This story has been shared 132,431 times. Pastor Michael Hodges and wife Katie on their wedding day June 18, 2016. Named in a similar lawsuit filed in Mississippi is Dino Rizzo. Hes been a friend of our family for a very, very long time, Maxwell said. Christ Health Center, which was founded by the church, had to stop doing free testing for COVID-19 that it had been doing at public housing communities in Birmingham. The controversy erupted after Pastor Chris Hodges liked social media posts by Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA, a high school and college campus organization sometimes considered controversial for its political stances. Clergy = HIghborn, Laity = Lowborn. Since Pastor Chris Hodges founded Church of the Highlands in 2001, meeting in a rented auditorium at Mountain Brook High School, it has spiraled outward in popularity from Birminghams suburbs to become Alabamas largest church, with at least 22 branches spread out from Huntsville to Mobile, Tuscaloosa to Auburn. Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post. You tempted my father. (Brian Houston has denied he said the abuse was Sengstocks fault.). When all of this came out, I was really mad, she says. Highlands College is a biblical higher education institution that exists to supply the Church with leaders of competence, character, and spiritual maturity, holistically trained to lead lives of eternal impact by fulfilling the Great Commission. Grow Leader also sponsors two-day Round Tables, where for $7,500 lead pastors and leaders can learn from Hodges and Domingue in an intimate setting. Hodges came under fire when someone noticed he had been following Charlie Kirk, president of Turning Point USA, and liking posts by the controversial conservative commentator. Recently, Grow Leader sponsored a Round Table in which 41 pastors participated, according to social media postings and comments Hodges made during a COTH service. 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The Roys Report tried to confirm with Neece whether ARCs Lead Team donates $2.8 million per year to ARC, but did not receive a response by time of publication. It just makes you very angry that the same thing you were shamed with is the same thing that [he did]. 23K views, 309 likes, 371 loves, 903 comments, 213 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Church of the Highlands: We can't wait to worship with you tonight at #FirstWednesday! Live Webcast; Apps; Podcast; Power of a Focused Life Power of a Focused Life by Mark Pettus Feb 1, 2023. Michael Hodges, son Chris Hodges, founder and senior pastor of the nearly 40,000-member Church of the Highlands in Alabama, returned to the pulpit this month in what appears to be his first public engagement since he was removed as pastor of the churchs Greystone campus for a moral failing just over a year ago. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Chris remains the senior pastor and Chancellor of Highlands College, a ministry training school that has trained and launched hundreds of students into full-time ministry careers all over the world. Unless youre hiding something.. Before the coronavirus lockdown, more than 50,000 people attended weekly services at 22 branch campuses statewide, including in Anniston, Auburn, Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile Bay, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa, with one across the state line in Columbus, Ga. Hodges said he met in the past week with the four black campus pastors of Church of the Highlands branches Jamil Gilleylen of Woodlawn, Mychal Smith of Riverchase, Mayo Sowell of West Birmingham and Steven Winston of McCalla, along with their spouses. PASTOR: Scott T. McCurdy ADDRESS: 6621 Hunter Rd., Harrison, TN 37341 . That means acknowledging that an affair or inappropriate relationship between a pastor and his congregant is, in fact, abuse. Houston, 68, stepped down as the churchs director in January (amid a court caseaccusing Houston of hiding his late fathers sexual abuse of children all of which the church has denied), and he resigned for good March 23, after an internal misconduct investigation, which found Houston had behaved inappropriately towards two women. Also, 1 Timothy 5:20 says that an elder who is sinning should be publicly exposed. Whats disturbing about this article is that the facts arent known. Sharing life through community is part of our design, but meaningful relationships arent always easy to find. the Birmingham Housing Authority and Birmingham Board of Education taking action against him, the church and the health clinic the church started. And many many more, click here for the full list! I would be upset if it comes off as me judging him. