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Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston has posted a series of controversial comments on social media about a fatal shooting by US immigration enforcement officer in Minnesota.
Hannah Farrow
January 15, 2026
Hills Shire Times
Hillsong founder Brian Houston, who has left the church, preaching at Faith Church in St Louis, Missouri in June 2024.
The founder of Hillsong Church and former pastor Brian Houston, has posted a series of controversial comments on social media about the fatal shooting of a woman by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in America.
The shooting, which happened on January 7, when mother Renee Good was shot dead while attempting to drive away during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota.
In a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, the former Hills Shire resident posted a series of comments on the incident involving federal agents, asserting the woman’s intentions were “clear” and accusing political opponents of lacking intelligence.
The shooting has sparked protests across the US, and drawn criticism from state and local officials about the presence of ICE.
Mr Houston, who now lives in the US, described the victim’s vehicle as a “battering ram” and a “weapon”.
Brian Houston has posted a number of inflammatory comments on X. Picture: Supplied
Houston’s continued public profile has remained contentious since his departure from Hillsong, one of the world’s largest Pentecostal movements.
In separate posts around the same period, Mr Houston also engaged in personal insults directed at public figures, including referring to comedian Rosie O’Donnell as a “dweeb”.
The posts have defended the actions of ICE. Picture: Supplied
The posts remain publicly visible on X.
Mr Houston, who left Hillsong’s leadership group in 2022, continues to preach regularly at Parable Church – a Hills District congregation led by his daughter, Laura Houston.
While he no longer holds a formal role within Hillsong, his preaching at Parable Church has kept him in the public eye, as well as numerous political tweets.
Parable Church responded stating: “While Pastor Brian has spoken at Parable Church and many other Australian Churches during his visits to Sydney, he now lives in the US and leads his own independent ministry.”
One of the comments on X from Brian Houston. Picture: Supplied
“His personal thoughts and opinions are his own, and he did not address any political topics during his recent visit to Parable Church.”
They continued: “His social media presence is his own, and separate from that of Parable Church.”
The former leader of Hillsong launched his own online ministry called JesusFollowers. TV with his wife, Bobbie Houston, in mid-2024.
Jesus Followers. TV recently advertised the latest service at Parable Church on its website as of last week.
Its YouTube account currently has 5.9k followers, with videos amassing between 50-300 views each.
The Houstons’ website states that like a church, the ministry relies on regular tithes and support from a “family of Jesus followers” to further its mission.
While he no longer holds a formal role within Hillsong, his preaching at Parable has kept him in the public eye, as well as numerous conservative political tweets.
Jesus Followers. TV explicitly calls for financial support to sustain and expand its operations, and has multiple avenues on the website to promote donations and tithing from its viewer.
The faith venture model describes it as a project believing that people’s partnerships and giving will help them make a difference and fund the necessary production crew and studio needs.
Parable Church has not publicly commented on Houston’s remarks or clarified whether his statements represent the church’s position.
The church also has not addressed whether such language is considered appropriate for someone preaching and exercising influence within its congregation.
Brian Houston was found not guilty after being accused of covering up his father’s sexual abuse. Picture: Nikki Short
In 2019, Brian Houston was found by internal investigations to have inappropriately texted a female staff member and being in another woman’s hotel room while intoxicated after a church conference, breaching the church’s code of conduct.
The woman and Brian Houston has said there was not any sexual activity.
In 2021, Mr Houston stepped down as the director of all Hillsong boards to defend charges of concealing his father’s crimes from the police. He was found not guilty.
Frank Houston, who died in 2004, is believed to have used his position as a pastor to abuse young boys in the 1970s.
The Minnesota shooting remains under investigation, with legal action now underway in the US over the conduct of federal immigration agents.
Mr Houston has been contacted for comment.
