A day after Pastor Carl Lentz was fired from the Hillsong megachurch for “moral failures,” he revealed what he did to warrant these accusations; he cheated on his wife.
In a statement on Wednesday, the church’s founder Brian Houston surprised many by confirming that Carl Lentz had been fired from the East Coast chapter of the church in Manhattan.
Houston said that the decision had not been taken likely but was the best for Lentz and the church.
He said the pastor, who has been associated with many celebrities, including Justin Bieber and Bono, was fired due to “leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.”
This startling revelation led to many folks speculating as to what those moral failures might have been.
Some crazy theories were touted online, ranging from Lentz coming out as gay to having dodgy political leanings. However, those who wondered if he had cheated on his wife were bang on the money.
Lentz took to Instagram last night, and in a lengthy post, he explained what had happened. He started by stating it had been an “honor” to lead the church and that he and his family had “given all that we have to serve and build this church.”
And then he dropped a bombshell: “I did not do an adequate job of protecting my own spirit. 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.”
Lentz then said he would take responsibility for his actions and try to rebuild trust with his family: “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.”
Carl Lentz asked for forgiveness for cheating on wife
He finished his statement by asking his parishioners for forgiveness: ” I pray you can forgive me and that over time I can live a life where trust is earned again.”
At the time of this article, his post had over 100,000 likes, and he was inundated with messages of support from fans and colleagues.
Pastor Stephen Chandler of the Destiny church wrote: “Love you @carllentz! Praying God’s best over you and your family!!”
Pastor Lucinho wrote: “You and your family will come out of this restored and stronger than ever! Praying for you all.”
Basketball player Josh Duinker thanked Lentz for the impact he had had on him: “thankful for your ministry that has impacted so many including myself. Praying for you & the fam. Love you brother.”
Former Cleveland Browns linebacker Emmanuel Acho told Lentz he was “Praying for you and your family brother.”
Who did Carl Lentz cheat with?
It is currently unknown who Carl Lentz had an affair with but, of course, that hasn’t stopped the internet from speculating. One name that was tossed about on Twitter was New York sports anchor Kayce Smith.
But these rumors are completely unfounded.
Carl Lentz was known for his association with various celebrities; Justin Bieber reportedly even lived with the pastor and his family for a brief time.
Lentz claims he baptized the Canadian singer in the New York bathtub of NBA veteran Tyson Chandler.
Lentz’s church has also been visited by U2 frontman Bono, the Jenner sisters, Selena Gomez, and Kevin Durant. The 41-year-old Pastor has always been considered unusually hip and fashionable for a man of God.
There was tragedy last year when another well-known pastor, Jarrid Wilson, committed suicide in southern California. The celebrity preacher was known for his battles with depression, an insight he used to help others.