Who are Carl and Laura Lentz? Justin Bieber's ex-pastor admits being 'unfaithful', fired from Hillsong church
Carl Lentz, a mega-church pastor and one-time spiritual adviser to singer Justin Bieber, has been fired from Hillsong church to "moral failures". The 41-year-old Lentz was the lead pastor of Hillsong's New York location. He became pastor in 2010 after launching the mega-church's first US location with Joel Houston, son of Hillsong founder Brian Houston. The mega-church, on their official website, posted the full statement following Lentz's firing. The complete statement can be read below.
"Today Hillsong Church East Coast advised our congregation that we have terminated the employment of Pastor Carl Lentz. This action was not taken lightly and was done in the best interests of everyone, including Pastor Carl.
We thank Pastors Carl and Laura for the way they have served faithfully and sacrificially since the start of Hillsong NYC and for contributing so significantly to the countless lives that have been transformed for Jesus Christ through this ministry. They have a heart for people and we are confident that after a time of rest and restoration, God will use Carl in another way outside of Hillsong church. In terminating his tenure, we in no way want to diminish the good work he did here.
This action has been taken following ongoing discussions in relation to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.
It would not be appropriate for us to go into detail about the events that led to this decision. Our focus at this time is to honor God and pastorally care for our East Coast church community as well as the Lentz family.
While I have no doubt that this is the right course of action, I must mention Bobbie’s and my personal sadness, as we have known Laura her entire life and Carl for well over 20 years.
Hillsong East Coast services and all of our ministries will proceed as usual, and we will continue to be a place of hope, love, and faith through the powerful and transforming message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a message our nation and the world need to hear more than ever during a time of such instability and uncertainty.
I appreciate the great team of people who serve here, and as we embark on the process of selecting new leadership, we are praying that God would bring about an exciting new season for our church and this region.
Hillsong Church will not be making further public comments on this matter."
Lentz himself took to his Instagram and posted an official statement about the firing. Along with a picture of him with his wife, two daughters, and a song, Lentz wrote, "Our time at HillsongNYC has come to an end. This is a hard ending to what has been the most amazing, impacting, and a special chapter of our lives. Leading this church has been an honor in every sense of the word and it is impossible to articulate how much we have loved and will always love the amazing people in this church. When you accept the calling of being a pastor, you must live in such a way that it honors the mandate. That it honors the church, and that it honors God. When that does not happen, a change needs to be made and has been made in this case to ensure that the standard is upheld. Laura and I and our amazing children have given all that we have to serve and build this church and over the years I did not do an adequate job of protecting my own spirit, refilling my own soul, and reaching out for the readily available help that is available. When you lead out of an empty place, you make choices that have real and painful consequences. I was unfaithful in my marriage, the most important relationship in my life, and held accountable for that. This failure is on me, and me alone and I take full responsibility for my actions. I now begin a journey of rebuilding trust with my wife, Laura, and my children, and taking real-time to work on and heal my own life and seek out the help that I need. I am deeply sorry for breaking the trust of many people who we have loved serving and understand that this news can be very hard and confusing for people to hear and process. I would have liked to say this with my voice, to you, in person because you are owed that. But that opportunity I will not have. So to those people, I pray you can forgive me and that over time I can live a life where trust is earned again. To our pastors, Brian and Bobbie, thank you for allowing us to lead, allowing us to thrive, and giving us room to have a voice that you have never stifled or tried to silence. Thank you for your grace and kindness especially in this season, as you have done so much to protect and love us through this. We, the Lentz family, don’t know what this next chapter will look like, but we will walk into it together very hopeful and grateful for the grace of God."
While there are no details about who Lentz, according to his own admission, cheated on his wife with, Daily Mail, citing celebrity gossip Instagram handle Deux Moi, reported that the pastor had been hooking up with a popular New York City-based podcaster. Without naming the woman, it also reported that she has written stories about Lentz, posted how she wanted to meet him, and he also took a visit to her company's office in recent years. Lents and the woman follow each other on Instagram. The woman also follows Lentz’s wife, but Laura does not follow her back.
Hillsong and celebrities
Lentz first came into the public eye for being a spiritual advisor to Bieber, his wife Hailey Baldwin, and Kylie and Kendall Jenner. Lentz famously baptized Bieber in NBA player Tyson Chandler's bathtub. Chandler, too, is one of the Hillsong church’s many celebrity attendees. Other high-profile Hillsong attendees include the Kardashians and Jenners, star couple Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler, and basketball players like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Actor Chris Pratt attends the church with wife Katherine Schwarzenegger, and prominently defended the church after Ellen Page called it "infamously anti-LGBTQ".