A lead pastor for Hillsong megachurch has stepped down — mere hours before the premiere of a docuseries about the institution’s recent scandals.
“It is with great sadness that I inform you of my departure from Hillsong,” Sam Collier, the now-former lead pastor of the Australia-born church’s Atlanta, Ga., branch, began a Wednesday Instagram post announcing his departure. “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.”
Collier, 33, goes on to reassure readers that he believes Hillsong “will get through this storm and come out better than they were before,” adding in an Instagram Story that “we still consider [Hillsong] family” and “they are not our enemies.” The post concludes with an open invitation to Collier’s final Hillsong service — and an announcement that he is launching a new congregation called Story Church this Easter Sunday.
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A representative of Collier told The Post he was the megachurch’s first African American pastor and that he “may be the first of many” to resign “due to the current Hillsong environment.”
Shortly ahead of the Instagram announcement, Collier alerted congregants to the news in a slightly more candid internal email, which has been viewed by The Post.
Collier makes slightly heavier implications in the email regarding his personal take on Hillsong’s current state. “People have often asked me over the years, ‘What would it take for you to ever leave Hillsong?’ I politely always replied, ‘I will never leave the Hillsong World until the mission/vision that God has given me becomes hindered by the challenges that come along with the entity.’”
Collier resigned the same day as church founder Brian Houston. Getty Images
Hillsong Atlanta Pastor Sam Collier speaks onstage during the Hillsong Atlanta grand opening in June 2021. Getty Images
Collier’s announcement was careful to depersonalize his reasons for leaving the scandal-plagued megachurch. Courtesy of @samcollier
Collier was the megachurch’s first-ever African American pastor. Courtesy of @samcollier
Collier, 33, announced his resignation alongside the news that he will open a new church this Easter Sunday. Courtesy of @samcollierThe news came a day ahead of the Thursday premiere of the three-part docuseries “Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed,” produced in collaboration with The Post and Discovery+/TLC.
Following Collier’s resignation, Phil Dooley — who has taken over for former head and founder of Hillsong Brian Houston, 68 — uploaded a video giving Collier the church’s blessing. Houston — who resigned for a second time Wednesday amid an ongoing court trial and multiple misconduct accusations — has previously done the same for other pastors with whom the church wishes to remain on good terms.
“We just want to give you guys our absolute blessing for the next season,” said Dooley in the short clip. “There is no doubt that there is a whole lot going on in [Hillsong’s] world, but we just want to say that we are continuing to put our trust and our hope in Jesus.”
