Its contemporary spin on Christianity, embodied by Lentz, packed a thriving network of on-trend believers into services across the globe every week. The wife of former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz is speaking out for the first time since her husband was fired from the megachurch amid a sex scandal. After selling their house in Montclair, New Jersey, Lentz and his wife Laura relocated to . The organization is led by pastor, author, and popular YouTuber Michael Todd. Hillsong founder Brian Houston speaks about Carl Lentz in TODAY exclusive. corroborate her account. The Lentzes loved Virginia BeachCarls parents lived there; they had a house and friends. Ad Choices. 2023 Cond Nast. Pastors held exclusive late-night parties that managed to make space for the models whose agencies put them up in the building and the young men of Hillsong who had proven their loyalty. Keatinge, she said, called her unfit for leadership. (Keatinge told the paper he did not recall saying this.) January 5, 2021 In case it wasn't already obvious when Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey Baldwin unfollowed their former pastor Carl Lentz on Instagram in November, the pop star kicked off. 8 CARL Lentz' "mistress" appeared in the trailer for Discovery's forthcoming docuseries, Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed, showing videos he sent during their affair. 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.. As they were leaving, the man who tried to intervene asked her not to tell anyone what had happened. Bri Austen, a single mother in Los Angeles, attended services with her three kids. Brian Houston, the churchs global senior pastor who founded Hillsong in Australia, publicly distanced himself from Lentz and announced an investigation of the East Coast outposts. For years, Hillsong experienced rapid growth as it offered itself as a house of worship and community for its young followers seeking what they neededbe that healing, fellowship, or grace. (The email was provided to V.F. Net worth: $3 Million Carl Lentz founded the New York City branch of Hillsong Church in 2010. Keatinge also brought two affidavits, William says, asserting that he had lied. (Keatinges email was obtained by V.F.) Following months of scandal surrounding Hillsong, a pastor at the megachurch alleged on Monday that Carl Lentz repeatedly sexually abused her and threatened her during conversations about his conduct. 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. FORMER Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz appears unrecognizable in shocking new photos after quietly relocating to Florida in the aftermath of his cheating scandal. Carl Lentz appears during an interview on Oct. 23, 2017, in New York. Ex-Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz's new megachurch accused of 'inappropriate' Easter service . We were hoping to share this update with you this weekend, Houston wrote.). Although she did not mention. As Lentzs celebrity and the churchs profile grew, his congregants developed a tortured relationship with fame. He added that he wasnt aware of the moral failures until late last year. Houston recently tweeted that the assault by Jason Mays was a sad story and that the victim had been previously abused at her fathers church in Pennsylvania. While Bieber said in a January Instagram Story that HILLSONG IS NOT MY CHURCH, the same month, Termini posted a photo of himself on the beach with Justin and Hailey Bieber. So did the volunteer who confided in William. Everyone Knows It Now. Exclusive Excerpt: An Icy Death at the Bottom of the World Lolita, Blake Bailey, and Me Kate Middleton and the Future of the Monarchy The Occasional Terror of Dating in the Digital Age The 13 Best Face Oils for Healthy, Balanced Skin From the Archive: Tinder and the Dawn of the Dating Apocalypse Sign up for the Royal Watch newsletter to receive all the chatter from Kensington Palace and beyond. Friends remember Lentz being in and out, returning late from the city or leaving just as the party got under way to play basketball with Drake. Since. In 2019 it opened new outposts in Indonesia, Brussels, Edinburgh, Milan, Dallas, Kansas City, and Monterrey, Mexico, as well as a college campus in Phoenix. By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. A former volunteer in New York wrote to church leadership in 2017 about allegations of sexual harassment within Hillsong, including Lentzs own alleged inappropriate sexual behavior. Vanity Fair reported in February that the volunteer said he was told by Termini that he needed to defend the church the way that Termini would defend his wife. Then Lentzs former dog walker went public about a 2014 incident in which he stumbled in on Lentz making sex noises with a younger star. Wife of ex-Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz is suffering PTSD, depression By Andrew Court November 12, 2021 4:59pm Updated Laura Lentz is revealing the emotional distress she has suffered after her. The case has continued to plague Hillsong. Lead pastor Judah Smith, whose community also includes celebrity couple Ciara and Russell