Hillsong Church announced a raft of changes in how it manages its finances on Sunday, following a whistleblower’s report alleging that the church’s founder Brian Houston and other leaders, including the newly appointed Global Senior Pastor Phil Dooley, engaged in money laundering, tax evasion and shopping sprees that would "embarrass a Kardashian."

Along with Dooley, chair of Hillsong Church’s global board, Stephen Crouch, announced that the church is undergoing a forensic audit by accounting firm Grant Thornton, which began in August 2022.

The Australia-based Evangelical global church network also trimmed its staff by 153 through “voluntary resignations” to save $9.47 million annually, implemented a new gifts and honorarium policy, adopted a new culture focused on more effective mission-focused ministry and launched a third-party evaluation of the church’s financial structure and processes.

“As a church, we will make changes as we work through with regulators on areas that need adjustment. We will reshape how we do things financially going forward,” Crouch told congregants in an update at the Hillsong Convention Centre in Sydney, Australia.

The global megachurch has been reeling since Andrew Wilkie, an independent member of the Australian Parliament, used parliamentary privilege on March 9 to accuse Hillsong Church of engaging in financial excess, citing reams of financial records and genuine Hillsong Church board documents he received from a whistleblower.

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