Pastors Phil and Lucinda Dooley will serve as interim worldwide senior pastors in the church, and Houston’s wife, Bobbie Houston, will “remain fully active in church life,” Houston stated as he stepped down.
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Houston initially limited his church leadership after being accused last year, but he retained his position as senior worldwide pastor. Then, in December 2021, Hillsong’s external legal counsel advised the pastor to resign fully due to continuing litigation regarding the charges, which Houston has stated he intends to “vigorously defend.”
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Houston said in a statement on Sunday that the court processes will most certainly “be prolonged out,” noting a backlog in criminal trials exacerbated by the pandemic. The case’s next hearing is scheduled for March 3.
The church previously made headlines when Houston fired Carl Lentz, the celebrity pastor of Hillsong’s New York City branch, who later admitted to being unfaithful to his wife, in November 2020. The church cited “ongoing conversations in respect to leadership difficulties and breaches of trust, as well as a recent discovery of moral shortcomings” in a statement at the time for the sacking.
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