Carl Lentz, Justin Bieber’s friend and a former pastor at Hillsong Church, revealed he was fired from the institution because he cheated on his wife, Laura Lentz.
The Hillsong NYC cofounder, 41, wrote in a lengthy Instagram caption on Thursday, November 5, that his exit from the church was “a hard ending” to his and his family’s time there.
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“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,” he explained. “When that does not happen, a change needs to be made and has been made in this case to ensure that 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.”
Carl then divulged the exact reason for his termination.
“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,” he continued. “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.”
The Virginia native concluded by sharing his hopes for the future. “I pray you can forgive me and that over time I can live a life where trust is earned again,” he noted. “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.”
Carl and Laura, 42, married in 2003 and are parents of Ava, 16, Charlie, 14, and Roman, 11.
Hillsong Church Global Senior Pastor Brian Houston announced on Wednesday, November 4, that Carl was fired due to “leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.”
The religious leader is known for his friendship with Bieber, 26. The singer lived with Carl and his family in New Jersey at one point, and he baptized the Grammy winner.
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