Brian Charles Houston (born February 17, 1954, in Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand-born Australian pastor, author, and evangelist.
He co-founded Hillsong Church with his wife, Bobbie, in a Sydney school hall in 1983 and grew it into one of the largest and most influential Pentecostal movements in the world.
He is known today for a different reason: his 2022 resignation from Hillsong, his criminal trial over his father’s child sex crimes, and his ongoing attempt to rebuild ministry through an online platform.
Houston spent nearly four decades as Hillsong’s global senior pastor. He stepped down under pressure in March 2022 after Hillsong’s board found he had breached the church’s code of conduct with two women.
Five months earlier, he had already stepped back from his church boards while facing a criminal charge for concealing his father Frank Houston’s abuse of a child.
He was acquitted of that charge in August 2023. Since then, Houston and Bobbie have launched JesusFollowers.TV, a weekly online ministry, while continuing to preach at churches across the United States.
Brian Houston at a Glance
| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Brian Charles Houston |
| Born | February 17, 1954, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Age | 72 (as of 2026) |
| Nationality | New Zealand-born Australian |
| Spouse | Bobbie Houston (m. 1977) |
| Children | Joel Houston, Ben Houston, Laura Toganivalu (née Houston) |
| Parents | Frank Houston (father), Hazel Houston (mother) |
| Ministry | |
| Former title | Global Senior Pastor, Hillsong Church |
| Church founded | Hillsong Church, Sydney (1983) |
| Denomination | Pentecostal (Australian Christian Churches / Assemblies of God) |
| Former denominational role | National President, Australian Christian Churches (1997–2009) |
| Resigned Hillsong | March 2022 |
| Current ministry | JesusFollowers.TV (founded with Bobbie Houston, 2024) |
| Career | |
| Books | Live Love Lead, There Is More, and others |
| Net worth | ~$10–12 million (est., unverified) |
| Legal outcome | Acquitted, August 2023 (concealment charge) |
Early Life and Family Background
Brian Houston was born on February 17, 1954, in Auckland, New Zealand, to Frank and Hazel Houston.
His parents began their ministry lives as Salvation Army officers before moving into Pentecostal church leadership.
That shift set the direction of Brian’s entire childhood. He grew up inside church life, watching his father build congregations and lead revival meetings across New Zealand and later Australia.
Frank Houston would later become one of the most respected names in Australian Pentecostalism, and Brian grew up expecting to follow him into ministry.
He attended Bible college and married his teenage sweetheart, Bobbie, whom he met on Papamoa Beach in New Zealand. The couple married in 1977, before Brian had turned 24.
Ministry Career and the Rise of Hillsong
From Youth Pastor to Church Planter
Houston spent his twenties in youth and pastoral ministry before he and Bobbie felt called to plant their own church.
In 1983, the couple started what was then called Hills Christian Life Centre in a school hall in Baulkham Hills, on the outskirts of Sydney. It began small. It did not stay that way.
Building a Global Movement
Over the following three decades, Houston turned that small congregation into Hillsong Church, a network that eventually stretched to more than two dozen countries and drew a combined weekly attendance well past 100,000 people.
Hillsong’s worship arm became just as influential as its pulpit. Songs produced under Houston’s leadership, including “Shout to the Lord,” “Oceans,” and “What a Beautiful Name,” became standard repertoire in evangelical churches around the world, regardless of denomination.
Houston also built influence beyond his own church. He served as National President of the Australian Christian Churches (formerly the Assemblies of God in Australia) from 1997 to 2009, and he helped found the Australian Christian Churches network that grew from that role.
He was the face of one of the most recognized Pentecostal brands in the world, and Hillsong Conference in Sydney became an annual gathering point for tens of thousands of church leaders.
The Fall: Scandal, Resignation, and Trial
Houston’s public identity changed sharply between 2021 and 2023. Three separate threads collided at once.
The Frank Houston Cover-Up Allegation
In 1999, Brian Houston learned that his father, Frank, had sexually abused a seven-year-old boy years earlier. He confronted his father, who confessed, and Brian arranged for Frank to be removed from ministry and barred from the pulpit.
He informed church leaders but did not report the abuse to police. Frank Houston died in 2004, never criminally charged. It later became clear Frank had multiple victims over decades.
In 2021, Brian Houston was charged in Australia with concealing his father’s crimes. He stood trial and was found not guilty in August 2023, after a magistrate ruled he had a reasonable excuse for not going to police.
The Misconduct Findings and Resignation
Separately, in early 2022, Hillsong’s board investigated complaints involving Houston and two women.
One complaint centered on inappropriate text messages sent to a staff member. The other involved Houston entering a woman’s hotel room at a Hillsong conference and spending time there; the church said Houston had become disoriented after mixing anti-anxiety medication with alcohol.
The board concluded Houston had breached Hillsong’s pastor’s code of conduct. He resigned as global senior pastor in March 2022.
The board’s own statement acknowledged there would be “much emotion” at the news of Houston’s departure after nearly four decades leading the church he founded.
Where Is Brian Houston Now?
Houston did not step away from ministry for long. Within months of resigning, he was traveling and preaching again, mostly in the United States.
In November 2022, he posted an apology video, admitting to behavior “unbecoming for a minister of the gospel” while insisting he was not a “disgraced pastor.”
In 2024, Brian and Bobbie Houston launched JesusFollowers.TV, a weekly online church and ministry platform.
