Brian Houston urges Hillsong followers to donate

The head of Hillsong has urged his congregation to donate to the multimillion-dollar church amid the fallout from cheating pastor Carl Lentz.

The head of Hillsong has urged his congregation to donate to the multimillion-dollar church amid the fallout from cheating pastor Carl Lentz.
The megachurch has come under fire after New York pastor Carl Lentz was sacked for having an affair with fashion designer Ranim Karim. Head Pastor Brian Houston said there would be a full investigation into the church earlier this month.

Mr Houston has returned to Australia with his wife Bobbie and attended the church’s Sydney campus on Sunday where he urged followers to donate.

Hillsong Pastor Brian Houston urged parishioners to donate to the church during a sermon on Sunday

Mr Houston interviewed American Pastor Robert Morris about the process of tithing – the biblical instruction of giving 10 per cent to the church.

He asked Mr Morris what would he say to people who say they cannot afford to tithe?

“I understand that, I understand that completely. I would say that you would never be able to afford to tithe until you tithe – because we’re living in a fallen world,” Mr Morris said.

The Hillsong conference in Sydney.

Hillsong spruiks hi-tech methods of “giving” for their followers.

Parishioners can donate through the Hillsong giving app, donate via an envelope at their service, BPAY or direct deposit, or they can mail it through to the church’s headquarters at Castle Hill.

Later in the half-an-hour long interview Mr Morris said that giving the church money was an example of “stepping out in faith” and “putting god first in every area of your life”.

Hillsong followers have been urged to donate money to the church.

In their 2019 report, the church said its revenue was $95,903,071 with 76 per cent of this coming through “tithes and offerings”.

The church said in a 2015 media statement that no one was pressured to donate.

“We call the offering a ‘free will’ offering for a reason – and many people let the offering containers pass them by without contributing anything,” it said.

“People give because they want to, not because they have to, and anyone has a right to support a church financially if they wish, just as they have a right to give to any other organisation.”

The Australian megachurch has endured a torrid month since sacking Carl Lentz and his Sydney-born wife Laura Lentz.

The couple, who have three children, sold their NY home and moved to Los Angeles in wake of Mr Lentz’s affair.

Originally published as Brian Houston urges Hillsong followers to donate