Skip to main content

MEGACHURCH FOUNDER RESIGNS OVER ALLEGATION OF WRONGDOING

 

Megachurch founder resigns in disgrace

Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston

Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston

Brian Houston, the founder of Australian megachurch Hillsong, has resigned from his role as global senior pastor amid allegations of misconduct towards two women.

He was replaced by Phil Dooley.

"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,” the church said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We acknowledge that change is needed. We have committed to an independent review of our governance structure and processes,” it continued.

Hillsong on Friday issued its first statement on the matter, saying the founder had “breached” the church’s “Pastor’s Code of Conduct” following an investigation into harassment complaints from two women.

The first incident occurred “approximately a decade ago” according to the church and “involved “inappropriate text messages from Pastor Brian to a member of staff, which subsequently resulted in the staff member resigning.”

Hillsong claimed that at the time of the incident Houston was “under the influence of sleeping tablets, upon which he had developed a dependence.”

“He immediately apologised to the person. We also worked closely with Pastor Brian to ensure he received professional help to eliminate his dependency on this medication, and this was achieved successfully,” Hillsong’s statement said.

According to Hillsong’s Global Board the second complaint was received in 2019 when Houston entered a woman’s hotel room after a Hillsong conference.

“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.

“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,” the church said.

“Although all parts of the complaint were unable to be sustained, important elements of the complaint were sustained and the conduct was of serious concern,” the statement continued.

Houston had already temporarily stepped aside as Hillsong’s Global Pastor in January of this year, to “vigorously defend” against charges that he allegedly concealed the sex abuse of a young man in the 1970s.

Houston was charged last August with concealing child sex abuse by his late father, Frank Houston, an allegation he strenuously denied.

Houston is one of the most influential religious figures in Australia and a friend of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who regularly attends the Hillsong national conference, and gave the opening address at the event in 20

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Countries Accepting Nigerians Seeking Second Citizenship

  Countries Accepting Nigerians Seeking Second Citizenship Nigerians are able to access the following citizenship and immigration programs: The Caribbean Second Citizenship Programs, Caribbean nations like St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia and Grenada offer second citizenship through their respective Citizenship-by-Investment programs. A holder of one of these passports may travel visa free to about 135 countries, including all European Union countries, the UK, Russia, Turkey, Singapore and Hong Kong. Holding a citizenship from one of these respected countries may also make it easier to obtain residency status or study in other countries, and allows political security and makes it easier to open bank accounts in foreign jurisdictions. To qualify, an applicant needs to be of good reputation and make a government donation of at least $100,000 USD after approval of their citizenship application.  Approval of a Citizenship-by-Investment application normally takes about 3 months, a...

EXCLUSIVE BREAST MILK IS THE BEST ONDO FIRST LADY TELLS NURSING MOTHERS AT BREASTFEEDING WEEK CELEBRATION

    Government Stresses Importance of Breast milk for Children as  Ondo State Celebrates Commencement of World Breastfeeding  Week   . ....525 nursing mothers breastfeed children. Ondo State on Friday joined the rest of Nigeria and the International Community in the celebration of 2024 World Breastfeeding Week. In a message to the event, held at the International Event Centre,  The Dome, in Akure, the First Lady, Mrs. Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa emphasized the critical importance of initiating breastfeeding within the first hour of birth and maintaining exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. The wife of the Governor, who was represented by Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Lola Fagbemi, reiterated that workplaces in the state are being adapted to support nursing mothers, highlighting the state's commitment to providing conducive environments for breastfeeding. She noted that Ondo State places significant priority on maternity leave for nursing ...

$100 MILLION STOLEN BY HACKERS IN CRYPTO HEIST

  Hackers steal nearly $100m in Japan crypto heist IMAGE SOURCE, Liquid has been hit by hackers, with almost $100m (£73m) estimated to have been stolen. Leading Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid has been hit by hackers, with almost $100m (£73m) estimated to have been stolen.  The company announced that some of its digital currency wallets have been "compromised." It is the second major theft of cryptocurrencies to take place in recent days.                 Last week, digital token platform Poly Network was at the centre of a $600m heist. "WE ARE SORRY TO ANNOUNCE THAT #LIQUIDGLOBAL WARM WALLETS WERE COMPROMISED, WE ARE MOVING ASSETS INTO THE COLD WALLET," THE COMPANY SAID ON TWITTER. So-called 'warm' or 'hot' digital wallets are usually based online and designed to allow users to access their cryptocurrencies more easily, while 'cold' wallets are offline and harder to access and therefore usually more secure.   ...