Disgraced Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz and wife break silence over his Its contemporary spin on Christianity, embodied by Lentz, packed a thriving network of on-trend believers into services across the globe every week. Neither Hillsong nor Lentz immediately returned The Post's request for comment. At the center of the docuseries is Pastor Carl Lentz, the leader of the New York City branch of the church who gained public attention after befriending multiple famous congregants. He's 20 and she's 17, but not for long. Carl Lentz's Hillsong Replacement Is Starting a New Church in Hawaii Keatinge removed William from his connect group. What do you do when you discover the shepherds are part of the problem and even the problem itself?. The Lentzes loved Virginia BeachCarls parents lived there; they had a house and friends. May 18, 202100:49. She kept quiet for two and a half years. By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This broker sells houses and God, too. Then Lentz told the assembly, This idea came to us from our one and only Kane Keatinge. Exclusive: Sex abuse allegations by Carl Lentz's former nanny put I agreed to forgive your father., Yes, okay, Ill get the money to you, Houston responded. Lentz brought the Hillsong megachurch to the US from Australia and led a charmed life in a $1.5 million home in New Jersey as lead pastor of New York City before his world came crashing down. Every time, I froze. A legal representative for the Lentzes told RNS that the two vehemently deny the allegations and, in addition to that, have irrefutable proof the events did not happen as they are being described.. Celeb Pastor Carl Lentz Says His Family Is Together After "Challenging The only people who need to know are me and your psychiatrist. (A spokesperson said the church was unaware of the incident.) We are now aware of the scope of changes that need to be made and are addressing those immediately., In 2011, with his New York flock outgrowing smaller venues, Lentz began holding services at 1,200-seat Irving Plaza. Tens of thousands of urban evangelical professionals followed Lentz for his soaring sermons at weekly services that resembled rock concerts. (Hillsong teachings reserve sex strictly for marriage.) The Grammy-winning group Hillsong Worship, one of the churchs three musical acts, recently broke the record for a Hillsong streaming debut in the U.S. Hillsong founder Brian Houston fired Lentz over what he said were moral failuresincluding, most explosively, Lentzs cheatingand has claimed in public statements and a recent interview on the Today show that Lentzs behavior was an aberration for the church. You have to choose where your loyalty lies, she recalls him telling her. Lentz implored her to stay. An avid sports fan, Houston loved Lentzs basketball stories and his aptitude for name-dropping while telling them. The three-part documentary series Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed premiered on Discovery Plus on March 24, 2022. in February that Kane Keatinge, an Australian pastor under Lentz who allegedly bullied volunteers, had been suspended pending an investigation, but didnt answer a recent inquiry about his current status. Gossip blogs noted the shots were the first time Lentz had been spotted in public since entering rehab. Lead pastor Judah Smith, whose community also includes celebrity couple Ciara and Russell Wilson, had an emotional moment on stage with the Canadian performer. But on Nov. 4 . This church will fail you, he remembers the pastor promising. Later, he said that Williams voice lost meaning to him. In mid-November 2020, a crisis manager from the public relations firm Sunshine Sachs took on a new client: Carl Lentz, former head of Hillsong Churchs four locations in the American Northeast. (Protestia) Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, called out deceased and disgraced renown apologist Ravi Zacharias and disgraced ex-Hillsong Pastor Carl Lentz during a January 17th sermon. (A church spokesperson said its leadership was unaware of any inappropriate activity at the Kent Avenue address. His world came crashing down after an affair he had with New York actress Ranin Karim surfaced. Another Hillsong pastor named Leona Kimes ran Lauras life while enlisting a former Hillsong College student to look after her own daughter for $150 a week. Lentz allegedly asked her for massages, and Kimes felt that she couldnt decline. ), In a statement on Hillsongs website, the Houstons said they heard about Kimess allegations in the course of the East Coast investigation. The pastor is preparing to move to Hawaii, a source familiar with his plans said, where hell start a separate church following the series of scandals at his old place of employment. Nobody from the gathering acknowledged the assault afterward. The effects of the split between the churchs founder and his most famous acolyte went far beyond the two mens relationship. Carl Lentz Hillsong pastor: Carl Lentz: Find out everything about One Hillsong NYC congregant, Ashley Jones (right), stuck with the church for years despite misgivings. I personally thought it was what I was called by Jesus to do. Jones says she watched the group serve as an outlet for cronyism. Days after the meeting, the Nigerian student attended a special dinner party for Hillsong congregants who tithe above 10 percent. Then, on December 3, audio surfaced of Houston explaining Lentzs firing in an internal meeting: These issues were more than one affair, they were significant. In September 2016, Jones emailed Lentz asking that Hillsong address some of the things that bothered her about the church: its racial disparity, cliques, cronyism, overworked volunteers. Former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz has been spotted for the first time since finishing his 30-day stint in rehab He spent Christmas and New Years Day in rehab in a program for 'depression,. When she declined, he appeared at her Brooklyn apartment. Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now. Carl left the church after admitting to . They didnt tell anybody in Australia about their sexuality, but one day a professor stopped class to make an insinuation: We need to pray for Omars future wife.. The Sydney Morning Herald reported in a 2015 investigation of the churchs finances that that figure was likely incomplete, and Houston hasnt disclosed his salary since. While working for the Lentzes, V.F. The report, commissioned by the Hillsong Global Board, was carried out by the NYC law firm Zukerman Gore Brandeis & Crossman, over a period of less than two months following Lentz's firing in November 2020.The confidential report, titled "Internal Investigation Report Regarding Carl Lentz and Other Matters" was submitted to the Hillsong Global Board on January 11, 2021. Former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz called for "strict sex rules and Sunday call time for volunteers is 5 a.m. On November 4, 2020, congregants and fans of the Hillsong church awoke to the sad news that Carl Lentz and Laura Lentz had been fired. The crew team unloads trucks. On November 4, Hillsongs global senior pastor and founder, Brian Houston, publicly fired Lentz and his wife of 17 years, Laura, pointing to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures. On Instagram the next day, Carl Lentz paired a photo of his family decked out in formal attire at the Biebers wedding with a confession: When you lead out of an empty place, you make choices that have real and painful consequences. a Photo of The Disgraced Pastor with Wild, Long, Curly Hair Appeared Online in March 2022, Despite the fact that He Has Been Keeping a Low Profile Since Then. If so, the spokesperson said, it was unacceptable and not an accurate reflection of our desired global culture.). Back in New York, they tried going to services again; their best friends were and still are part of the church. The lights, the rock show, the smoke. FX has released its official trailer for The Secrets of Hillsong, which, essentially, is former Hillsong New York pastors, Carl and Laura Lentz's, side of the story.. The celebrity-beloved religious couple's new $700,00. The incident joined a growing list of things that upset Jones about the church: cliques, favoritism, a general lack of diversity. The choir revealed other fault lines too. Eventually William (a pseudonym) emailed a pastor with a list of concerns, including leaders sending nude photos to female volunteers. 2:05. With the tabloids feasting on his humiliation, Lentzs new P.R. Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 1, Its Not So Black and White: Gisele Bndchen, Self-Professed Witch of Love, Talks About It All, The supermodel is super ready for her next act, as she enjoys the, Ezra Millers Messiah Delusions: Inside. On May 31, 2021, the former nanny of Lentz's children accused him of bullying, abuse of power, and sexual abuse. Pastor John MacArthur Calls Out Ravi Zacharias and Carl Lentz as The popularity of the church Hillsong soared in the U.S. thanks in part to Carl Lentz, its New York lead pastor, whose ties to Justin Bieber and pro athletes made him a celebrity until he was. In January 2020, Mays pleaded guilty to indecent assault and received two years probation and mandatory counseling. Carl caught the culture from Brian, the former staffer says. The Hillsong Church is well-known for its celebrity attendance. On November 9, Ranin Karim, a 34-year-old jewelry designer and actor with a septum piercing and her own sleeves of tattoos, described a monthslong tequila-drenched love affair with Lentz in interviews with The Sun, the New York Post, and others. In September 2022, Laura shared a relationship update. The churchs leaders and their families have at times seemed to operate under a more fluid set of standards. An Intimate View of a Young Queen Elizabeth II The Sacklers Launched OxyContin. Justin Bieber decries 'celebrity worship' of faith leaders Im sure hes really sorry. But he never apologized and denied assaulting her. For some people its about ego and wanting to be a star, Jones says. Amid the turmoil, Termini is now leaving Hillsong too. A flurry of Twitter flare-ups and Slack spats involving. One pastor routinely asked Jones to replace singers, who had rehearsed, with celebrities (including, once, Vanessa Hudgens) and potential paramours. Rumors of Lentz sleeping around were nothing new, but William says he didnt think they could be true.