Disclaimer: This article mentions child sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
Hillsong Church was originally founded in Australia by Brian Houston in 1983. The Christian megachurch quickly expanded globally as its contemporary worship music became increasingly popular during the 1980s and 1990s.
As Houston established the church’s footing in the US, Carl Lentz played a vital role in bringing the megachurch to the country as he founded Hillsong NYC in 2010. Eventually, it became a celebrity hotspot as figures like Justin Bieber and the Kardashian-Jenners frequented the church’s services. However, the Hillsong Church empire crumbled after several scandals came to light. Among the controversies were Frank Houston’s allegations of abuse.
Who was Hillsong Church’s Frank Houston?
Per Vanity Fair, Frank Houston was Brian Houston’s father. He started Hillsong Church’s forerunner, Sydney Christian Life Centre, in 1977. After working at SCLC until 1983, Brian and his wife, Bobbie, founded Hills Christian Life Centre in Sydney. Brian further rebranded the church as Hillsong in 2001 after merging the SCLC and Hills, reported People Magazine.
What was Frank Houston accused of?
According to The Guardian, Brian told a court he believed Frank Houston was a “serial paedophile.” The founder of the Hillsong Church said it was likely that Frank sexually abused several children, and to what extent his father committed the crime may never be revealed. In 1999, Frank confessed to his son about one such case of abuse that happened several decades ago in New Zealand.
Following that, Frank was banned from preaching. However, the outlet reported that authorities were not informed about the abuse, which is why Brian was accused of concealing the truth about Frank’s crimes until his death in November 2004. Brian told the court that he didn’t believe his father was a risk to the community in his old age due to his declining mental state. He said, “Physically he [Frank] was healthy but his memory was failing very quickly.” In 2023, Brian Houston was found not guilty of concealing Frank’s crimes, reported BBC.
The 2023 docuseries The Secrets of Hillsong showcases the controversial megachurch’s rise and fall. It is available to watch on Hulu.
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