Wilson, had an emotional moment on stage with the Canadian performer. Volunteers with jobs farthest from the backstage areas occupy the lowest rungs of the Hillsong hierarchy, which, leaders often remind, is scalable. Crenshaw felt frozen out of the service role shed held for three years. But the wounds from Sydney remained. He also met Laura, a native Australian whose parents are longtime friends of the Houstons. The series provides context for the many church scandals, such as allegations of abuse and corruption. In casting Lentz out, Houston exiled not only the leading avatar of the culture he built, but something of a son as well. In the second week of January, paparazzi spotted Carl and Laura, linked at the arm in the Redondo Beach Target parking lot. Before greeting guests and distributing literature, the host team checks the theater seats for vomit left over from the night before. Crenshaws father, a pastor in Pennsylvania, intervened and then the police became involved. What do you do when you discover the shepherds are part of the problem and even the problem itself?. When she reported that a volunteer in the vocal group sent her a sexually threatening text message late one night, the man was simply moved to a different volunteer team. While working for the Lentzes, V.F. Discovery, which features a catalog of programming from Warner Bros. Discovery's factual networks. Shoebridge recalled on the Parliament floor what Brian Houston had once told an alleged victim, who had agreed to a $10,000 payment not to speak out. Crenshaw learned Mays had a wife, and she felt overwhelmed by guilt and traumatic memories. ), One of the most delicate conversations I had with a former volunteer deals with Pastor Carl, William wrote in the complaint, the existence of which The New York Times first reported in December. Cover Story: The Charming Billie Eilish Kobe Bryants Tragic Flight, One Year Later How the PGA Polished Off Donald Trump Could the Monarchy Go Over a Cliff After Queen Elizabeth Dies? 36 Essential Items for Recreating Iconic Billie Eilish Nail Moments Inside 2021s Celebrity-Gossip Renaissance What Will Melania Trumps Legacy Be? From the Archive: The Brant Brothers Quest to Conquer Manhattan Not a subscriber? When questioned, Mays denied the incident. Disgraced Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz and his wife have broken their silence about his scandalous affairs in a new documentary about the secret church. The Daily Mail reported that the Lentzes were in intense couples therapy. In 2015, Brian Houston forced its director Josh Canfield to step down from his post after Canfield discussed his identity as a gay Hillsong congregant on CBSs Survivor. The choir revealed other fault lines too. Before Termini became Lentzs interim replacement at Hillsong, he held jobs as the churchs head of global real estate and director of business development. A royal commission in Australia found in 2015 that Brian Houston failed to notify authorities about the allegations upon learning of them. Lentz, the pastor from global megachurch Hillsong, who once ministered to Justin Bieber and a bevy of other . An avid sports fan, Houston loved Lentzs basketball stories and his aptitude for name-dropping while telling them. A 2009 Virginian-Pilot report noted that the service, Soul Central, kicked off at 8 p.m., just as happy hours wound down. And at least some bad moral behavior had gone back historically., That afternoon, Lentzs publicists said he enrolled in a 28-day outpatient program for pastoral burnout. A few weeks later, The New York Times reported that Hillsong NYC volunteers had complained to church officials about rumors of Lentz acting inappropriately with women in 2017. When Elisabeth Finch met Jennifer Beyer in 2019, the two women forged a fiercely loyal friendship, and eventually got married. William started to notice pastors watching him and staying close to him on Sundays. (In my opinion theyre just looking for dirt on Carl, says one. Carl Lentz's Hillsong Replacement Is Starting a New Church in Hawaii A few months after Lentz was fired and the megachurch's scandals cascaded, John Termini confirmed his departure. From that day, Jones skipped the line and went right to the front row. 2023 Cond Nast. Carl caught the culture from Brian, the former staffer says. Lentz allegedly asked her for massages, and Kimes felt that she couldnt decline. According to Jones, Keatinge brought the proposal to Lentz and returned with news that the idea had been approved. News of the relocation shocked Hillsong NYC congregants, who felt the Lentzes had just picked up and left. Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith Call Off Their Engagement. It is also a multimedia conglomerate that produces documentaries, books, and chart-topping musical acts. The pastor, a former real estate broker, is the developer Abram Shnays son-in-law. (Later that year, Houston attended a prayer meeting for Donald Trump at the White House.) 