Hillsong founder Brian Houston shares ADHD diagnosis with congregation

Hillsong founder Brian Houston has informed his congregation he was told he has ADHD but he refuses to be swayed from his vision to build a world-renowned church.

Hillsong founder Brian Houston has told how he was advised he has ADHD but channelled his excess energy into a mission to build a global megachurch which rakes in an annual $96 million in tax-free revenue from its operations.

Preaching about distraction, the global senior pastor informed his Sunday congregation he was told he is afflicted by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder but has refused to be swayed from his vision to build a world renowned Pentecostal church.

“I was one of those kids at school who was always distracted, I got told by a psychologist-type guy who was doing some work with our team and staff ... who said ‘if you were a child today you would be considered to have ADHD,’” he told worshippers amassed at Hills Convention Centre in Sydney, in Sydney‘s Norwest Business Park yesterday.

Hillsong founder Brian Houston was told he has ADHD but says he refused to be distracted from building his global megachurch Picture: John Grainger

“I said ‘Oh really, that’s a shock’, but now we call it an entrepreneur,” he said.

“I don‘t know if I’m an entrepreneur, I’m a pastor, a humble pastor, but I do know distraction is not hard for me to get caught up in and I also know I never learned at school like I should have and distraction will take away from the vision and the things of God.”

“In 1982 Hillsong Church, Hills Christian Life Centre... nothing, no people, no pastor, no worship teams, no buildings, nothing,” he said.

Brian Houston has boasted of the success achieved by Hillsong. Picture: Justin Lloyd

“Look at us standing in a building we opened in 2002, the prime minister of Australia opened this building [John Howard], before it was green grass, look at us now, no wonder the devil wants to distract us.”

The faith factory has churches in city centres in 30 countries and on six continents and attracts an average global attendance of 150,000 weekly.

Its Australian conferences lured 28,800 Sydneysiders alone and 3,281 children to its kids’ gatherings in Australia and Bali, according to its most recent annual report published in September 2019.

Then-Prime Minister John Howard shaking Mr Houston's hand after opening the Hillsong headquarters in October 2002.

Around 76 per cent of worshippers were blessed in 2019 for donating to the church coffers the bulk of its revenue in tithes and offerings.

The church which receives tax breaks as a charity and began in Australia in Baulkham Hills in 1980s, is most popular among largely 20-34 year olds who forked out a total $8,839,565 to attend its conferences in 2019.

Its annual report said the church invested strongly in youth programs for the disaffected - ploughing undisclosed amounts of revenue into summer camps and setting up Young and Free conferences to which 4,334 registered.

Global Senior pastor Brian Houston and his team have built churches in city centres in 30 countries and on six continents. Picture: Supplied

“Since we moved to online church in March this year, over 250,000 calls have been made to care for people suffering from the effects of isolation, supporting those who have lost their jobs or whose businesses have been affected, as well as partnering with organisations to provide food to those who are most vulnerable at this time,” Mr Houston said in the report detailing the church’s finances from December 2018-2019.

Hillsong church conferences are popular with women - 17,464 in Sydney took part in its colour conferences aimed at female worshippers in 2019 and 46,500 across Australia.

New campuses have sprung up in Kuta, Bali, Milan in Italy and Mexico’s Monterrey, Edinburgh in Scotland and Brussels in Belgium.