| Net Worth: | $8 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Pastor |
| Date of Birth: | 1954 |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 1.85 m |
About Brian Houston
In 1978, Houston followed his father Frank to Australia, settling in Sydney, New South Wales, where he worked as an assistant pastor at the Sydney Christian Life Centre in Darlinghurst. A minister since 1980, he first served in a Central Coast congregation before moving to Liverpool the following year. Houston established the Hills Christian Life Centre in the northern Sydney suburb of Baulkham Hills in 1983. On Sunday, August 14, 1983, the congregation gathered for the first time.
In the year 1954 on the 17th, Brian Charles Houston entered this world in Auckland, New Zealand.
Frank and Hazel, both officers in the Salvation Army, raised him. The Houstons moved to Lower Hutt, New Zealand, when Houston was three, where his brother and three sisters also grew up. His parents had joined the Assemblies of God in New Zealand and were serving as pastors at the time.
In the wake of Andrew Evans’ retirement in May 1997, the members of the Assemblies of God in Australia (now known as Australian Christian Churches) elected Houston as their new president. Houston’s father, Frank Houston, resigned as senior pastor of Sydney Christian Life Centre on May 10, 1999, and Houston was subsequently appointed to the position. The Rev. Brian Houston claims that Frank “appeared rushed” when he handed over the keys to the church to him. This was before it was publicized that Frank had sexually abused children.
In 2014, Houston spoke before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and said that he learned of an allegation against his father’s conduct with a young Australian boy in October 1999.
When Houston and others in Australia were looking to form a network of Pentecostal churches, they settled on calling their organization Australian Christian Churches in February of 2000. Houston was the first president of this partnership, which boasted a combined membership of over 200,000 churchgoers from its affiliated congregations. As a minister, he is also involved in the Australian Pentecostal Ministers Fellowship (APMF).
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is close with Houston and even referred to him as a mentor in his first address to parliament in 2008. Some of Hillsong’s most well-known songs include “Mighty to Save” and “Shout to the Lord” the latter of which was performed on an episode of American Idol titled “Idol Gives Back” in 2008. Hillsong broke away from the Australian Christian Churches in September 2018 to form its own denomination. The church sees itself as more of a global and charismatic institution. Both Hillsong and ACC have stated that the split was amicable.
The New South Wales Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Houston on August 5, 2021, on charges of concealing child sexual abuse by his father, Frank. Houston, who was in the United States when he was arrested, resigned from the church’s board after the charges against him became public.
Houston resigned as senior worldwide pastor in March 2022 after the church conducted an investigation regarding his behavior against two women affiliated with the organization. He was accused of engaging in sexually improper behavior with both women in 2013 and 2019.
