Brian Houston resigns from Hillsong amid more scandal
Brian Houston’s reign as the head of Hillsong Church has come to a shocking end, after it was announced he resigned from the global megachurch.
The church’s founder resigned as Global Senior Pastor after an internal investigation into two incidents involving Brian found he had breached the church’s code of conduct, as reported by 9News.
“Dear Church, we would like to advise you that Pastor Brian Houston has resigned as Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church and the board has accepted his resignation,” a statement from the church read.
“Irrespective of the circumstances around this, we can all agree that Brian and (his wife) Bobbie have served God faithfully over many decades.
“We ask that you continue to pray for them, and the entire Houston family, during this challenging time.”
The church revealed last week that Brian had breached its moral code following the investigation.
He allegedly sent inappropriate text messages to a staff member a decade ago, and entered a woman’s room at a conference in 2019 after mixing medication and alcohol.
“The first issue was approximately a decade ago and involved inappropriate text messages from Pastor Brian to a member of staff, which subsequently resulted in the staff member resigning,” last week’s statement read.
“At the time, Pastor Brian was under the influence of sleeping tablets, upon which he had developed a dependence.
Hillsong said Brian apologised to the staff member and received help from the church for his use of sleeping pills.
“Following an in-depth investigation, it was found that Pastor Brian became disoriented after a session at the Hillsong Conference, following the consumption of anti-anxiety medication beyond the prescribed dose, mixed with alcohol,” the statement said of the second incident.
“This resulted in him knocking on the door of a hotel room that was not his, entering this room and spending time with the female occupant.”
Although members of the church were likely rocked by the news on Wednesday afternoon, this moment has been a long time coming for critics of the church and its leader.
Brian Houston‘s resignation as Global Senior Pastor of the church comes just a month after he stepped down as the church’s figurehead last month while facing charges of concealing historic child sex abuse offences committed by his father, Frank.
He was charged with concealing a serious indictable offence of another person in October last year, pleading not guilty to the charges after he returned to Australia from the US.
“Hillsong’s external legal counsel gave the board advice regarding the current charge I’m facing and that it would be best practice for me to step aside completely from church completely during court proceedings,” Brian previously said.
These aren’t the first scandals Hillsong has been embroiled in either, with accusations of homophobia, celebrity pastor infidelity, and the accepting of millions in tax-free donations from attendees being just a few.
“With that tax-free status must come greater responsibility. If you don’t pay taxes, like you and me, then you ought to be more accountable,” former Senator Nick Xenaphon told 9News.
“Obviously there’s a lot to unravel here but if you’re the leader then the buck must stop with you.”
With Brian’s resignation, Phil Dooley and his wife Lucinda have now taken over leading the church.
However, it’s still possible that this will simply be an interim measure until a new leader is appointed.
Image: Getty Images