It’s the world’s most popular women’s conference run by the world’s most recognized church, but what will the future be for the Colour Conference as Bobbie Houston has been removed employment at Hillsong?
The co-founder of the Australian-based megachurch was sensationally released yesterday via text message, which now sees both Hillsong founders out of the organization they founded decades ago. Her husband, Brian Houston, resigned in late March after indiscretions towards two women were revealed.
As reported by My Christian Daily, now, his 65 year-old wife and an employee of Hillsong for 39 years, has been made redundant, effective immediately.
She reportedly only recently hosted the church’s Color Conference in Sydney, Australia and was expected to maintain her position in her husband’s absence.
However, in an explosive social media post, Brian Houston broke the news yesterday that his wife is no longer a part of the church. And rather than a face to face meeting, she has been axed via a text message.
“After 39 years of exemplary service and extraordinary faithfulness and fruitfulness,” wrote Houston, ” this is the communication Bobbie received from the Hillsong Church board as she is made redundant (effective immediately) through no choice of her own.
“This just 3 weeks after she hosted her 26th year of Colour Conferences. (A total of 118 conferences around the world.) She has relentlessly served God and served people as she stood side by side with me for four decades leading Hillsong Church, faithful in the good times and the tough times alike. And we are supposed to act like this is all ok. It’s not! Our beautiful church is losing its soul.”
Bobbie Houston recently vowed to stand by her husband after he resigned over inappropriate behavior towards women. In a social media comment, she stated “Thank you for lovely comments and love. It’s seen. And felt. And appreciated.
‘I’m okay. It’s been a very cruel week – but I will forever stand alongside the man I have loved and walked with for 45 years. I know his nature and character and integrity more than anyone.”
The Colour Conferences were hosted by Bobbie Houston and the Hillsong team in Sydney, London, the US, Cape Town and Kiev annually. The mega conferences have been one of Bobbie’s key domains within the church, and without their founder at the wheel rallying women to attend, it remains to be seen if future conferences will be a shadow of their former selves.
Tens of thousands of women each year flock to Colour Conferences, with the church often using big event venues in the cities in which they are located to be able to cope with the registrations they receive. Add to that high profile speakers and the fact that Bobbie is in attendance at each event and it is clear that her absence will be sorely missed.
Bobbie and Brian moved to Australia in February 1978, serving at Sydney Christian Life Centre, Darlinghurst, under Brian Houston’s father, Frank Houston. In the early 1980s, Brian and Bobbie Houston started a church on the Central Coast, and a church in Liverpool. In 1983, they moved to Sydney’s north-western suburbs and hired the Baulkham Hills Public School hall to start a new church, Hills Christian Life Centre. The first service was held on Sunday 14 August 1983 and is today Hillsong Church. Hillsong Church is located in major cities around the world.
Without the Houstons at the wheel, he church faces a very different future.
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