Former Hillsong Atlanta Pastor Sam Collier revealed in an interview the difficulties he is now facing as he transitions to Story Church, which he is launching.
The 33-year-old Collier stressed in an interview with The Christian Post the need for transparency and trust as he begins Story Church after resigning from Hillsong Atlanta last week.
"We are living in a new generation. And this generation is focused on justice, on calling out what's right and what's wrong, and making sure that we're living honestly in all of our actions, while in the previous generation, we handled a lot of these ills behind the scenes," Collier said.
"Now more than ever, one of the things that the Church can learn is, it's important to let people know that they can be safe. It's just so paramount. Justice, safety, trust matters more than anything. People used to assume trust as soon as they came into the church. Now, people are saying, 'Prove it to me,'" he added.
Christianity Daily reported that Collier resigned on March 23 due to the continued controversy Hillsong Church is beset with. Collier said during his resignation that the public's knowledge of the controversies has made it difficult for him to lead Hillsong Atlanta, which is a young church. The pastor also announced during his resignation that he will be establishing a new church that will be launched on Easter Sunday 2022.
Hillsong Church has been plagued with controversy for years because its prominent leaders face a host of issues from criminal charges to moral issues. Hillsong Church Founder Brian Houston, who resigned over scandals including covering up child sexual abuse committed by his father, is faced with new charges last week. Two women recently filed sexual harassment charges against the Australian native.
Prior to Houston's resignation, Hillsong New York Pastor Carl Lentz similarly stepped down for moral failures and other issues in 2020. Several pastors also resigned afterward for moral concerns. The global church has become so controversial, Discovery+ released a docuseries last March 24 entitled, "Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed."
During the interview, Collier disclosed the difficulties of transitioning to Story Church since people will definitely question its difference from the old one he came from. Collier said people would probably ask what policies are in place that make Story Church different. Yet he pointed out that no one is perfect and mistakes are inevitable. When such mistakes happen, he raised the need for measures that will reassure church members to continually trust them "with their lives and their investment."
In line with precautionary measures, Collier disclosed that he and his team have already partnered with experts and other pastors who could truly guarantee that safety to congregants. Story Church, he said, will similarly model unity in the face of division and focus on racial reconciliation as Hillsong Atlanta does. He explained that racial reconciliation is next in significance to salvation when it comes to a person's existence.
Colliear pointed out that he is aware there are already many churches in Atlanta and that another church is unnecessary. But he believes that a church that is focused in unifying all these churches is significant. A church, he stressed, that will be a safe place for those who believe and gather under the one name of Jesus Christ regardless of one's appearance or political affiliation and despite where one comes from.
"We can work out our differences. I believe if we all come to the table and become unified about being unified, we can change the world," Collier stressed.
On the brighter side, Collier shared that the good thing about leading and growing Story Church, which will be a young church, is that there is no controversy casting a shadow on it.
