“It is in my and the church’s best interest,” Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston said as he prepares for trial over allegedly concealing his late father’s child sex offenses
Brian Houston | CREDIT: MARCUS INGRAM/GETTY IMAGES
Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston is temporarily stepping down from leading the megachurch as he prepares for his trial in Australia.
The global senior pastor, 67, announced Sunday that he’s resigning from “all ministry responsibilities” until the end of 2022, pending his legal battle over charges that he concealed child sex offenses committed by his late preacher father Frank Houston. Brian has repeatedly denied the allegations.
“In September last year, I learned it was necessary for me to step aside as a director of all Hillsong boards during this season, enabling me to give attention to these charges,” Brian said in a lengthy statement. “But recently, we made a decision that may come as a surprise to you, and I want you to hear it from me directly.
“In December, during our board meeting, Hillsong’s external legal counsel gave the board advice regarding the current charge I am facing – that it would be ‘Best Practice’ for me to step aside completely from church leadership during the court proceedings. The court processes are likely to be drawn out and take up most of 2022 (especially considering the backlog in the courts, exacerbated by the Covid pandemic). Along with this, the board and I have had detailed discussions around the requirements for leadership. We have talked about the effects of the situation with my father, which go back many years up to the current legal case, and the impact this has had on me emotionally.
“The result is that the Hillsong Global Board feel it is in my and the church’s best interest for this to happen, so I have agreed to step aside from all ministry responsibilities until the end of the year,” Brian continued.
Brian explained that he needs to be “fully committed” to preparing for the case, maintaining that he intends to “fight the charge” and welcomes the “opportunity to set the record straight.”
He added that Pastors Phil and Lucinda Dooley from Hillsong’s South Africa chapter will temporarily step in for him, and his wife Bobbie “intends to remain fully engaged in church life.”
Australian officials have accused Brian of “concealing a serious indictable offense,” claiming he knew about the sexual abuse that his father committed against a young boy in the 1970s.
Authorities allege that Hillsong leaders were alerted to the allegations in 1999, but instead of informing the police, they allowed Frank to retire. Frank confessed to the abuse allegations before his death at age 82 in 2004.
Brian previously told the Associated Press that the allegations he concealed his father’s crimes came “as a shock to me.” He has entered a plea of not guilty and his next hearing is set for March 3.
Hillsong, which has drawn the likes of Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Chris Pratt and Kylie Jenner as members, has faced several waves of controversy in recent years. Pastor Carl Lentz, Bieber’s one-time spiritual confidante, was fired in 2020 over “moral failures” amid reports he had multiple extramarital affairs. Pastor Darnell Barrett stepped down last April after sending explicit photos to at least one of his followers.
The church is the subject of Discovery+’s upcoming three-part docuseries Breaking Hillsong, which will explore the “headline-making world of global star-studded megachurch Hillsong and the downfall of its ultra-hip, celebrity senior pastor, Carl Lentz.”
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