They had been able to overlook Lentz and other scandals. The vast majority of Hillsong attenders don’t have a personal connection to Brian Houston but to their local pastor. Thanks to its modern music and upbeat style of worship, Hillsong’s popularity is due in large part to the way it helps people feel good about their faith. On top of the moral questions, there is also, to borrow an Australian expression, the vibe of the thing. Many are taking time for deep personal reflection. Having spoken to a number of Hillsongers, there is a feeling of profound sadness for what has occurred. If leaders – or significant numbers of worshipers – in places including South Africa and other branches in the US take their leave, Hillsong may find itself in freefall. Now, other more established local pastors hold the key to Hillsong’s fate. Collier’s decision may well spark an exodus. Many leaders and churchgoers were awaiting the outcome of Houston’s criminal trial in Sydney for allegedly concealing child abuse by his father before making judgments for themselves. He was also among the first to undergo a more stringent vetting procedure after Lentz’s downfall. Collier was its first African American senior pastor. Hip-hop-focused Hillsong Atlanta, not even 12 months old, was supposed to be a new dawn. That Collier, a popular and gifted young preacher, can no longer be associated with Hillsong marks a significant turn. They attend Hillsong because they like a particular pastor, attend a youth group, love the music, or to be among friends. Hillsong built an empire through an audience that is young, multicultural and majority female. Scandals it largely tried to blame on individual shortcomings show a widespread culture that is rotten to its core. I would go further: it is facing catastrophe. In a transcript of a leaked private video conference last week, church leaders acknowledged the obvious: Hillsong is in crisis. Over the past two years a number of prominent Hillsong pastors have been sacked or moved to new roles for their own indiscretions, most notably the celebrity preacher Carl Lentz – but Houston remained the church’s undisputed leader. That the church has chosen to act now against Houston, despite having known about the matters for some time, feels significant, and possibly indicative of an internal power struggle. “ is the only thing you have when building a church.” ![]() “A lot of our members were becoming really fatigued with a lot of the scandals and having to talk about it so much,” Collier said. On Thursday Hillsong Atlanta’s lead pastor, Sam Collier, resigned, citing the ongoing scandals and accusations about various members of Hillsong.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |