Former Hillsong pastor Brian Houston allegedly committed “indiscretions” towards two women, the current world church leader revealed in a meeting with staff.
Pastor Phil Dooley, who assumed leadership of the Houston church in January, briefed staff on the apparent incidents during a videoconference Friday morning, the ABC reported.
The claims, revealed in a Zoom meeting with some 800 employees, come just months after Mr Houston resigned as leader of the megachurch as he fights criminal charges that he covered up the child sexual abuse by his father.
Pastor Dooley explained that the first of two alleged incidents involved Mr Houston allegedly sending a female staff member an “inappropriate” text message.
“It was like ‘if I was with you I’d like to give you a kiss and a hug or a hug,’ words of that nature,” Pastor Dooley said at the meeting, according to Crikey. Hillsong said the incident took place ten years ago.
Pastor Brian Houston is seen during a meeting at the Park Hyatt hotel in Sydney. He was there for a church board meeting which was exclusively photographed by Daily Mail Australia
Houston (above, with wife Bobbie) is accused of two ‘indiscretions’ towards different women – one around a decade ago and another more recently in 2019
The woman complained and later received “a few months’ salary” as compensation, according to the report.
The second incident happened during the famous church conference held at the Qudos Bank Arena in 2019, which Prime Minister Scott Morrison opened.
Pastor Dooley explained that Mr Houston met a woman, who was not a member of the church, in the lobby of the Pullman Hotel. He had been drinking in a group and allegedly “ended up knocking on the (unnamed) woman’s bedroom door”.
He walked in, the pastor reportedly said, and “the truth is, we don’t know what happened next.”
Pastor Phil Dooley, who took over the leadership of the Houston church in January, spoke to staff about the apparent “indiscretions” during a videoconference Friday morning.
Mr Houston, who is married to fellow senior pastor Bobbie, denied any sexual activity had taken place with the unnamed woman.
The woman also allegedly had no sexual activity, nor is it suggested otherwise.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hillsong media representatives to comment on the allegations.
The revelation comes after Houston resigned as head of Hillsong in January as he fights criminal charges that he covered up his father’s child sexual abuse.
Houston told worshipers that the accusation of covering up serious foul play came as a “complete shock” and that he would “defend him vigorously.”
The 67-year-old is accused of knowing since September 1999 that his father Frank sexually abused a seven-year-old boy in 1970 and helping to cover it up.
Brian Houston (pictured with wife Bobbie) resigned as head of Hillsong in January as he fights criminal charges that he covered up his father’s child sex abuse
Pastor Dooley said Mr Houston met a woman, who was not a member of the church, in the lobby of the Pullman Hotel. He had been drinking in a group and allegedly ‘ended up knocking on the (unnamed) woman’s bedroom door’
Frank Houston sexually abused many young boys in New Zealand and Australia from 1965 to 1977 when he led the Assemblies of God church.
In January, Brian Houston told Hillsong faithful he would be stepping down temporarily so he could be “fully committed” to “setting the record straight”.
Houston said Hillsong’s outside legal counsel advised the move to the church board during the annual retreat in December.
‘[They said] it would be best practice for me to step completely away from the leadership of the church during the legal process,” he told hundreds of congregants.
!['[They said] it would be best practice for me to completely step back from leading the church during the legal process,' Houston (right) told hundreds of congregants in January](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/18/05/53535879-10626203-_They_said_it_would_be_best_practice_for_me_to_step_aside_comple-a-16_1647582836293.jpg)
‘[They said] it would be best practice for me to completely step back from leading the church during the legal process,’ Houston (right) told hundreds of congregants in January
“It is therefore likely to be extended and take up most of 2022, particularly given the backlog of courts exacerbated by the Covid pandemic.
“And alongside that, the board and I had detailed discussions about the leadership requirements and we talked about the effects of the situation with my father, dating back many years to the court case. current situation, and the impact it had on me emotionally.
“The result, therefore, is that the Hillsong Global Board of Directors believe it is in my interest and that of the church for this to happen, so I have agreed to step down from all ministry responsibilities until the end of the year.”
This matter remains before the courts.
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