In July 2021, a 24-year-old worship leader went viral for warning churches about “false teachings” in popular Christian music. Three years later, Hillsong has imploded—and she’s still fighting.
When Mackenzie Morgan hit “post” on her Facebook warning about Hillsong, Elevation, and Bethel Music in July 2021, she was mentally prepared for pushback. What she got instead was 14,000 likes, 12,000 shares, and a firestorm of debate that’s still raging today.
“I can no longer stay silent,” Morgan wrote, calling out what she described as “heretical lyrics” and “false teachings” in some of today’s most popular worship music. Her church, Refine Church in Lascassas, Tennessee, had stopped singing songs from these megachurch-produced catalogs, and Morgan wanted other Christians to understand why.
“Maybe it’s time we start looking at the Scriptures to see what God truly calls for in worship,” she wrote, “and get over what we want.”
What She Said Then
Morgan’s critique was theological and specific. She pointed to Steve Furtick’s alleged belief in modalism—a heresy that teaches God switches between “modes” (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) rather than existing as three distinct persons. About Bethel Church, she simply wrote, “that one should be pretty obvious,” referencing the California church’s controversial focus on supernatural ministry and prosperity gospel teachings.
But her sharpest critique was about money.
“It MATTERS that each Sunday churches pay royalties to these churches in order to be able to sing their music, furthering their outreach and their false gospel message,” Morgan argued.
She wasn’t just concerned about weak theology in song lyrics. She was worried that churches were financially supporting ministries that were leading people astray. And she used a sobering biblical example to make her point: In Leviticus 10:1-3, God struck Aaron’s sons dead with fire for offering unauthorized worship.
“What if the majority of the church is leading its people astray singing music that is less than worthy of a Sovereign and Holy God?” Morgan asked.
What Happened Next: The Hillsong Implosion
At the time, some dismissed Morgan’s warnings as overreaction. Hillsong was at its peak—30 campuses globally, 150,000 weekly attendees, celebrity congregants like Justin Bieber and Kevin Durant, and Grammy-winning worship music streamed in churches worldwide.
But Morgan’s post proved eerily prophetic.
Just three years later, Hillsong has effectively collapsed:
November 2020: Carl Lentz, the celebrity pastor of Hillsong NYC, was fired after admitting to an extramarital affair. His former nanny later accused him of seven years of “manipulation, control, bullying, abuse of power, and sexual abuse.”
March 2022: Founder Brian Houston resigned after an investigation found he acted inappropriately toward two women—sending inappropriate texts while under the influence of sleeping pills and spending time in a woman’s hotel room during a 2019 conference.
2022-2023: Ten out of sixteen U.S. Hillsong locations closed, including major campuses in Phoenix and Dallas. Multiple churches split from the Hillsong network.
December 2023: An Australian court found Brian Houston not guilty of concealing his father’s sexual abuse of a child, though the trial revealed 13 alleged victims of Frank Houston’s abuse spanning decades.
2024-Present: Hillsong NYC, which once hosted thousands weekly, now sees about 500 attendees. Multiple documentaries exposed allegations of financial abuse, unpaid labor, and spiritual manipulation. Brian Houston announced plans to launch a new church despite the scandals.
