The Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed documentary is a three-part series that will be released on Discovery Plus tomorrow.
The megachurch was founded by lead pastor Brian Houston in Australia in 1983. But in recent years the church has been embroiled in multiple scandals, its most recent scandal involving Brian and his father, Frank Houston.
The docuseries is an investigation into the church that was made famous by its celebrity congregation.
Hillsong Cape Town lead pastor Phil Dooley recently commented on the documentary in a sermon shared online. Dooley said he questioned the motives of the documentary makers.
"Sadly, there is a documentary about our church coming out soon. Surprise, surprise. And that picture it paints is far removed from, I believe, the truth of who we are as a church," he said.
He added: “There are people who have been hurt by their experience in our church. And that saddens me. For those people, I say we are deeply sorry and we pray that you’ll find healing.”
“But there are also producers behind this documentary, and their purpose is not the healing of people but simply to hurt the church,” he said.
Here’s what we know about Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed:
Date
All three parts of the docuseries will be made available on Discovery plus tomorrow, March 24.
Themes
The series explores the rise of the church and interviews witnesses that were present when scandals took place. Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed will delve into how the church grew into a global brand and pays specific attention to the fine line between a cult, culture and a corporation.
Former church members
The docuseries will profile ex-members of the church that will share their allegations of trauma, abuse, financial and labour exploitation that created a culture of chaos within the church. While rehashing their experiences, some former members can be seen breaking down in the trailer.
Pastor Carl Lentz
Following multiple infidelity scandals, to which Lentz confessed, Houston fired Lentz from his position in November 2020, for “moral failures”. The documentary has an exclusive interview with Ranin Karim, a woman Lentz had an affair with.
Former Hillsong student and volunteer who had close working relationships with Hillsong NYC’s church leadership, including Carl Lentz, and who frequently raised concerns about gender and racial inequality within the church
Janice Lagata was a Hillsong student and volunteer and had a close working relationship with Lentz. Lagata claims having frequently raised concerns about gender and racial inequality within the church.,
Additional interviews
Hannah Frishberg is a New York Post reporter that has chronicled Hillsong’s scandals and will be interviewed in the docuseries.
Ben Kirby is a megachurch expert and will also be interviewed in the docuseries. Kirby runs the @preachersnseakers Instagram account, which chronicles the expensive outfits worn by megachurch pastors.