Hillsong Founder Brian Houston Resigns as Global Senior Pastor Amid Misconduct Claims and Charge Over Concealing Abuse

The board of directors of Hillsong Church accepted the resignation of Brian Houston as Global Senior Pastor, according to a statement posted on the organization’s website. The board apologized “unreservedly” to two women described as victims of misconduct, saying the incidents violated the church’s code of conduct. Accountability for the church’s own standards is stated plainly in that apology (Luke 12:48). Report 1, published by Crikey in August 2024, said that Houston wrote to his congregation that he had stepped aside from the church boards that oversee governance of its operations, and that the decision did not change his role as global senior pastor. The two reports therefore differ on whether his senior pastor role ended.

According to the board’s statement, one incident occurred in 2013, when Houston sent an “inappropriate text” to a female employee, who subsequently resigned. The report does not provide further details about the content of that message or the circumstances of the employee’s departure.

The board’s statement also described a second incident, reported to have taken place in 2019. It said Houston, who was described as under the influence of alcohol and an overdose of anxiolytics, entered the hotel room of a woman who was not a church member. The church stated that Houston spent approximately forty minutes with that woman during the night and called the event “disturbing.” These descriptions come from the church’s account and the report, and they have not been tested in court.

Houston faces criminal proceedings in Sydney. NSW Police charged him with concealing information on child sex abuse, and he is due before a magistrates court on that charge, which could see him imprisoned for up to five years. Report 2 describes the allegation as one that he investigated information about the sexual abuse of a minor by his father in the 1970s but failed to bring it to the attention of authorities. Houston strongly denies the charge, and the matter is currently under legal scrutiny. No conviction has been reported.

Crikey reported that Houston stepped aside as a director from 18 or 19 Hillsong boards in the days after he was charged. He stepped aside from Hillsong’s entities on August 17, twelve days after the charge was laid. Crikey also reported that removing him from the boards appears to put a number of Hillsong’s registered charities in breach of their constitutions, which give the senior pastor substantial power.