Hillsong founder Brian Houston charged with drink-driving prior to resignation from megachurch
Former Hillsong pastor Brian Houston has confessed to being charged with drink driving in the US. Read what he says led to the incident.
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Former Hillsong pastor Brian Houston was busted drink-driving in the United States in the weeks before his resignation last year from the global megachurch he founded.
Court records obtained by News Corp show Mr Houston was charged in Orange County, California for driving over the legal blood alcohol limit of 0.08 per cent.
He was also hit with a further charge for failing to display both front and rear number plates on his vehicle.
The incident allegedly occurred on February 26 last year, about a month before Mr Houston resigned after an internal investigation questioned his behaviour towards two women.
In a statement posted on Instagram on Wednesday, Mr Houston blamed the stress of the investigation for his actions, as he claimed he was only driving a short distance to park his car.
“In February 2022, and in the lead up to my departure from the role of Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church, I was unfortunately charged with Driving Under The Influence of alcohol in the USA,” he wrote.
“I made the foolish decision to drive just 2 or 3 hundred metres (yards) to park the car and I am grateful to God that no damage or injury occurred.”
“At the time it seemed like all hell had broken loose within Hillsong Church and I was under immense pressure and emotional strain. Clearly that is not an excuse, and I take full responsibility for my actions.”
The statement was posted just hours after Mr Houston’s lawyers were contacted by News Corp’s Faith on Trial podcast.
The drink-driving case is the latest twist in drama surrounding Hillsong detailed in the podcast.
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At the time of his resignation, the Hillsong board said Mr Houston had been under the influence of alcohol, anti-anxiety medication and sleeping pills when he entered a woman’s hotel room during Hillsong’s annual conference in NSW in 2019.
It was one of two incidents involving Mr Houston in which the internal probe concluded he had engaged in conduct of “serious concern”.
He later denied he was an alcoholic but said alcohol had “not proven itself to be my friend”.
In his statement on Wednesday, Mr Houston said he was “now in a much stronger place within my spirit and soul” since the drink-driving incident.
“I am grateful to God for His sustenance and grace, and I am grateful for trusted ministry friends who, along with Bobbie and our family, have offered their constant love and support in a very difficult and disruptive season,” he said.
“We are looking forward together to a fruitful season ahead.”
Mr Houston is yet to be sentenced in the Superior Court of Orange County. Several hearings have already taken place, with the next hearing scheduled for next week.
In a statement, a Hillsong spokesman said the church’s board and leadership was not aware that Mr Houston had been charged in the US until after he resigned as Hillsong’s pastor.
“As he was no longer on staff, this was a personal matter for Pastor Brian to deal with,” the spokesman said.
However, Hillsong confirmed that Houston’s drink driving charge was discussed at a board meeting on March 23, 2022.
A note of the minutes detailed the “inappropriate actions of a former staff member”.
“Legal advice was sought, and no further action is required,” the minutes read.
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