Hillsong Church Founder Brian Houston Resigns

Brian Houston has stepped down from his position as Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church after he was accused of behaving inappropriately toward two women. 

The Hillsong board announced Houston’s resignation on March 23, writing, “We acknowledge that change is needed. We have committed to an independent review of our governance structure and processes, understanding that this is a time of humble reflection and we are committed to doing what is necessary to ensure God is honoured, and our eyes are fixed on Jesus.”

The complaints were made by two women separately “over the last 10 years,” the Australian megachurch said previously in a March 18 statement.

The first alleged incident, the church said, took place “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.” Hillsong said Houston was “under the influence of sleeping tablets” at the time he sent the texts and “immediately apologized” to the person.