By Malwande Xuba
Originating from Australia, the Hillsong church started as a pillar of hope for many. It was founded in 1983 by Brian Houston who originally named it the Hills Christian Life Centre. In the 1980s and 1990s, the church specialised in Christian worship music. This popularised the church and brought in American congregants. The church was named Hillsong in 2001 and it has become a mega church since then opening branches in six different continents in approximately 30 countries.
The vibrant Hillsong Church during a worship service. Source: Edward Cisneros on Unsplash.
Hillsong became a church that felt like home for many young people who were lost in what felt like the judgmental space of Christianity. The church made it seem cool to be a Christian. Pastors came to worship sessions in casual clothes and many had tattoos. This made the church feel like a safe space for young people from all spectrums of life. Many celebrities showed interest in the church which made it famous globally. Celebrities such as Hailey and Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Nick Jonas, Vanessa Hudgens and Kylie Jenner are among the celebrities that have attended the church’s services.
Even in its glory the Hillsong church has had a number of scandals over the years that have threatened its integrity and have contributed to its demise. In 2021, pastor Houston, who was the senior pastor, and his wife Bobbi, were accused of actively sourcing celebrities and treating them better than their normal congregants. They were accused of doing this to popularise their church and to gain support for their contemporary worship band, Hillsong United. The band has released six studio albums with five of them reaching first place on the Billboard Christian Chart. Hillsong United is known to be the church’s main source of funding. Pastor Houston denied this on The Today Show and shared how frustrating it was to be accused of such.
The Hillsong Church was also accused of being homophobic and anti-LGBTQI. A former Hillsong Church member, Noemi Uribe, revealed that when she came out as being bisexual, the church was allegedly not very supportive. According to Uribe, the pastor at the time told her that the church would welcome her as long as she did not practise homosexuality. This was another fire the Hillsong church had to put out as they received a lot of backlash from the public. This was threatening to the church’s popularity and funding.
The Hillsong church has now turned into a symbol of lies and deception. It is associated with cheating, adultery, homophobia and sexual abuse. The Hillsong Church has had a long battle with sexual abuse, the demon that tugs at their reputation and a fire that has been the hardest for them to put out. The leaders of the church are known for their execution and concealment of sexual abuse and violence. Brian Houston, the founder of the church is accused of allegedly covering up his father’s long record of sexual abuse and violence. Houston’s father, Frank, was a pastor himself who is known for sexually abusing young children. Frank Houston did not admit to this until his death in 2004. According to “The Secrets of Hillsong”, which is a documentary that exposed the scandals of the Hillsong Church, Frank Houston allegedly left behind 13 victims who never received justice. Brian Houston worked hard in covering up his father’s shortcomings.
Karl Lentz, another former pastor of the church, was accused of adultery. Lentz was also accused of cultivating a relationship with Leona Kimes, who was the Lentz’s family nanny. Which is both unprofessional and morally alarming. Leona Kimes accused him of abusing her emotionally and sexually while Lentz denied the allegations claiming that he was a victim of sexual abuse himself. Karl Lentz was fired from the Hillsong church in 2021 for conducting himself immorally and not acting in accordance with the “values” of the church. He joins a long legacy of Hillsong church pastors who are accused of sexual violence and abuse.
The demise of the Hillsong church was one that was never expected. It went from being a symbol of hope representing love and inclusivity to being a symbol of immorality representing lies and deception. It teaches us to always remember that things are never as they seem. The vibrant hill is no longer as vibrant or as tall.