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. In September 2013, following two years forfeiting shifts at her paying job to serve on the host team, former volunteer Ashley Jones earned a promotion: spearheading the launch of Hillsong NYCs choir. Joness supervisor was pastor Kane Keatinge, a longtime friend of Lentz and Joel Houstons from Australia who had moved to New York. Termini and his family shared in some of these relationships. A rumor spread that Lentz had sex with Williams sister. He left school and eventually made his way to Hillsong College in Sydney. Met Gala 2023 Red Carpet: See All the Fashion, Outfits & Looks, Get Him Out of Here: Donald Trump Tossed NBC Reporters Phones During Tirade Aboard Campaign Plane, How to Watch the 2023 Met Gala Live Stream. It premieres Friday, May 19 at 10 p.m. on FX with two episodes before the final two air on May 26. The New York Post Claims Carl Now Lives in Florida. Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now. The churchs leaders and their families have at times seemed to operate under a more fluid set of standards. The message denied only one scandal specifically. Sometimes, exhausted from her weekend volunteer work, Austen had to move her day off at her paying job. Over months of follow-up meetings, William says, his character was continually attacked and he was called a liar. obtained, was sent through a subordinates account: Most of the things you have said here, I know absolutely nothing about. The incident joined a growing list of things that upset Jones about the church: cliques, favoritism, a general lack of diversity. After its celebrity pastor Carl Lentz's marital affair became public, Hillsong Church is quietly rebuilding and resetting their global mission to keep reaching more people searching for meaning in their lives and create community and worship music. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. The church offers a version of the gospel that can cohere with the rest of your urban professional life. Zoe Church / Chad and Julia Veach. They call it the Hillsong hangover, she says. Sunday call time for volunteers is 5 a.m. I was told that if his reputation was ruined, Kimes wrote, my reputation would be too. Later, Kimes said, Laura told her she should repent and dismissed her from her household duties, and Kimes and her husband moved to Boston to lead its Hillsong church. 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,. Amid the turmoil, Termini is now leaving Hillsong too. Aside from its celebrity congregants, Hillsong, which was founded in Australia in the 1980s and now has 131 locations across the world, has bolstered its visibility with a vast multimedia operation. After joining Hillsong as head pastor of the New York outpost in 2010, Lentz quickly became the churchs most recognizable face. Days later, a Lentz insider told The Sun that Carl wants to use all the attention hes received to boost his post-scandal career, maybe land a faith-based Netflix reality series. The Secret to Owen Wilsons Infinite Chill? The Lentzes home in the tony suburb became a hub of social activity. For a few weeks it seemed as if redemption might be possible. Last month, Houston announced that the investigation was complete, and that while the church wouldnt release the results, its board of directors had learned that it needed to make changes at the branches Lentz had led (and, the announcement seemed to imply, only at those branches). She noticed a staff administrator and volunteer singer named Jason Mays, son of the Australian churchs human resources head, John Mays, drinking heavily. Aghajanian said she believed Crenshaw but expressed shock that Mays could do such a thing. Kane Keatinge responded to Williams report promptly, setting up a meeting. The prosperity doctrine is partly a financial proposition: If you donate to Hillsong, God will give you that money back. Church officials de-rostered her daughter from her weekly volunteer commitments. When reached for comment, Keatinge referred V.F. With the tabloids feasting on his humiliation, Lentzs new P.R. Lentz implored her to stay. A new TLC documentary about the church and the minister, which debuted on Wednesday, featured the claims. Frank Houston, Brian Houstons father, started Sydney Christian Life Centre, the forerunner to Hillsong Church, in 1977. (Hillsong teachings reserve sex strictly for marriage.) Brian Houston founded the church that would become Hillsong in Australia in 1983. Carl Lentz Accused of Repeated Sexual Abuse by Hillsong Pastor A current pastor at the megachurch, who also worked as a nanny for the Lentz family, said that he threatened and belittled her. Soon after, Hillsongs Connecticut head pastor, Blaze Robertson, and his wife, Desi, materialized as the new executive pastors of Harvest Time Church in Greenwich, in an announcement that made no mention of Hillsong. Lentz, the pastor from global megachurch Hillsong, who once ministered to Justin Bieber and a bevy of other celebrities. 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. According to the Times reporting, Williams connect group coleader also lost her leadership role. 