Brian Houston, Australian pastor and co-founder of international megachurch Hillsong, announced on Sunday that he will be stepping down from his pastoral duties for the rest of the year to fight a charge of concealing child sexual abuse by his father.
Houston, 67, told his church in a streamed video during a Sunday service that he intends to “vigorously defend” himself against allegations that he concealed child sexual abuse by his pastor father in the 1970s. At the advice of a December church board meeting and Hillsong’s external legal counsel, Houston said, it would be “best practice” for him to step away from church leadership during his court proceedings.
