woman.
Houston, 68, stepped down as world leader of the megachurch on Wednesday, days after the church admitted he “violated its moral code” but has yet to comment.
But on Thursday, Bobby’s wife, 65, broke her silence on her Instagram by responding to an earlier post made before the announcement of his resignation.
Ms. Houston pointedly supported her husband, claiming that she knows a real man better than anyone after 45 years of marriage.
Bobbi Houston, wife of Hillsong founder Brian Houston, vowed to stand by her man after he stepped down amid the allegations against him.
The Pentecostal Church said Houston entered a women’s hotel room after drinking at a conference in 2019 and claimed he sent “inappropriate” texts to another woman.
“Thank you for the wonderful comments and love. I see. And felt. And appreciated,” she wrote.
‘I’m fine. It’s been a very brutal week, but I will always stand by the side of the person I loved and lived with for 45 years.
“I know his nature, character and honesty better than anyone else.”
Houston’s wife, Bobbie, 65, broke her silence on her Instagram by responding to an earlier post made before his resignation was announced.
The newborn mother of three captioned the comment with hugs, kisses and a peace dove, heart and eagle emoji.
Her pledge of allegiance to the disgraced pastor echoes their 35-year-old daughter Laura Toggs, who previously pledged her support on Instagram.
She admitted that she had suffered “anguish, humiliation and crushing pain” due to alleged indiscretions that “had her heart broken”.
But in a series of posts, Ms. Toggs insisted she would try to rise above it.
Laura Toggs, daughter of Hillsong founder Brian Houston (pictured), spoke of her “suffering, humiliation and crushing pain” due to her father’s controversial misdeeds.
Daughter Laura Toggs, 35, has now vowed to stand by her father despite the controversy shaking the Sydney megachurch, but admits she is “heartbroken”.
“I want to text my beloved dad ‘I love you’ a thousand times again – and I choose my bravest of brave moms,” she wrote shortly before confirming her resignation.
“When you have a platform, people grow from your suffering, because with a platform you suffer out loud. When you mourn, you mourn in front of everyone.
“When you hurt, you hurt in front of everyone. And there’s nowhere to hide… and everyone’s looking at your wounds.
“When you LOVE a lot, you grieve a lot, and there is no easy way around it.
“If we can be constantly publicly humiliated, then I am tempted to publicly express my crushing pain.
Laura Togg’s father Brian Houston confirmed his resignation early Wednesday morning after the church revealed details last Friday.
in a series of Instagram posts, Laura Toggs vented her pain, insisting that she would try to rise above her.
“But today I decide again to put my deep pain at the feet of Jesus…and I choose coffee.
“And as tiring as it may be, I choose once again to walk the higher road and guard my heart with the utmost gentleness, humility, and grace.”
After her father’s departure from the church he founded was confirmed, she posted a touching old Instagram post in which she vowed, “I won’t enjoy the downfall of others, I won’t laugh with unkind…
“Instead, I will clear the way for mercy. I will stand for the truth. I will decorate the earth with meekness. Until we all become whole, we will not become new.
She captioned an Instagram story posted late at night: “I wrote this well, well, long before that same grace should have been extended to my most loved ones.”
“I go to bed with a broken heart.”
After it was confirmed that her father had left the church he founded, she posted a touching old post on Instagram.
The church’s acting senior pastor, Phil Dooley, announced Houston’s resignation at the second emergency 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 spread throughout the world.
Houston tendered his resignation at 4 am Wednesday ahead of a scheduled board meeting, Kraiki said.
The church has been investigating “two complaints against Pastor Brian” in the last 10 years.
“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.”
Hillsong founder Brian Houston stepped down as the organization’s international leader in January (pictured with wife Bobby).
One complaint was filed after a church official 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 additional 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 money donated to the church by this man…Pastor Brian was extremely remorseful and insisted on making amends to the church.”
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.