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. When God blesses a business person its for Gods own purposes. (A Hillsong spokesperson said financial integrity is a value of the church, that it regularly audits its financial records and expenses, and that no staff member has unrestricted access to church funds.). February 5, 2023. Assistants answered his emails. Kimes later confirmed that her statement was about Lentz. Carl has his impressive views towards god and abortion towards young pastors. Jasons actions have resulted in pain not only for Anna but also his wife Ashley not to mention other family members., Around the same time Crenshaws report was playing out in Australia, several whistleblowers brought complaints to church leadership about the culture at Hillsong NYC. EX-MEMBERS of disgraced pastor Carl Lentz's Hillsong Church have spoken out against the organization's stringent dating and sex restrictions. Ad Choices. Ahead of High Season The New, Sad Irony of the Rift Between Prince William and Prince Harry Caroline Rose Giulianis Unicorn Tale: Three-Way Sex Has Made Me a Better Person A Brief History of Piers Morgans One-Sided TV Feud With Meghan Markle 20 Women-Owned Fashion Brands for Celebrating Womens History Month From the Archive: Meghan Markle, an American Princess. Soon after, Harvest Time Church in Greenwich, Connecticut, announced that Blaze and Desiree Robertson, formerly of Hillsong Connecticut, were being considered as its new executive pastors. Former congregants have described Termini as not only an integral player in Lentzs kingdomthey employ some of the same emotive style in their sermonsbut an avid protector of it. Critics say the church needs greater accountability for its leadership. Lance Vivar, a pediatric ICU nurse in New Jersey, says that the church is just too important for him. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Nobody from the gathering acknowledged the assault afterward. Keatinge eventually emailed William, who had at one point sought legal advice, to inform him that no one had confirmed his letters claims. Before they left Hillsong for good, Abreu decided to work one last conference at Barclays Center to confirm something theyd been curious about. Music has proven to be a large part of the churchs draw throughout its history, and the growing congregation eventually renamed itself after one of the more popular musical acts it had produced. He never actually interacts with the people he ministers to., Although we have had very strong leadership in other countries, it is important to note that this tremendous growth has contributed to a lack of supporting infrastructure and oversight in the United States, Brian Houston said in a statement. Hes worked with the youth ministry for years, driving all over the state to pick kids up to bring them to meetings. As a child she was abused by a youth leader, and after the assault in Sydney, she went to a counselor to work through it all. I prayed about it and I was heartbroken, she says. Theres no problem. According to Williams account, Lentz had been extremely flirtatious with the volunteer and made her feel extremely uncomfortable. The volunteer told William that Lentz had been involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with multiple women. ), In a statement on Hillsongs website, the Houstons said they heard about Kimess allegations in the course of the East Coast investigation. 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. (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. When Elisabeth Finch met Jennifer Beyer in 2019, the two women forged a fiercely loyal friendship, and eventually got married. According to the same report, however, many of Lentzs powerful celebrity allies had turned their backs. I felt his arms and hands wrapped around my legs making contact with my inner thigh, butt and crotch. She tried to make her way to the door, but Mays wouldnt let go. A version of this story appears in the 2021 Hollywood issue. Pastor Carl Lentz and his wife, Laura, seen with their three children, Ava, Charlie and Roman on March 22,. COVID slowed its expansion efforts, but it has laid plans for a church in Atlanta and another in South Africa. A church spokesperson said Mays served a 12-month ban from any ministry, was reinstated in his administration role, and occasionally volunteers as a singer. Celeb Pastor Carl Lentz Says His Family Is Together After "Challenging Road" Two years after Carl Lentz was fired from Hillsong megachurch for "moral failures," the former pastor proved he. I do believe God blesses people but I also believe in purpose, he said in a 2018 interview. The church attracted A-list celebrities like Justin Bieber. When a cheating scandal blew up the pastors life, some Hillsong congregants were left to question their relationship with a church that cultivated its own kind of fameand the double standards that often came with it. After graduating from high school in 2015, Anna Crenshaw moved from Philadelphia to Australia to study at Hillsong College. In 2020, Lentz was fired from the. After the celebrity-friendly megachurch Hillsong fired embattled pastor Carl Lentz in November, his initial replacement as the head of the churchs East Coast locations was executive pastor John Termini. In the