The sydney-based church announced that Pastor Brian Houston had resigned from his position as Hillsong Church’s Global Senior Pastor.
Brian Houston, the founder of the Australian megachurch Hillsong, has resigned after an internal investigation revealed that he violated the church’s code of conduct at least twice in the last decade by misbehaving toward two women.
Hillsong stated that Houston was still on leave. Following an investigation of the second incident, he agreed to take a specific action, including stepping down from leadership for a period. However, he should have taken all of the agreed-upon steps, resulting in further action by the board in late 2021.
The Guardian Australia attempted to contact Brian Houston and contacted Hillsong for comment.
What Happened At Hillsong Church?
Megachurch claims Houston, who has stepped down as pastor, violated the church’s code of conduct.
Hillsong has been forced to “unreservedly apologize” after the church’s founder, Brian Houston, was found to have engaged in “serious concern” behavior.
Following media reports on Friday, the church’s global board issued a statement saying Houston had violated Hillsong’s pastor code of conduct twice in the previous decade.
According to the church’s global board, they have been dealing with two complaints against Pastor Brian over the last ten years.
The board said the first incident occurred approximately a decade ago, in which inappropriate text messages from Houston were sent to a staff member, resulting in the team member resigning.
According to the statement, Pastor Brian was under the influence of sleeping pills, on which he had become dependent.
The board stated that it worked with Pastor Brian to ensure he received professional help to eliminate his dependency on this medication, which he did.
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The second investigation was prompted by a complaint received by the church in 2019 about behavior that Hillsong attributed to medication and alcohol.
Why Did Founder Brian Houston Resign?
Hillsong’s founding pastor, Brian Houston, has resigned from the megachurch he founded in Sydney two decades ago after internal investigations revealed he engaged in “serious concern” inappropriate behavior with two women.
The global board’s statement revealed that 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.
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As a result, he knocked on the door of a hotel room that was not his, entered it, and spent time with the female occupant.
Houston stepped down last Friday, but the Sydney-based church issued a brief statement announcing his resignation following another emergency staff meeting on Wednesday.
Brian Houston Trail Update
Whatever the circumstances were at the time, the Hillsong global board stated that that person did not deserve to be placed in the situation she found herself in by Pastor Brian.
It also stated that the investigation by the global board’s appointed integrity unit found that the conduct was of grave concern, and they apologized unequivocally to the people affected by Pastor Brian’s actions and committed to being available for any further assistance they could provide.
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Hillsong stated that the investigations were carried out by either board members or a body appointed by the global board to hear and resolve complaints against credentialed pastors, with assistance from highly respected external pastors and advisers.
