Following controversies, Hillsong changes its board

Hillsong has made changes to its board as a result of recent issues.

Hillsong has made a lot of changes because of a string of scandals.

At a meeting to share news, it was said that the Sydney-based church’s Global Board is being changed.

Four people who used to be on the board have left. They are Hillsong’s General Manager George Aghajanian, Hillsong UK’s Leader Gary Clarke, Hillscorp’s Executive Director Phillip Denton, and Nabi Saleh, who is in charge of Gloria Jean’s Coffee.

International Ministry Director Darren Kitto and Benjamin Houston, son of founding pastor Brian Houston, who quit earlier this year after being accused of wrongdoing, are two more people who are leaving the board. Both Kitto and Houston gave up their seats on the board.

Tolu Badders is the chief operating officer and executive pastor of Hillsong NYC. Sibo Nxumalo is from Hillsong Africa, Russell Dacre is from Hillsong UK and is the deputy board chair. Hillsong Interim Global Senior Pastor Phil Dooley and Hillsong Chairman Stephen Crouch are the other members of the Global Board.

Brian Houston used to be both chairman of the board and global senior pastor. To improve governance and accountability, it was decided to give each job to a different person.

During the meeting, it was also decided that 40% of the board members will be women to make it more diverse. Badders is the only woman on the board right now.

Hillsong has been working with Australian management consultants Insync to deal with the scandals that started when Hillsong NYC pastor Carl Lentz was fired for adultery, “leadership issues,” and “breach of trust” in November 2020.

Since then, the global church has had to deal with accusations of bad money management, wasteful spending, rape, sexual misconduct, and a culture of giving special treatment to celebrities.

Dooley, who has been acting Global Senior Pastor since Brian Houston quit in March, had this to say about the meeting: “We are working hard to plan for the future in a way that makes sure our systems are accountable, open, and respectful of God.

“Anything less could distract us from our main goal, which is to be a group of Christians who believe in the power of Jesus to change lives and are driven to bring hope to the world around us.

“Last night, we talked about oversight and the structure of the church. These are important topics, but we must remember that our main goal is to serve Jesus and live for Him.”