Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
ID’s documentary Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed examines the church’s turbulent history. Hillsong Church, which once had multiple celebrity congregants, including Justin Bieber, Kevin Durant, and Vanessa Hudgens, finds itself amid several scandals today. These comprise the case against Hillsong’s founder, Brian Houston, who faced trial for failing to report sexual abuse of a child by his father, Frank Houston. The scandal also involves prominent pastor Carl Lentz, a one-time pal of Justin Bieber, when the church fired him for “moral failures” in 2020.
Since the first scandals surfaced, nine out of its 16 locations in the U.S. have cut ties with them today, per The New York Times. Founder Brian Houston started Hillsong as a Christian church in Australia in 1983. He initially called it the Hills Christian Life Centre. The church expanded its branches across the globe and soon became a megachurch. Houston later renamed the church Hillsong in 2001. Then, in 2010, Hillsong launched its first location in the U.S. in New York City. Carl Lentz played an instrumental role in establishing its branches in the U.S.
Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+. Another hit TV mini-series, The Secrets of Hillsong, chronicles the controversies surrounding the church. The four-part FX documentary series is currently streaming on Hulu.
What are the Hillsong Church locations & is it open today?
According to the Hillsong website, the church’s locations open in the U.S. today are in California and the East Coast. Their campuses in California are in Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Francisco. Meanwhile, the East Coast campuses are located in New York City (Manhattan), New Jersey, Boston, and Norwalk.
People Magazine reported that the church’s founder, Brian Houston, started Hillsong in 1983. Houston initially called the Australia-based church Christian Life Centre (Hills CLC), and it eventually became affiliated with the Australian Christian Churches network. The institution was inspired by Frank Houston’s Christian Life Centre. In the following years, Hills evolved into a megachurch and attracted members from across the globe. It garnered prominence for the popular contemporary Christian worship music in the 1980s and 90s.
In 2001, Brian Houston renamed the church Hillsong and expanded ministries to 30 countries across six continents. In the U.S., Hillsong had more than a dozen campuses, many of which are closed today because of subsequent controversies. The megachurch’s congregants included celebrities such as Justin Bieber, his wife Hailey Bieber, Bono, Nick Jonas, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Chris Pratt, Austin Butler, Katherine Schwarzenegger, and some of the sisters from the Kardashian-Jenner family.
The Hillsong church has faced backlash over the years for a multitude of reasons, including homophobia and racism. Later, in 2020, the church fired its prominent pastor, Carl Lentz, because of “moral failures.” Following this, Lentz revealed that he had been unfaithful to his wife, thus admitting to a cheating scandal. His affair with a woman named Ranin Karim soon made headlines after the latter started publicly talking about their relationship.
Carl Lentz also faced allegations from former Hillsong pastor Leona Kimes. She accused him of emotional and sexual abuse. Lentz has denied the accusations, stating that he has “irrefutable proof the events did not happen as Leona Kimes has described.”
Reportedly, another Hillsong Church scandal involved Darnell Barrett, a former pastor for its Montclair, New Jersey, campus. Barrett reportedly quit after sending explicit photos to a volunteer. He also posted the pictures to his Instagram story. After the scandal surfaced, Barrett, who was a pastor and creative director in Montclair, resigned from his position.
Another outrageous controversy involved the Hillsong founder Brian Houston and his father, Frank Houston. The latter faced allegations of sexual abuse while Brian Houston was accused of covering up his father’s crimes. Eight men allegedly came forward, claiming that Frank Houston had sexually abused them between 1965 and 1977. Later, two women also accused Brian Houston of sexual impropriety.
A series of different allegations resulted in Brian Houston resigning as the global senior pastor of Hillsong Church in March 2022. NPR reported that he also stood trial on charges of concealing child sexual abuse, and a jury found him not guilty in August 2023.