Houston has described it as pioneering a new kind of church, built around Zoom-based “connect groups” and prerecorded broadcast messages, rather than a physical campus.
The couple has also faced financial scrutiny, including questions from an Australian member of parliament over their spending during their Hillsong years, and reported the sale of their Sydney family home and Bondi Beach apartments in late 2022.
As of 2026, Houston continues to preach through JesusFollowers.TV and guest appearances at churches in the U.S.
He has said he and Bobbie are facing renewed “attacks” tied to an Australian government review connected to a former Hillsong partnership, a claim he has made publicly without full independent verification.
Personal Life
Brian Houston is still married to Bobbie Houston (born Roberta Fergusson, January 16, 1957), his wife since 1977 and his co-pastor throughout Hillsong’s growth.
The couple has three adult children: Joel Houston, a musician and former Hillsong United leader; Ben Houston, who has held pastoral roles within the Hillsong network; and Laura, who is also married with her own family.
Bobbie has stood publicly by her husband throughout the controversy, appearing alongside him on JesusFollowers.TV broadcasts.
Net Worth and Financial Information
Estimates of Brian Houston’s net worth vary widely across low-authority celebrity sites, and readers should treat all of them as unverified online estimates rather than confirmed figures.
The most consistently repeated figure across multiple sources sits between $10 million and $12 million, tied to decades of ministry income, book royalties, speaking fees, and a 2010 Hillsong retirement package reportedly worth AU$350,000 a year.
A small number of low-authority outlets have circulated figures in the hundreds of millions; those numbers are not supported by credible reporting and are excluded here.
Criticism and Controversies
Houston’s record includes real, well-documented controversy alongside a legal acquittal.
He was cleared in court of criminally concealing his father’s abuse, but he has acknowledged in his own words that he handled aspects of the situation poorly.
Separately, the 2022 misconduct findings that ended his tenure at Hillsong were made by his own church’s board, not a court, and he has not disputed the substance of what the board found.
Critics have also pointed to questions about ministry spending during the Houstons’ Hillsong years.
Supporters point to his acquittal and to decades of ministry impact through Hillsong’s music and church-planting network.
Influence and Legacy
Whatever comes next for Brian Houston, Hillsong’s global footprint remains part of his legacy.
The worship music produced under his leadership reshaped congregational singing across denominations well beyond Pentecostalism, and the church-planting model he championed helped Hillsong expand into more than 20 countries.
His leadership of the Australian Christian Churches also shaped Pentecostal governance in Australia for over a decade.
Interesting Facts
- Houston met his wife, Bobbie, on Papamoa Beach in New Zealand before either had turned 20.
- He and Bobbie had pioneered six churches together before Brian turned 30.
- Houston served as National President of the Australian Christian Churches for 12 years, from 1997 to 2009.
- His X (formerly Twitter) account was reportedly hacked in 2026, resulting in an explicit video being posted without his knowledge.
- Houston’s book about his life and the Hillsong controversy was slated for release around early 2025.
Timeline of Key Events
- 1954 — Born in Auckland, New Zealand.
- 1977 — Marries Bobbie Houston.
- 1983 — Co-founds Hillsong Church (then Hills Christian Life Centre) in Sydney.
- 1997–2009 — Serves as National President of the Australian Christian Churches.
- 1999 — Learns of his father Frank Houston’s child abuse; removes him from ministry.
- 2021 — Steps back from Hillsong boards after being charged with concealing his father’s crimes.
- March 2022 — Resigns as Hillsong’s global senior pastor following misconduct findings.
- August 2023 — Found not guilty of concealing his father’s abuse.
- 2024 — Launches JesusFollowers.TV with Bobbie Houston.
- 2026 — Continues online ministry and guest preaching in the U.S.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to the disgraced Hillsong pastor?
Brian Houston resigned as Hillsong’s global senior pastor in March 2022 after the church board found he had breached its code of conduct. He was later charged with concealing his father’s child abuse and was acquitted in August 2023.
How much is Brian Houston worth?
Most credible estimates place his net worth between $10 million and $12 million, drawn from decades of ministry income, book sales, and speaking fees. This figure is an unverified estimate, not a confirmed number.
Where is Brian Houston now?
As of 2026, Houston lives in Australia and leads JesusFollowers.TV, an online church he launched with his wife, Bobbie, in 2024. He also preaches as a guest speaker at churches in the United States.
Is Brian Houston still married?
Yes. Brian and Bobbie Houston have been married since 1977 and continue to minister together through JesusFollowers.TV.
Is Brian Houston still preaching?
Yes. He preaches weekly through JesusFollowers.TV and has continued to accept invitations to speak at churches, particularly in the United States, since leaving Hillsong.
Is Brian Houston still part of Hillsong?
No. He resigned from all Hillsong roles in March 2022 and has since built a separate ministry, JesusFollowers.TV, apart from the church he founded.
Where is Hillsong originally from?
Hillsong Church began in 1983 in a school hall in Baulkham Hills, a suburb of Sydney, Australia, founded by Brian and Bobbie Houston.
Read Also
- Joel Osteen Biography: The Preacher Who Built America’s Largest Church
- Bill Hybels: The Rise, Legacy, and Fall of Willow Creek’s Founding Pastor
- Doug Clay: Biography of the Assemblies of God General Superintendent
- Rev. Dominic Yeo: Biography of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship Chairman
- Pastor E.A. Adeboye (Biography, Age, Net Worth, Ministry, Wife)