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The same should be done with Dino. He said the church will work on initiatives and changes to improve race relations and they will be posted on the churchs web site. Highlands College is a biblical higher education institution that exists to supply the Church with leaders of competence, character, and spiritual maturity, holistically trained to lead lives of eternal impact by fulfilling the Great Commission. The focus isnt on exalting Christ from that statement, ex. Overall a waste of time and money. The Micahn Carter debacle is not the only scandal thats resulted from COTH and ARCs restoration efforts. for pastors that need rest or restoration., An earlier pamphlet stated, The Lodge would serve as a place where pastors, leaders, and their families could come to be mentored, counseled, refreshed, and restored. So why are a few likes on social media becoming such a defining moment for this, Freelance Journalist. In the documentary, Karim describes how they met in a park and exchanged phone numbers. someone noticed he had been following Charlie Kirk, president of Turning Point USA, and liking posts by the controversial conservative commentator. Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone by making a one-time donation today. Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? What does a guy have to do to be unqualified for ministry these days? This story has been shared 122,601 times. Communism fell. But according to the documentary, Lentzs behavior was not an anomaly within the larger organization. GrowLeader is also committed to generosity by supporting organizations like Highlands College. Less than two weeks after The Roys Report (TRR) published an investigation, revealing that Churchome, Judah Smiths celebrity megachurch, had rehired Braylon, An embattled New England megachurch yesterday announced its closing, following an investigation by The Roys Report detailing allegations of yearslong bullying and, In 2019, Braylon Oliver stepped away from pastoring the Downtown campus of Churchome, a so-called celebrity megachurch with campuses in Los Angeles. Church of the Highlands (COTH)a 43,000-member megachurch in Alabama, which recently sparked controversy for trying to rehabilitate a pastor accused of sexual assaultis building a $4.5-million lodge to "restore" pastors. When corporate CEOs fail they are fired and given a golden parachute and then hired by another company to be their CEO. 20K views Streamed 2 years ago It's been a week of controversy for the Church of the Highlands. Chris remains the senior pastor and Chancellor of. Get Directions. Anna Crenshaw, a preachers daughter who was studying at Hillsong College in 2016, appears in the doc to describe an instance in which she alleges that she was assaulted by a Hillsong staffer, who groped her at a house party in front of other people. Youre only embedding their narcissistic crowns with more jewels. I want to grow. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. After Lentzs allegedaffair with Karim made headlines, Hayes watched the news and remembered how Lentz split her from her boyfriend, simply because they had had premarital sex. Hodges and his [..] band of professional pastors are the upper echelon of the church. We dont have to look alike, we dont have to act alike, but we do have to have one heart, Hodges said. It is a culture of protect the brand at all costs, Elle Hardy, author of Beyond Belief: How Pentecostal Christianity Is Taking Over the World, says in the documentary. Well then, it was premeditated. I kind of expected a different response from him. Grow, now called Highlands Resources,continues to provide resources to over 16,500 churches globally at no cost. I can relate, Vicki! The real reason Church of the Highlands wants to put a white church in a black neighborhood is they have too many black folks at their main campus and they want them to leave and come to a church in their inner city. In the case of Rizzos inappropriate relationship, we dont know all the facts, much less the truth. A ministry that would help such people sounds like a good thing, although a good aspect of such a ministry might be to help a fallen prominent leader to transition to a different career that being in a prominent leadership role is not a right or the only way a forgiven and restored believer can serve God. In January 2021 we launchedGrowLeader in order to better support pastors and leaders in their desire to personally grow in leadership so their churches can reach more people and make a greater impact. His brother who is a member of the Freedom House congregation spoke at the South End campus. Birmingham schools, housing authority cut ties with Church of the Highlands. Some facts are. And we shouldnt. Common criminal sexual predators are put on a list and neighborhoods they move to are warned about them. "I understand how this has made you feel and I apologize. In Alabama, the Church of the Highlands is kind of a big deal. For the past 12 weeks, the Church of the Highlands has held online worship services without Sunday morning in-person group gatherings.