A married couple, who served as ‘global senior pastors’ of a multi-national megachurch with locations in Australia, Thailand, and the U.S., has resigned abruptly.
During livestreamed services Sunday, the board secretary of Neuma Church in Melbourne, Australia, Jacomi Du Preez, announced that Corey and Simone Turner had resigned as global senior pastors.
“Due to unfortunate circumstances, it has become apparent that their health and wellbeing is such that they are no longer able to function in these roles,” said Du Preez. She added that the church’s leadership team is “not at liberty to share the difficult circumstances that have led to this point.”
According to social posts, the Turners traveled more than 1,000 miles northwest to Tanawha in Queensland, Australia, just last weekend to launch the latest Neuma Church and seemed in good health.
“We had an amazing time with (Pastors) Corey and Simone Turner and (Pastor) Steve Cawthorn to celebrate the official launch,” stated a post from Neuma Sunshine Coast. “We loved having you join us, and we are so excited to see what God is going to do!”
Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of “Baptistland: A Memoir of Abuse, Betrayal, and Transformation” by Christa Brown. To donate, click here.
The multi-site church had advertised that the Neuma Global Summit would occur on Saturday, Feb. 3, with leaders from all campuses set to attend. Three days prior to that event, Neuma Church posted on social media that the summit had “been postponed until further notice due to unforeseen circumstances.”
Du Preez said on Sunday that Raef Soliman, who is currently listed on the church’s website as “apostolic pillar,” has been appointed by the board as interim senior pastor.
“We ask all of you to pray for God’s wisdom and guidance, and that he make a way for all of us forward through this period of transition,” said Du Preez.
While video of Neuma’s Sunday service was soon removed from Facebook, The Roys Report (TRR) has obtained a recording of the service, including Du Preez’s announcement.
Neuma Church lists nine locations across Australia on its website, as well as campuses in San Francisco, California, and Bangkok, Thailand.
Corey Turner, a preacher in Australia for over 25 years, and his wife, Simone, had served as lead pastors of Neuma Church since 2019.
Corey Turner is the son of longtime Australian minister Len Turner. In April 2021, the younger Turner was appointed to the executive council of Australian Christian Churches (ACC), formerly known as the Assemblies of God in Australia. Turner is no longer listed on the ACC website.
TRR reached out to Neuma Church and to Corey Turner for a statement about the resignation but did not receive a response.
In Neuma Church’s most recent public filing, dated June 2023, Corey Turner was listed as the chairperson of Neuma Church Inc. The church reported $9 million (AUS) in annual revenue and $14 million (AUS) in assets.
As a multi-national charismatic-Pentecostal church, headed by “global senior pastors,” Neuma Church resembles Hillsong, an embattled megachurch also headquartered in Australia. Hillsong founders and global senior pastors, Brian and Bobbie Houston, resigned from the megachurch in 2022 amid a sexual misconduct scandal and a government financial inquiry.
Several charismatic figures linked to Hillsong have preached at Neuma Church in recent years, including Bill Johnson of Bethel Church, itinerant minister Heidi Baker of Iris Global, revivalist John Arnott, and Banning Liebscher of Jesus Culture Church.
Founded as Richmond Temple in 1916, the church was most recently known as Bridge Church, starting in 2013.
It was rebranded as Neuma Church in October 2019—eight months after the Turners were appointed as lead pastors. The Turners became “global senior pastors” of Neuma Church in early 2021, according to an archived version of the church website.
Following the board announcement at Neuma Church on Sunday, ACC president Wayne Alcorn delivered the Sunday sermon. “It is a joy of mine to be here on a significant day,” said Alcorn.
His message referred in passing to the lead pastors’ resignation.
“If we allow it, moments like this can cause doubt to creep into our soul,” he preached. “Many of you expected that this church, under the leadership that you’ve followed for the last few years, that things wouldn’t change. And here’s the news: it has changed. It will change.”
Alcorn suggested “disillusionment” as a possible response of congregants and said they must not believe in illusions to begin with. “You think the church is perfect? Or that leaders won’t change? Or they won’t do things that disappoint us?”
“I’m a preacher’s kid—it ain’t perfect!” he said. “. . . We need to have faith, because we’re all on a journey whether we’ve got a title or not.”
Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd writes on faith, culture, and public policy for several media outlets. He and his family live in the Washington, D.C. area.
English 
Spanish 
9 Responses
I must say that “apostolic pillar” is a ministry title that I have never heard of before. What are the qualifications for a gig like this?
There is no such title, it won’t be found in the scriptures; it is made up and contrived and therefore a phony title.
Du Preez said on Sunday that Raef Soliman, who is currently listed on the church’s website as “apostolic pillar,”(Insert biblical reference here) has been appointed by the board (Insert biblical reference here) as interim senior pastor (Insert biblical reference here)
I like your use of the word”gig”! I noticed they have a business pillar and teaching pillar too! does pillar mean pastor or director in Australia?
Hi Jason David Barker. No, “pillar” does not mean pastor or director in Australia. It sounds just as wacky to us as it does to you.
The LORD is certainly removing the tares from among the wheat. Praise His Holy Name!
Can you say, “Cover up?”
Neuma Church confirmed in an email to congregation that a complaint from received from a member of the Church, alleging that Pastor Corey Turner was in an appropriate relationship with Pastor Stacey Hilliar. Both pastors tendered their resignations, and in the circumstances, the Board accepted those resignations.
Man, I hate how churches handle these things. Cover up full of spiritual gibberish and manipulation and levity. Even going so far as to say they honour the disgraced pastor, and God is going to use him mightily! OK, God’s taking his orders from you now is he??? These people need to get a grip on reality!