Pastor Brian Houston Hillsong Church

Hillsong, Australia's biggest evangelical church, said on Wednesday its founder, Brian Houston, had resigned after acting inappropriately toward two women.

It said Houston had blamed sleeping pills for his actions, which were not described further. The church said Houston, 68, had sent unacceptable text messages to a female staff member and had entered the hotel room of, and spent time with, another woman who was also involved with the church after an event. “We acknowledge that change is needed.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison once named Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston as a friend and mentor, but details about the pastor's treatment of women has ...

Pastor Dooley said he unfortunately did not keep his promise. In 2019, Mr Houston "became disorientated... Though the church apologised for his behaviour, it thanked Mr Houston and his wife for their commitment and service to Hillsong and said it would pray for their wellbeing. The investigation did not uphold all parts of her complaint but "important elements of the complaint were sustained and the conduct was of serious concern". The woman, who was not a member of the church, opened the door and Mr Houston went into her room and spent 40 minutes there. The church said at the time, Mr Houston was under the influence of sleeping tablets, which he had developed a dependency on. The church said Mr Houston was drinking with a group of people and after being locked out of his hotel room, ended up knocking on the door of a woman who he met earlier in foyer of the Pullman Hotel. The church said Mr Houston engaged in conduct of "serious concern", and offered an unreserved apology to his "victims". In a detailed letter sent to members, the church said Mr Houston sent "inappropriate text messages" to a female staffer in 2013. He said the decision was made to offer "grace". Yet it was a lack of transparency from Hillsong that has sparked a major rift within the mega-church and led to the unravelling of Mr Houston's legacy. The extraordinary revelations have rocked the church, with some asking why Mr Houston was permitted to resign and was not sacked.

Brian Houston, the founder of Australian megachurch Hillsong, stepped down from his role as global senior pastor amid an internal investigation into ...

"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.In a video conference shared with the Australian media, Houston's interim replacement Phil Dooley said the church didn't know whether the incident had involved any "sexual activity." 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." Brian has said there was no sexual activity, but he was in the room for 40 minutes," Dooley said. 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. 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." Global Senior Pastor Brian Houston speaks on stage during the Hillsong Atlanta grand opening at Hillsong Atlanta on June 06, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. Brian Houston, the founder of Australian megachurch Hillsong, stepped down from his role as global senior pastor amid an internal investigation into allegations of misconduct towards two women, the church announced on Wednesday."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."