A west Auckland pastor, best known for saying homosexuals should be put to death and describing a woman becoming Prime Minister as "a curse," has planted a new church in Australia.
Logan Robertson, who founded the contentious Westcity Bible Baptist Church in Avondale in August 2014, has moved to Brisbane with his family in preparation to launch Pillar Baptist Church there later this month.
- 'No criminal offence' committed by anti-gay Auckland pastor - police
- Police investigating Auckland pastor who threatened homosexuals
- Opinion: Hate speech preacher is disgusting but not surprising
The church, like Westcity Baptist, is part of the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist movement, Mr Robertson revealed in a YouTube video explaining the shift.
"Me and my family have relocated to Brisbane to start this new church," Mr Robertson said in the clip. "The church in Auckland, I'm still going to be pastor there - it's going to be a satellite church."
Mr Robertson extended an invitation to those in the area to make it to the first service on November 19, and requested prayer that it would "all go smoothly".
He explained his time in Australia did not get off to a good start, as he was detained at Brisbane International Airport for nine hours when he arrived on Monday.
Mr Robertson first waded into the media spotlight in 2014, after telling Christian author Jim Marjoram he was praying for him to commit suicide because he was gay.
- Auckland pastor believes Jacinda Ardern should 'get back in the kitchen'
- Pastor tells gay Christian to commit suicide
In August, an investigation was launched into Mr Robertson after repeated verbal attacks on the gay community. The police probe came after he explained he wasn't against gay marriage, "as long as a bullet goes through their head the moment they kiss".
The investigation was dropped after police spoke with Mr Robertson and received legal advice on the viability of bringing criminal charges against him.
Mr Roberston also recently made disparaging remarks about women in leadership and said Labour leader Jacinda Arden should not have pursued the role of Prime Minister.
"Jacinda Ardern needs to shut up and go home and get in the kitchen, where women belong, and bake a cake for her boyfriend," he said, before adding that he deemed women ruling over a nation "a curse".
WestCity Bible Baptist Church has a congregation of just over 42 people, according to a post on Mr Robertson's personal Facebook page.
It has no association with the Baptist denomination of New Zealand.
Newshub.
