Pastor Sam Collier of Hillsong Church has resigned over the crisis facing the Church. Sam who records as the first African American lead pastor of a Hillsong Church announced he is stepping down from his position as the leader of the Atlanta, Georgia-based branch of Hillsong.
He wrote on Social media: “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,”
Sam Collier who is married to Toni Collier said “I have no shame in admitting I cried like a baby moments after I informed the Hillsong global pastor of my departure.”
Hillsong Atlanta was launched in October 2020 with the aim of reaching and influencing the world “by building a large Christ-centered, Bible-based church, changing mindsets and empowering people to lead and impact in every sphere of life,”
Collier’s announcement came hours after Hillsong revealed that Brian Houston, who founded the church in 1983 with his wife, Bobbie, had resigned as the global senior pastor.
Facts have it that Brian Houston had violated the church’s pastoral code of conduct by entering the hotel room of an unidentified woman for 40 minutes while under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs in 2019.