Hillsong megachurch founder Brian Houston has resigned after an internal probe found that he behaved inappropriately with 2 women

Brian Houston, the founder of the Australia-based Hillsong megachurch and also one of its pastors, has resigned after the church discovered that he behaved with two women.

The board of the church accepted the resignation of the Global Senior Pastor, Brian Houston, in a statement on Tuesday.

The two incidents that resulted in complaints against Houston were detailed in a statement by the global board of Hillsong. Multiple news outlets reported that the incidents involved women.

Houston sending inappropriate text messages to a staff member resulted in her resignation.

At the time, Pastor Brian was under the influence of sleeping tablets and had developed a dependence on them. The board wrote in its statement that he apologized immediately.

During a global staff meeting held hours before the statement's release, the church's acting head Phil Dooley described Houston's text messages as essentially saying, "If I was with you, I'd like to kiss and cuddle you."

In the second incident, Houston became disoriented due to consuming an excessive dose of anti-anxiety medication along with alcohol.

According to ABC News, Houston had been drinking with a group of people at a Hillsong conference in New South Wales.

The board wrote in its statement that Houston's actions had violated the church's code of conduct.

During a staff meeting on Wednesday, Dooley said the church would be launching an independent review of its structure.

At one point, celebrities like Chris Pratt and Selena Gomez attended the mega church. It attracted controversy in 2020 when volunteers accused church leaders of elitism and exploitative behavior.

Houston oversaw the firing of pastor Carl Lentz in 2020 due to his moral failures. Lentz, who was known for being a spiritual adviser to the singer, later revealed that he had cheated on his wife.

The church had a culture in which A-listers were given preferential treatment over other congregants.

Australian police have accused Houston of concealing the sexual abuse of a young boy. Houston's father confessed to him that he had sexually abused a seven-year-old boy.

Houston denied the charges.