(CP) The variety of Hillsong Church campuses in America has now fallen to simply 5 after leaders within the world Australia-based megachurch introduced Sunday that Hillsong San Francisco — led by pastors Brenden and Jacqui Brown — is separating from the Hillsong model and might be independently run beneath a brand new identify.
Hillsong Church World Senior Pastor Phil Dooley joined Hillsong California Lead Pastor Sam Lopez in making the announcement to their followers on Sunday.
“After a lot prayer and considerate consideration, we’re saying that Brenden and Jacqui Brown might be taking up the management of our church neighborhood in San Francisco as a separate church, so separating from what has been a part of Hillsong California,” Dooley advised the Hillsong California neighborhood in a distant broadcast.
“We imagine the time is true for this. That is an thrilling season for the Browns and for our church in San Francisco, and we wish to say how a lot we love Brenden and Jacqui, and we worth their dedication, their sacrifice, and their dedication to pastoring and main the Hillsong San Francisco neighborhood,” he added.
Dooley’s announcement marks the lack of the eleventh of the church’s 16 campuses that beforehand operated within the U.S. since a sequence of scandals erupted amid the pandemic, such because the firing of former Hillsong NYC Lead Pastor Carl Lentz in November 2020 over “management points” and ethical failures, together with being untrue to his spouse, Laura.
Among the abuses had been the topic of a documentary referred to as “Hillsong: A Megachurch Uncovered” on Discovery Plus.
The Christian Put up additionally revealed particulars from a leaked report highlighting accusations of abuses at Hillsong NYC beneath Lentz’s reign. The allegations included, amongst different issues, the alleged mishandling of incidents of consensual or non-consensual sexual interplay between church leaders and congregants, employees volunteers or non-churchgoers.
In his remarks to members of Hillsong California, Pastor Lopez stated the San Francisco church’s separation had been beneath dialogue for about two years, and the Browns are merely following God’s name on their life with a “contemporary imaginative and prescient” with Hillsong’s blessing.
Come subsequent week, Lopez and the Browns stated Hillsong San Francisco’s new identify might be revealed.
“In my conversations with a few folks in our church, I am beginning to understand that this is not very regular. … The tone I maintain getting is like, ‘So what occurred?’ And let me let you know, nothing occurred,” Lopez insisted.
“We now have an unimaginable couple there. They’ve a imaginative and prescient for it. God has referred to as them. God has requested them to take a step of religion. We’re backing it 100% and going completely, let’s do it. That’s the extent of it,” he stated.
“After which the response is normally like, ‘That is too good to be true. What actually occurred.’ And I’m going, ‘That is really what occurred.’ That is genuinely the total fact. We’re simply excited. And a part of my job is to not maintain and to hoard and to attempt to construct a little bit empire. My job is to see particularly our employees step into the decision of God on their life.”
In a press release on Instagram Monday, the Hillsong San Francisco leaders, who’ve served the Evangelical megachurch community for twenty-four years, acknowledged that they are going to be pursuing “one thing contemporary and filled with goal.”
“God has been devoted in each step of our journey, and we imagine He is main us into one thing contemporary and filled with goal. Whereas our identify is altering, our coronary heart stays the identical — to like folks and join them to Jesus,” they wrote.
“We’re so grateful for our @hillsong Church household, whose religion and funding have laid the inspiration for this subsequent season. A particular thanks to our World Senior pastors @philldooley_ and @lucindadooley , California Lead Pastors @samlopez and @courtneylopez , and the World Board for his or her management, love, and help. Be a part of us subsequent Sunday as we reveal the brand new identify of our church and unpack the imaginative and prescient for what’s forward! We won’t wait to step into this new season collectively.”
© The Christian Put up
