Hillsong Church’s founder and long-time global pastor Brian Houston has today resigned following revelations in Crikey late last week that two women had complained about his behaviour.
The announcement was made at a special crisis meeting of all Hillsong staff called at short notice this morning and exclusively flagged in Crikey’s midday edition today.
The incidents occurred in 2013 and 2019 and involve allegations that Houston behaved inappropriately towards female members of the church.
It is understood that Houston, whose father Frank founded Hillsong, submitted his resignation at 4am this morning prior to a meeting of the church’s Australian board.
At Hillsong’s Sydney headquarters, senior pastor Phil Dooley — who has stood in for Houston from early this year — relayed a message to all staff from Hillsong’s global and Australian board.
The church was now committed to a review of its governance and structures, he said.
“Irrespective of the circumstances around this we can all agree that Brian and Bobbie [his wife] served God faithfully over many decades and that their ministry has resulted in millions of people across the world being impacted by the power and grace and love of Jesus Christ,” Dooley said.
“We are extremely grateful for all that Brian and Bobbie have given to build His house.”
“We acknowledge that change is needed,” Dooley added. “We have committed to an independent review of our governance structure and processes.” Crikey understands that Dooley yesterday spoke of the need to change the culture of Hillsong from its celebrity focus.
Crikey has been reporting on concerns about Houston and other senior leaders at the church since August last year.
Last week Crikey reported exclusively on an all-staff meeting last week during which Pastor Dooley discussed in detail the allegations about Houston, who was on anxiety tablets at the time of the incidents.
Crikey has today published the edited transcript of the audio recording leaked to us.
Houston stood aside as the leader of the global church last year pending a NSW magistrates’ hearing on charges that he concealed information about his father’s sexual abuse of a boy.
Further reading:
‘No meaningful inquiry’ into rape allegations
Hillsong faces more explosive revelations as it is found to have promoted a pastor despite knowing of his affair with a young employee.
Drunk, in a woman’s hotel room
A number of major disclosures came during a highly emotional all-staff meeting.
The Hillsong flock, lost and forlorn
The beleaguered Hillsong church are trying to keep the faith, but sceptical and disenchanted cracks are beginning to show.
A culture of secrecy lies behind Hillsong’s malaise
Revelations from Hillsong staff meeting only serve to shine a greater light on the church’s scandalous history.
Transcript of Hillsong’s all-staff meeting
An excerpt from the meeting discloses Brian Houston’s misdeeds, a call for compassion, and a damage control strategy.
Back in 2019 the Trump White House refused to let Brian Houston in to dinner, yet none of Murdoch’s News Corpse, Stokes’s Seven or Costello’s Nine would have told us and the ABC are scared ****less.
Thank Goodness for Crikey.
The NSA would have a file on him like they have files on every western leaders to keep them in line. I wonder what they had on Merkel?
Very little that was actionable, she was the very epitome of stolid, pragmatic and ethical old style Lutherism – her idiot pastor father took her, age 11, and the rest of the family to the DDR to spread the faith.
(The Admiralty system for rating Intelligence requires that it be accurate, timely & relevant to be usable.)
“Brian and Bobbie… served God faithfully…”
Served themselves, more like it.
I noticed my Crikey subscription auto-renewed today – very fitting, as I feel I’ve gained full value from it, in just this one announcement, which wouldn’t have happened without David’s excellent expose and persistence.
Brilliant work.
Absolutely no sympathy for the leaders and followers of this insidious cult/business. If the people who follow and donate to this business posing as a faux religion can’t see the parallels between this “church” and the money lenders that Jesus kicked out of the temple then they deserve to be duped by this cult. I am almost 100% certain that Jesus Christ or Mohammed or Buddha or Yaweh or Shiva or any of the other members of the pantheon of human gods do not need or want your money. So if you belong to a “religion” that is constantly seeking your hard earned funds to go into their coffers then there’s a damn fine chance you belong to a cult and not a religion.
According to the Book of Revelations, angels are going to sing ‘ Praise Him, Praise Him’ for 1000 years. Talk about a narcissist! Sounds like a lot of blokes though. Thats all Trump & Morrison want, for example.
The Good Book does say God created man in His own image, so there is that to contemplate 🙂 .
God was created in mans image, hence all the flaws.
Exactly. Only a psychopath would twist it around like the Bible has done. I despair at how gullible people are.The whole (most) world still believes in all this gobbledy gook and they can’t see the cult aspect of it. Why else do we have whole countries ‘ Anglican/Protestant’ or ‘Muslim’ or ‘Buddhist’, ‘RC’ etc. Why are some acceptable and others considered ‘cults’ as if there is actually a difference? I put it down to taxation, despite religion meant to be separate from the State in the West..The powers that be must see an advantage to having such institutions controlling and abusing women I guess.The law does the same. Handy.
Mind you The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church did lead they way once if became Roman,.
I remember, as a small Catholic child but no longer subscribing to such for a long. long time, the collection plate going round,.
Once a month or so it would be for Peter’s Pence, money to keep the then current Pope happy.
Still is. Read “God’s Bankers” if you really want to know what goes on in the Authoritarian Vatican.
Good. Hopefully plenty more resignations to come. He’s just the face, there’s a lot more going on underneath.
The prosperity cults always attract the lost as followers and the leaders are usually tempted by the money and the fame and the adoration of fans, oh, I suppose they call them followers for a reason.
The time I ( atheist) went to one of the ‘services’ ( I took some ‘charismatic’ Christians to the Terrey Hills one) the carpark was fence to fence with Audis, BMWs and all sorts of expensive cars. When we entered, it was like a rock concert. Halfway through my friend elbowed me because, unbeknownst to me, I had been tsk tsking and muttering ‘ for heaven’s sake’…she did laugh though! Houston was prancing around the stage shouting ‘ you wanna new car? TAKE IT’ ( fist pump) ‘ you wanna new job? TAKE IT’ (fist pump)..on and on it went. So gross. When we walked out, we surveyed the car park and I asked my friends ‘ how much do these people want?’ No answer.They, too, were unimpressed.
,Any inside info on the rats deserting the cesspool ratty? Apears to be the reverse of the big moments in sport when fifty times the capacity of the venue allege they were on the day.
We now have the reverse with the Pentecosts no one has been attending the church. In particular our PM who appears to have never attended the church and knows no one named Houston .?
These cults are like political parties, the leader leaves a mess and walks away with a nice pay out and no repercussions.