meantime, Crenshaw says, Mayss wife became Crenshaws volunteer group leader. Of all the ARC pastors invited to Hillsong, Gray seems to have commanded the largest honorarium. Lentz moved his family to the Williamsburg waterfront. Ashleys mother, Mary Jones, grew up in segregation-era Baltimore and lived an entire lifetime before arriving at Hillsong in 2010, several years after her daughter moved to New York. One Hillsong NYC congregant, Ashley Jones (right), stuck with the church for years despite misgivings. Lentz was for years the New York pastor and face of Hillsong, a global megachurch that counted Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez among its followers at the peak of its cultural power. According to a 2011 interview with Lentz in The Christian Post, as early 20-something students, Lentz and the younger Houston fantasized about someday teaming up to establish a Hillsong church in New York. Abreu summed up their experience as a queer Hillsong attendee: How do we get people to come to the church and make them feel safe and still remind them that they suck and are headed to hell?, Other congregants and their family members told similar stories of acceptance only on the churchs steeply qualified terms. Reporting what happened was the issue, not what happened to me, Crenshaw says. Brian Houston was not informed of these claims prior to the events of late 2020.). The three-part documentary series Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed premiered on Discovery Plus on March 24, 2022. Whats happening with the payment I was promised? Brett Sengstock, who was allegedly abused between ages 7 and 12, asked the younger Houston. It looks sleazy as he avoided the question on sin and . Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. His elevated status made me feel like he had all the power, and I had no voice.. Hillsong was approached by a developer to lease office space and have a multi-use venue at a 50% discount to the market due to benefits that the developer would receive by having a community facility within the tenancy, the report said. After a decade working at the Australia-based church, John Termini who temporarily served as lead pastor for Hillsong's NYC branch in the wake of Carl Lentz's adulterous fall from grace is. Abreu crowdfunded a trip to Sydney to start at Hillsong College in 2015 around the time of Josh Canfields Survivor appearance. FILE - Carl Lentz appears during an interview on Oct. 23, 2017, in New York. Why Meghan and Harrys Revelations About Racism Within the Royal Family Were So Devastating After the Year of No Bras, Things Are Looking Up The Hamptons Rids Itself of Donald Trump Jr. advisers believed his return began with three months out of public view, followed by a news cycle dominating mea maxima culpaperhaps, as suggested for a time, in this magazine. In 2010, the Sunday Telegraph found records of the Houstons multimillion-dollar beachfront properties, and that a million-dollar tax-free church expense account supported the couple and three others. Vanity Fair reported in February that Jason Mays, a Hillsong staffer who is the son of the churchs head of human resources, indecently assaulted a Hillsong College student in 2016. He landed a new gig. In the meantime, Carl Lentz and his family have moved out of their home in Montclair, New Jersey, and into a rented beach house in L.A. In the churchs early days, Brian Houston worked with the musician Geoff Bullock to develop the Hillsong sound. A current pastor at the megachurch, who also worked as a nanny for the Lentz family, said that he threatened and belittled her when the two discussed his alleged abuse. to the churchs spokesperson. As college students, Crenshaw and her friend couldnt drink alcohol, but some of the men could. In the months after Lentzs ouster, former congregants and volunteers spoke out about scores of experiences of exploitation at the church. When she once faced eviction, Lentz and Hillsong helped with the rent. Sofia Richie Reveals She Converted to Judaism Ahead of Wedding to Elliot Grainge. Tens of thousands of urban evangelical professionals followed Lentz for his soaring sermons at weekly services that resembled rock concerts. ), Aspiring pastors, typically dressed in some permutation of the Lentz uniform, served as members of the drive team. Nominally, they ferried pastors to and from services on busy Sundays, but they were on call 24/7 for Lentz, former volunteers said. Scott Morrison, prime minister of Australia, has described Houston as a mentor and suffered a minor scandal in 2019 after the White House denied his attempt to bring Houston to a state dinner. Since Justin Bieber left the Hillsong megachurch due to Carl Lentz's controversial infidelity, he's found a new space of worship. Also pictured were Terminis brother Joe and Joes wife, the star professional surfer Kelia Moniz. But on Nov. 4 . (A church spokesperson said its global leadership was previously unaware of this incident but learned that Amazing Grace may have been a special request of Lentz for a sermon unrelated to Black History Month.).
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