Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston has announced he and his wife Bobbie will launch a new church next year.
The 69-year-old was the former global senior pastor of one of the world’s largest congregations that once boasted 50,000 members in 30 countries.
But nearly two years ago, Houston resigned after being placed on a disciplinary sabbatical due to issues of alcohol abuse and inappropriate conduct involving women.
In 2021, the New South Wales Police Force also accused Houston of covering up information about an incident where his father reportedly abused a boy in the 1970s. In August, Brian Houston was declared “not guilty” by an Australian court on the one charge of concealing his father’s child sex crimes.
But earlier in the year, he had been sentenced to three years probation, a $140 fine, and other penalties by a California court after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol.
Despite the swirl of accusations and allegations, Houston announced in an email to church members that he and Bobbie “have no intention of retiring” and since stepping down have spoken at several churches in the U.S.
“I still have a sense of bright hope for the future and I know
The remainder of this article is available in its entirety at CBN