Brian Houston, founder of the Hillsong Church, has fully resigned after allegations he helped to cover up his father’s pedophilia.
“In September last year, I learned it was necessary for me to step aside as a director of all Hillsong boards during this season, enabling me to give attention to these charges,” he wrote on the church’s website. “But recently, we made a decision that may come as a surprise to you, and I want you to hear it from me directly.”
He added, “The court processes are likely to be drawn out and take up most of 2022 (especially considering the backlog in the courts, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic),. We have talked about the effects of the situation with my father, which go back many years up to the current legal case, and the impact this has had on me emotionally. The result is that the Hillsong Global Board feel it is in my and the church’s best interest for this to happen, so I have agreed to step aside from all ministry responsibilities until the end of the year.”
His father, Frank Houston — who died in 2004 at age 82 — allegedly “raped, choked and brutalized” Brett Sengstock and then attempted to bribe him with $10,000 (AUD) when he was just 7 years old.
Authorities say his son knew and helped him cover his tracks and did not alert the police.
