Hillsong Founder Brian Houston Has Resigned Following Allegations Of Sexual Abuse

Hillsong, a global megachurch known for its celebrity congregation has been mired in controversy in recent months. Once a hotspot for the likes of Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Chris Pratt, and Kylie and Kendall Jenner, a series of disturbing allegations have now come to light. and now the church’s founding pastor Brian Houston has resigned as a new documentary on Discovery, Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed, reveals the huge scale of alleged abuse and misconduct at the church.

His resignation comes after Hillsong confirmed that it was investigating two allegations of inappropriate conduct by Houston; one alleged incident took place in 2019, while the other dates back to 2013. “We have sadly been dealing with two complaints made against Pastor Brian over the last 10 years,” the board said last week. The further allegations come after Houston was arrested in 2021 on charges of concealing child sex offences, committed by his preacher father Frank Houston, and police claim he “knew information relating to the sexual abuse of a young male in the 1970s and failed to bring that information to the attention of police.” In January 2022, Houston stepped down from the Hillsong board. But it has now emerged that he has also been under internal investigation ahead of the charges going to trial in October 2022.

In a statement, the church confirmed that one allegation “involved inappropriate text messages” sent to a female member of staff 10 years ago. She subsequently resigned. “At the time, Pastor Brian was under the influence of sleeping tablets,” they wrote, “upon which he had developed a dependence. He immediately apologised to the person. We also worked closely with Pastor Brian to ensure he received professional help to eliminate his dependency on this medication, and this was achieved successfully.”

Hillsong also confirmed that the second incident, which allegedly took place in 2019, involved Houston entering a woman’s hotel room while under the influence of alcohol and “anti-anxiety medication beyond the prescribed dose”.

“Ultimately, the board found that Brian had breached the Hillsong Pastor’s Code of Conduct. We apologise unreservedly to the people affected by Pastor Brian’s actions and commit to being available for any further assistance we can provide,” they said.

If you have experienced sexual violence of any kind, please visit Rape Crisis or call 0808 802 9999.