A few well-known individuals who have been photographed attending Hillsong services include Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Chris Pratt, and Kylie and Kendall Jenner. In the late 2010s, the global megachurch was well-recognized for drawing celebrities.
But even though it still claims 150,000 weekly worshippers, since it opened in 1983, it has been involved in several scandals. Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed, a three-part Discovery+ documentary series, reexamines the complicated past of the organization, including the recent failures of co-founder Brian Houston and its most well-known pastor, Carl Lentz.
What took place at Hillsong Church? In Sydney, Australia, Hillsong Church—more frequently referred to as Hillsong—is a Pentecostal megachurch connected to Australian Christian Churches. What Attended At Hillsong Church Is Of Interest To Many? Keep on reading by scrolling down to find more information about Hillsong Church.
History of Hillsong Church
International charismatic Christian megachurch Hillsong Church, sometimes abbreviated as Hillsong, is situated in Australia. Brian Houston and his wife Bobbie, the major church pastors, established The Hills Christian Life Center in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, in 1983.
Hillsong belonged to the Australian Christian Churches before departing from the Christian Life Centre (CLC) faction in 2018. Hillsong is well-known for its idolatry music, and it has produced numerous well-known and successful songs with groups including Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United, and Hillsong Young and Free.
Hillsong Church: Where Is It?
In 30 different countries now, Hillsong has churches located in the heart of the cities. 150,000 people attend the church every week across the entire world. Established in 1983 in Sydney, the megachurch now has branches in more than 20 nations.
Along with New York, Hillsong is present in numerous other cities across the US, notably Arizona, California, Connecticut, Missouri, Nevada, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Texas.
What Happened At Hillsong Church?
The American presence of Hillsong is now in disarray. Hillsong no longer has a strong foothold between the coasts; its only remaining U.S. facilities are in the Northeast and California. The withdrawals are in part a result of a string of crises, most recently the abrupt resignation of its visionary founder, which has left the church with a tainted reputation and an unstable environment that pastors say they found harder to bear.
Hillsong was forced to “apologize without reservation” after the church discovered that Brian Houston had participated in behavior that was “of serious concern.”
According to a note the church’s global board released in response to media reports on Friday, Houston had twice in the preceding ten years transgressed Hillsong’s pastor guidelines for conduct. The global board of the church stated, “We have regrettably been dealing with two accusations filed against Pastor Brian over the last 10 years.
The first instance, according to the board, happened “about ten years ago,” when “inappropriate text messages” from Houston were sent to a staff member, “which ultimately led to the employee departing.”
The report claims that “Pastor Brian was using sleeping medications at the time and had gotten reliant upon them.” The board asserted that it “worked with Pastor Brian to ensure he had professional support to minimize his reliance on this medicine, and this was carried out and the results.”
The second investigation focused on a complaint regarding behavior that Hillsong claimed was caused by alcohol and medication that the church received in 2019.
Following a thorough investigation, it was discovered that Pastor Brian lost his bearings following a session at the Hillsong Conference after consuming wine and anti-anxiety medication over the recommended dosage. Because of this, he went to the door of a hotel room that wasn’t even his, went inside, and spent a lot of time with the female client.
Regardless of the current situation, the Hillsong global board said that “this lady was not entitled to be put in the dilemma she found herself in by Pastor Brian.”
The behavior was “of serious concern,” according to the integrity unit’s investigation, which was carried out on behalf of the worldwide board. “We sincerely regret Pastor Brian’s conduct and pledge to be there for any more help we can offer,” the statement reads.
Hillsong claims that the inspections “were conducted by either board members or perhaps a group established by the global board to hear and resolve charges concerning licensed pastors and were helped by highly renowned outside pastors and experts.”
Houston “remains on a time of leave,” according to Hillsong. He “committed to taking a specific action, including standing aside from leadership for some time,” following an examination into the second event. Sadly, he did not complete all of the agreed-upon tasks, which prompted the board to take further action in late 2021. Brian Houston was contacted by Guardian Australia, and Hillsong was contacted for additional comment.