Sam Collier, a Hillsong Atlanta Pastor has stepped down amid scandals with the co-founder of the Australian-based mega-church and one pastor in another state.
Pastor Collier, the first Black pastor to lead a Hillsong church announced on Instagram that he was leaving the church one year and five months after Hillsong Atlanta was launched.
While announcing his resignation, Collier wrote: “It is with great sadness that I inform you of my departure from Hillsong.”
“I have appreciated the Hillsong family and want to thank the Houstons for the love they have shown Toni and me.”
“My greatest reason for stepping down as Pastor of Hillsong Atlanta is probably not a secret to any of you. With all of the documentaries, scandals, articles, accusations, and the church’s subsequent management of these attacks it’s become too difficult to lead and grow a young Church in this environment.”
Hillsong is based in Australia and has witnessed a lot of scandals like the resignation of its co-founder, Brian Houston who encountered allegations of inappropriate behaviour toward two women.
In early 2020, around six months before Hillsong Atlanta’s launch, there were allegations of sexual abuse and threats which involved a New York-based pastor.
Before Collier announced his departure from the church, Hillsong announced that Houston, who founded the church in 1983 with his wife, Bobbie, had stepped down as global senior pastor.
Initially, Houston had stepped down as part of the church’s board last September after it became clear that he was charged with “concealing child sex offences.” Also, he violated the church’s pastoral code of conduct when he went into the hotel room of a woman for 40 minutes under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs. According to reports, this happened during the church’s annual conference in 2019.
