Pastor Brian Houston, the founder of Hillsong Church in Sydney, has been in the news recently, and many are interested about his personal life.
Houston stood down from his church duties in January 2022 after being accused criminally in Australia for allegedly hiding his father’s sexual abuse of a child, which he became aware of in the 1990s. Houston has maintained that he is innocent and that he expects to plead “not guilty” at his upcoming trial in October 2022.
He resigned as the church’s global senior pastor in March 2022 after being found to have broken the church’s moral code in his behaviour with two women.
Hillsong Church began in 1983, with Brian Houston as the founding pastor and his wife, Bobbie, as a senior pastor. While the church has continued to flourish, the pair has gone on to become two of the most famous faces inside the organisation.
‘Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed,’ a three-part docuseries on Investigation Discovery, exposes the church’s darker side, outlining many charges levied against the institution and its members. Despite everything, Bobbie has stood by her husband and has been a rock of support for him. So, how about we learn a little more about her?
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Bobbie Houston, Who is She?
Bobbie and Brian met on the beach in Papamoa in Tauranga, New Zealand, and married in 1977. Brian’s father was a pastor at the time, and Brian planned to follow in his footsteps.
Soon after, the family relocated to Australia, where Frank established a Pentecostal church. Bobbie and Brian worked with Frank for a few years before moving to the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, in 1983.
Hills Christian Life Centre was founded in 1983 at a local public school by the couple. Hillsong was the name given to the church after one of its musical acts. Music would go on to become a huge component of Hillsong’s preaching and how they reached out to their congregations, as we’ll see later.
Bobbie is Hillsong’s Global Senior Pastor and the founder of Color Conference and Colour Sisterhood, groups that aim to better support women throughout the world, particularly survivors of domestic violence.
While Bobbie and Hillsong have done a lot of good in the world and tried to make a difference, they have not been without controversy. Bobbie was chastised in early 2021 for the contents of her 2003 audiobook, which contained a slur directed at people with intellectual disabilities.
Many people believed that some of the comments were fatphobic, and the book also discussed how God-fearing women were expected to look young at all times.
“I used some phrases and analogies that were inappropriate and insulting, especially in a world where appropriate and sensitive language is of absolute crucial importance,” Bobbie subsequently apologised.
The church had also come under fire for homophobia, with classes to “cure” homosexuality and speakers from the so-called “ex-gay movement” being hosted.
What Happened to Bobbie Houston and Where Is She Now?
Brian Houston, the Global Senior Pastor, just resigned due to his inappropriate actions with two women in the past. Bobbie reacted to the uproar by leaving a comment on a recent Instagram post.
“I’m okay,” she said, expressing her support for her spouse. It’s been a very painful week, but I’ll always stand by the man I’ve loved and walked with for 45 years. I know more about his personality, character, and honesty than anyone else.”
Bobbie lives in Sydney with her family and appears to be taking a break from the scandal. While Brian stated in January 2022 that his wife would continue to participate in church activities, it is unclear where things stand now in light of recent events.
Dive into the alleged exploitation, abuse and cover-ups at the heart of the high-profile, star-studded Hillsong megachurch in Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed.#HillsongExposed is coming soon to #discoveryplus, streaming on March 24th. pic.twitter.com/hxiQNVwC7Z
— discovery+ (@discoveryplus) February 16, 2022
Watch “Hillsong Megachurch Exposed” on Amazon Prime.