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Terry Crist, the main pastor of Hillsong Phoenix, has asked for an investigation into the Hillsong Church’s global board.
He said this after declaring his desire to formally split from the megachurch with headquarters in Australia.
Terry’s choice results from the church’s unstable leadership due to the resignation of its founder, Brian Houston.
The Lead Pastor Terry Crist informed everyone of the choice on Sunday. He and his wife, Pastor Judith Crist, founded the church in 2016.
Terry Crist shared a link to the sermon from last Sunday on Twitter, describing it as his “best attempt to pastor our church well and to provide context to our community.”
In his prayer request, he said, “It was an awful and tragic moment, and many are processing the grief.”
Reasons behind the exit of Hillsong Phoenix pastor
You may remember that Houston resigned last Wednesday because two women complained against him.
The allegations centred on immoral behavior over the previous ten years. Likewise, it was argued that the claims also applied to church leaders in Australia and the US.
There are many factors why we can’t continue, Crist said during a service at Hillsong Phoenix. The biggest one is our decline in faith in the worldwide board’s ability to continue leading us as a community.
According to Crist, this includes making senior pastors sign confidentiality and non-compete deals and delaying the findings of Hillsong’s independent inquiry into alleged misbehavior at its New York City location.
However, according to Crist, the fundamental issue between him and Hillsong Global was the Global Board’s refusal to let Hillsong Phoenix set up a local board to run the church instead of submitting to Global Board control.
The pastor of Hillsong Phoenix calls for an inquiry
Brian Houston, the founder of Hillsong, resigned from his position as Global Senior Pastor less than a week before Hillsong Phoenix’s decision.
Pastors at Hillsong Houston, Hillsong New York City, and Hillsong Dallas (currently closed) have all received reports of misconduct.
According to Crist, there are “many reasons” for the separation, but “chief among them is our loss of confidence in the global board to continue leading us as a congregation.”
He demands Hillsong Church look into the board members’ behavior and publicize the results.
Insufficient accountability and transparency, according to Crist, have been a factor in his most recent conflicts with the Hillsong Worldwide board.
He encouraged members to release an earlier report with names removed to preserve the privacy of the victims, but “that request was denied,” he claims. “Lead pastors were suddenly asked to sign NDAs and non-competes,” continues Crist, and “some of us couldn’t do that in good conscience.” It came after information began to leak.
“We need to do It correctly,” Pastor Terry Crist remarked
In his sermon on Sunday, Crist attributed Hillsong’s current predicament to sin, describing it as a multifaceted issue of morality, integrity, biblical leadership, and leadership in general.
Australian-based Hillsong losing battle in America
Hillsong, one of the world’s biggest and most influential evangelical churches, has lost nine of its 16 American church sites in the past two weeks.
A few years ago, Hillsong was a model of popular Christianity. It was a rapidly growing network that drew in young people and citizens with its positive vibe and vibrant, stylish speakers. Hillsong adapted the traditional charismatic church training, miracles, and one-on-one spiritual interactions for a trendy, elite audience.
One of the church’s praise bands received a Grammy Award; Justin Bieber and NBA star Kevin Durant attended services; and the church created soaring hymns that became standards at smaller churches that imitated its sounds, style, and Instagram-friendly aesthetic.
Currently, Hillsong’s presence in the US is in disarray. Hillsong no longer has a significant presence between the coasts; its only two remaining U.S. facilities are in the Northeast and California.
Inappropriate behavior of the chruch’s owner
When the church’s Australian founder and global leader, Brian Houston, resigned on March 23, it was already dealing with internal conflicts and a tarnished reputation due to his inappropriate behavior against two women, according to an internal probe.
The results of the church’s inquiry revealed that Mr Houston had “inappropriate text messages” sent to one employee and had spent time alone in a hotel room with a woman who had attended the church’s annual conference in Sydney several years before.
There haven’t been any other complaints regarding Mr. Houston’s behavior, according to a statement given to The New York Times by the church’s press office.
The church has related Mr Houston’s conduct to his medication and drinking. Mr Houston has not made any remarks about his departure in the media. He could not be reached right away for comment.
Relaunches were planned for Easter Sunday
Although two other former Hillsong churches have done so, Hillsong Phoenix has not revealed its new name.
Sam Collier, the pastor of Hillsong Atlanta, said on Sunday that his church would change its name to Story Church and debut on Easter.
As of March 16, Kingdom City Church has also taken over the former Hillsong Kansas City’s website and social media accounts. Easter Sunday will see a relaunch.
Who is Pastor Terry Crist?
Terry Crist and his wife Judith are the lead pastors of City of Grace (formerly Hillsong Phoenix), which has four campuses spread out around the state and in Las Vegas, Nevada.
They have a long history of starting churches and aiding those in need as fifth-generation pastors.
Terry has spoken in churches, conferences, and college campuses in more than 65 countries.
He was given the “Angels in Adoption” award by the U.S. Congress in 2015, and he currently sits on Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s “Council for Child Safety and Family Empowerment.” Terry, the host of Café Theology on Hillsong Channel and TBN Inspire, holds a Th.M. and a D.Min.
Among other reasons, Terry Crist, a fifth-generation pastor in Phoenix, joined the international megachurch Hillsong.
Hillsong was a place where leaders appeared “light and free,” offering a church experience that drew tens of thousands of people worldwide.