Shortly before today’s premiere of a scathing docu-series dealing with various scandals, the pastor of Hillsong Megachurch in Atlanta is retiring to start a new church.
Sam Collier, 38, made the announcement on Instagram on Wednesday ahead of the premiere of Discovery+’s Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed, just a year after the controversial Atlanta branch opened.
“Probably the main reason I stepped down as pastor of Hillsong Church in Atlanta is no secret to any of you,” Collier said. “With all the documentaries, scandals, articles, accusations and subsequent church management of these attacks, it has become too difficult to lead and develop a young church in this environment.”
Collier said he now plans to open a new church in Atlanta on Easter Sunday called Story Church. He expects 90 percent of his employees to join him.
Nearly 500 people attended services at Hillsong Atlanta in person, with another 15,000 watching online, according to the church.
Shortly before today’s premiere of a scathing docu-series dealing with various scandals, Sam Collier (pictured) of the outpost of Hillsong Megachurch in Atlanta is stepping down to start a new church.
Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston resigned following the scandal.
The Hillsong Church Hills campus in Australia, where the evangelical religion was founded.
Collier doesn’t know if Hillsong Atlanta will exist without him, saying it’s up to the world church itself.
The church was rocked by the scandal ahead of the documentary’s launch as founder Brian Houston resigned as world leader of the megachurch on Wednesday, days after the church admitted he “violated its moral code” but made no comment yet.
The documentary, which premiered all three episodes on Discovery+ on Thursday, chronicles the various scandals involving Houston, former leader Karl Lenz, who brought celebrities like Justin Bieber to church, and the late Father Houston.
The church’s acting senior pastor, Phil Dooley, announced his resignation at the second staff meeting of the week on Wednesday.
He said it was a time of “humble reflection” for the church, which was founded in the west of Sydney and has since spread around the world.
Houston tendered his resignation at 4 am Wednesday ahead of a scheduled board meeting, Kraiki said.
The church has been investigating “two complaints against Pastor Brian” in the last 10 years.
Justin Bieber and Karl Lenz at the 2017 Aces Celebrity Charity Basketball Game at Madison Square Garden
Hillsong founder Brian Houston stepped down as the organization’s international leader in January (pictured with wife Bobby).
“We would like to inform you that Pastor Brian Houston has resigned as senior pastor of Hillsong Church and the board has accepted his resignation,” Dooley said in a statement.
“We understand that this news will cause a lot of emotions, and we all share these feelings.
“We ask that you continue to pray for them and the entire Houston family during this difficult time.”
One complaint was filed after a church employee said he had been sent “inappropriate” texts, and the second was when Houston walked into a woman’s hotel room at a 2019 conference.
Dooley addressed the situation in an online service that aired on Sunday.
“I want to say that we are sorry for everyone who has been the victim of any form of persecution,” he said.
“Some of us here…understand the pain because you experienced it, and others of us do our best to empathize with you.
“Where you have been hurt, we pray for healing, strength and courage to move forward in your life.”
Hillsong’s global council said the two complaints were taken “extremely seriously”.
He added that previous statements, including when Houston temporarily stepped down in January, were not made out of privacy concerns for both him and the two women while the cases were being investigated.
Houston (pictured with wife Bobby) sent inappropriate texts to a former employee and entered a guest’s hotel room after the 2019 Hillsong conference, the board said.
“The first issue arose approximately ten years ago and involved inappropriate text messages from Pastor Brian to an employee, which subsequently led to his dismissal,” the board said in a statement.
The board explained that Houston was “under the influence of sleeping pills, to which he developed an addiction” when he sent the texts.
Mr Houston immediately apologized and sought professional help to recover from his drug addiction, the church said.
“We once again apologize to this former employee and welcome the opportunity to provide further assistance if needed,” the board said in a statement.
The second incident occurred when Houston knocked on the door of a guest’s hotel after the 2019 Hillsong conference and stepped inside.
“In-depth investigation revealed that Pastor Brian became disoriented… after taking over-the-counter anti-anxiety drugs mixed with alcohol,” the post reads.
Dooley had previously said that Houston was in the room for 40 minutes and the woman made no statement about the attack.
“The Board determined that Brian violated Pastor Hillsong’s Code of Conduct,” he said.
Hillsong interim global leader Phil Dooley (pictured) issued an apology in an online service as the church’s board released a statement of apology.
“The board also granted a request for a refund of the money donated to the church by this man…Pastor Brian was very remorseful and insisted that the money be returned to the church for this.”
The board said that since the latest investigation, Houston has taken “concrete action, including resigning from leadership for a specified period.”
“However, unfortunately, he did not take all of the agreed steps, leading to further board action at the end of 2021.
“We unconditionally apologize to the people affected by Pastor Brian’s actions and pledge to be available for any further assistance we can provide.”
The board stated that Hillsong is reviewing its governance to ensure a higher level of transparency and accountability.
Hillsong was founded in 1983 in the Hills area of Sydney and has grown into an international organization with over 100 churches and 150,000 weekly attendance worldwide.