Justin Bieber’s Pastor Carl Lentz Reveals Reason Behind Hillsong Exit in Apologetic Post
Following news that Carl Lentz, a high-profile pastor at the Hillsong East Coast church known for his connections to Justin Bieber, has been fired, he is sharing in his own words why he will not be part of the Hillsong community anymore.
Lentz posted a photo on Instagram smiling alongside his family on Thursday (Nov. 5), admitting in a lengthy message that he “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.”
While the original Hillsong statement from founder Brian Houston cited “leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures” as the reasoning for Lentz’s departure, the pastor clarified what that meant. “I was unfaithful in my marriage, the most important relationship in my life and held accountable for that,” he shared. “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,” he continued. “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.”
“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,” the message concluded.
See the post here.