Hillsong founder Brian Houston’s daughter Laura Toganivalu has resigned as leader of the church’s youth ministry a year after her father quit amid misconduct claims.
The church’s new global senior pastor Phil Dooley announced Ms Toganivalu and her husband Peter were ‘moving on’ in a video posted to Instagram.
In the video, Mr Dooley invited the ‘Toggs’, who were global pastors of Hillsong Young & Free, to speak in front of a congregation about their ‘new season’.
Ms Toganivalu said the couple’s decision to resign from the church her parents founded was about ‘following God’s call’.
‘We are moving into a new season that we never imagined but we are so excited,’ the 36-year-old mother-of-three said in the video posted in May.
Laura Toggs (pictured) left the church a year after her father resigned in disgrace
Laura and husband Peter have been married for 15 years and share three children together
In March 2022, Brian Houston, 69, (left) resigned from his position as senior global pastor of Hillsong after an internal investigation into his conduct with two women
‘This is about Pete and I stepping into our future and carving out a path that God has uniquely called us to.
‘We are so excited about that, so thank you, keep us in your prayers. You will always be family to us.’
Mr Dooley acknowledged the church’s founders Brian and his wife Bobbie Houston, telling Ms Toganivalu her parents were ‘the reason why so many of us are here’.
‘We are so grateful for them, and we just want to also honour them in this moment,’ he said.
Brian Houston, 69, resigned from his position as senior global pastor of Hillsong in March 2022, after an internal investigation into his conduct with two women.
The church said it had been investigating two complaints made against him over the past 10 years.
One complaint was made after a church employee claimed to have been sent ‘inappropriate’ texts.
The investigation found he was ‘under the influence of sleeping tablets, upon which he had developed a dependence’ when he sent the texts.
The second complaint related to Mr Houston allegedly knocking on the hotel door of a female guest following the 2019 Hillsong Conference and entering the room.
‘Pastor Brian became disoriented… following the consumption of anti-anxiety medication beyond the prescribed dose, mixed with alcohol,’ the church said at the time.
The exact nature of the woman’s complaint has not been publicly revealed and Mr Houston has denied any sexual activity took place.
Mr Houston has also been charged by police with allegedly concealing sexual abuse of a child by his father, Frank.
Peter and Laura Toganivalu are pictured making their farewell speech to the Hillsong Youth Ministry in May
The Christian preacher has given her legion of social media followers a glimpse into her life through her YouTube channel, Secret Garden TV
He has pleaded not guilty in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court in an ongoing trial.
Frank Houston abused nine boys between 1965 and 1977 across Australia and New Zealand, when he led the Assemblies of God church.
While the future of the ‘Toggs’ away from Hillsong remains unclear, the couple recently returned from the U.S. where they attended Vous, a non denominational church in Miami.
The pair attended the yearly conference that leads conversations in faith, culture and leadership.
‘Best week with BEST people + soooooo many friends new & old! @vouschurch is truly incredible & leaving Miami filled & inspired & grateful,’ Ms Toganivalu shared with her 143,000 Instagram followers.
The couple, who live in Bondi with their three children, are understood to keep a relatively low profile away from the church.
Last year, Ms Toganivalu listed a number of her designer pieces for sale, which she promoted on her Instagram and sold via the website Depop.
With a growing social media following, she has relaunched her YouTube channel, Secret Garden TV, which gives viewers an insight into her life.
Last year, she posted a scathing attack on the media after Hillsong’s youth ministry came under fire for breaching Covid protocols.
She slammed the media as ‘disgusting’, ‘horrible’, ‘immoral’ and ‘low’ after a youth camp in Newcastle, NSW, made headlines when a viral video showed hundreds of attendees singing and dancing without masks in violation of public health orders.
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