Founder of Hillsong Megachurch, Father Brian Houston stepped down from his post following the recent controversies around him, know his latest news and net worth
However, he pled not guilty to the accusations.
Hillsong, the world’s largest megachurch, said on Wednesday that Brian Houston, its co-founder, had resigned following allegations of wrongdoing levelled against him by two women.
Father Brian Houston Founder Of Hillsong Megachurch Steps Down, Biography, Net Worth And News
Houston’s departure from Hillsong comes as he prepares to stand trial for allegedly concealing his father’s alleged child sexual abuse.
Houston has pled not guilty to the accusations and stated that he intends to “vigorously defend” himself. The trial will start later this year.
Who Is Brian Houston?
Brian Charles Houston is a pastor and evangelist from New Zealand and Australia. He was the founder and senior pastor of Hillsong Church, which has sites all over the world and is located in Sydney.
From 1997 until 2009, he served as the national president of Australian Christian Churches, the Australian affiliate of the Assemblies of God.
On the 17th of February 1954, he was born in Auckland, New Zealand. Frank and Hazel, his parents, were Salvation Army leaders at the time. He is one of 5 siblings, with three sisters and one brother.
He went to a Bible college for three years after finishing high school. Shortly after graduating from college, he met his future wife, Bobbie, during a Christian gathering on Papamoa Beach in New Zealand. In 1977, they tied the knot.
Houston and his wife, Bobbie, currently live in the Sydney suburb of Glenhaven. Joel, Ben, and Laura are their three children. All of them are married and active in Hillsong Church’s leadership.
Global Megachurch Hillsong
Hillsong, which was founded in Sydney in the 1980s by Brian and Bobbie, has evolved from its Australian origins to become a global megachurch with an average weekly attendance of 150,000 people.
The church is noted for hosting big ceremonies with pop music and high-profile special guests such as Justin Bieber and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
What Are The Allegations Against Brian Houston?
Brian resigned as a result of two allegations of wrongdoing levelled against him by two women.
The first complaint was filed about Houston sending an “inappropriate text message” to a lady who worked at the church, according to the initial allegation. The woman had resigned as a result of this.
Houston’s church leadership said that at the time, “was under the influence of sleeping tablets, upon which he had developed a dependence.”
The second accusation concerned an event during the megachurch’s annual conference in 2019 in which an alcoholic Houston entered a woman’s hotel room.
The church’s board of directors said on Wednesday, “irrespective of the circumstances around” Houston’s resignation, both he and his wife — Hillsong’s co-founder Bobbie Houston — “have served God faithfully over many decades.”
Other Controversies Related To Him
Last year, Houston was accused of withholding information from cops concerning his father, Frank, who was also a preacher and died in 2004. During his time as a pastor in the 1970s, Frank Houston was accused of sexually assaulting a young child.
According to a royal commission report released in 2015, the younger Houston was informed of the claims in 1999 but neglected to disclose them to authorities, prompting a police inquiry.
Brian Houston’s Net Worth
Brian Houston’s nеt worth is estimated to be over $12 million.