Disgraced Hillsong pastor and Justin Bieber pal Carl Lentz says his family is ‘together’ and ‘at peace’ – as he returns to social media for first time since cheating scandal rocked his marriage and got him kicked out of the church
- Carl, 43, was ex-communicated from the church in November 2020, after reports emerged claiming that he had been unfaithful to his wife, Laura
- In a shocking post at the time, Carl admitted to his infidelity and said he was ready to face the ‘painful consequences’ and ‘seek out the help that he needed’
- He then stepped away from the spotlight – but he has now returned to social media to announce that he and his family are finally ‘at peace’
- He said that while it’s been ‘a challenging road,’ they are still ‘together,’ adding that he’s ‘not sure what the future holds’ but that they will ‘face it as a family’
- Laura admitted that it took ‘a lot of work’ to make their ‘marriage’ what it is now, but said she was ‘proud of her husband for the responsibility he’s taken’
- Before his infidelity came to light, Carl led a charmed life which saw him mingling with Hollywood’s finest while serving as the lead pastor of Hillsong NY
Disgraced ex-Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz has revealed that his family is still ‘together’ – as he returned to social media for the first time since it was brought to light that he had cheated on his wife-of-17-years and was being kicked out of the church.
Carl, 43, was ex-communicated from the church in November 2020, after reports emerged claiming that he had been unfaithful to his wife, Laura.
In a shocking post at the time, Carl admitted to his infidelity and said he was ready to face the ‘painful consequences’ and ‘seek out the help that he needed.’
He then stepped away from the spotlight – but he has now returned to social media to announce that he and his family are finally ‘at peace’ with the whole ordeal, explaining that while it’s been ‘a challenging road’ they are still ‘together.’
‘It’s been a challenging road but we are alive, we are at peace, and thanks to the grace of God, we are TOGETHER,’ he wrote on Instagram, alongside a black and white photo that showed him, his wife, and their three kids standing together while holding hands.
Disgraced ex-Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz revealed that his family is still ‘together’ – as he returned to social media for the first time since it he cheated on his wife
Carl, 43, was ex-communicated from the church in November 2020, after reports emerged claiming that he had been unfaithful to his wife, Laura. The couple is seen recently
In a shocking post at the time, Carl (seen with Justin Bieber in 2017) admitted to his infidelity and said he was ready to face the ‘painful consequences’ and ‘seek out help’
He then stepped away from the spotlight – but he has now returned to social media to announce that he and his family are finally ‘at peace’ with the whole ordeal
‘Not sure what the future holds for us, but we do know that we face it as a family and for that I am so thankful.
‘My deepest thanks to our friends and family that have shown us such unconditional love and grace when we have desperately needed it. Forever grateful… We are hopeful about what is ahead.’
In the photo, Carl sported a much-more ragged look than his followers are used to – ditching the clean-cut appearance that he rocked for the many years that he worked at Hillsong for instead, a long hairdo and facial hair.
Carl and Laura wed in 2003, and together, they have welcomed daughters Ava and Charlie and son Roman.
Laura also shared the same image to her feed, admitting that it took ‘a lot of work’ to make their ‘marriage’ what it is now in the caption, but added that she was ‘proud of her husband for the responsibility he’s taken.’
‘It has been challenging and Hell yeah, it’s taken a LOT of work the past 22 months (but who’s counting) to make our marriage what it has become, and we will never stop working on ourselves, for this marriage, and for our kids,’ she said.
‘I know there are many that don’t or would never do what I chose to do, and that’s OK, it’s not for everyone.’
Laura added that she ‘looks forward to sharing their story’ and ‘how she came’ to forgive her husband with the world, in the hopes that it could ‘help’ other people.
‘I am so proud of my husband and for the responsibility he’s taken,’ she continued. ‘I’m grateful for a man who humbled himself and didn’t try to defend himself.
‘He has kept quiet publicly and he has remained focused on the one thing that matters most – our family.’
Before his infidelity came to light, Carl led a charmed life in a $1.5 million home in New Jersey, which saw him mingling with Hollywood’s finest, attending glamorous parties, and jetting off on lavish trips, while serving as the lead pastor of Hillsong NYC.
His most notable celebrity friendship was with Justin Bieber, 28, and his wife, Hailey Bieber, 25, who he grew so close to, the Love Yourself singer even lived with him for four months in 2014.
Both Justin and Hailey unfollowed Carl, who has since moved to LA with his family, after the cheating allegations emerged, however; his other celebrity friends included the Kardashians, Drake, Vanessa Hudgens, and various NBA stars.
In November 2020, Carl’s life was turned upside down when news hit the web that he had had a five-month-long affair with 34-year-old fashion designer Ranin Karim.
She went on to give multiple interviews describing their ‘deep, sexual’ connection with Carl, which formed after they met in a park and exchanged numbers.
She claimed that she found out about his marriage early on in their relationship, and when she asked him about it, he said, ‘I’ve never done this before, there’s nothing wrong with my relationship … but you have everything I want in a woman.’
Before his infidelity came to light, Carl led a charmed life, which saw him mingling with Hollywood’s finest, while serving as the lead pastor of Hillsong NYC
His most notable celebrity friendship was with Justin Bieber, 28, and his wife, Hailey Bieber, 25, who he grew so close to, the Love Yourself singer even lived with him for four months in 2014
In November 2020, Carl’s life was turned upside down when news hit the web that he had had a five-month-long affair with 34-year-old fashion designer Ranin Karim (pictured)
Hillsong announced that Carl had been fired by the organization’s leader Brian Houston on November 4, while accusing the pastor of ‘moral failures’ and ‘breaches of trust’ in a scathing statement.
‘This action has been taken following ongoing discussions in relation to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures,’ Brian wrote.
Carl then confirmed that his time at Hillsong ‘had come to an end’ on Instagram, writing: ‘This is a hard ending to what has been the most amazing, impacting and special chapter of our lives.’
‘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 continued.
‘When that does not happen, a change needs to be made and has been made in this case to ensure that standard is upheld.
‘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. 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.
Hillsong announced that Carl (seen with his wife in 2019) had been fired by the organization’s leader Brian Houston on November 4, while accusing the pastor of ‘moral failures’
Carl confirmed that his time at Hillsong ‘had come to an end’ on Instagram, writing: ‘This is a hard ending to what has been the most amazing, impacting, and special chapter of our lives’
‘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.’
Carl grew up in Virginia but went to Australia after graduating high school, which is where he was introduced to Hillsong its founder, Brian, as well as his wife.
Then, in 2003, he returned to the US with Laura to set up Hillsong in New York City, which soon grew into a celebrity-mecca.
After his firing, it was reported that Carl had been accused of sexual misconduct back in 2017, and that Hillsong officials allegedly knew about it and did nothing.
An insider told DailyMail.com that a former Hillsong New York community group leader wrote an email to one of the church’s directors in July 2017, in which they claimed that Carl made one of their volunteers ‘extremely uncomfortable’ after he ‘acted inappropriately.’
They said he was ‘extremely flirtatious,’ and ‘has been involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with different women.’
The source claimed that a month later, a senior member of Hillsong wrote a terse email in response, claiming the allegations were all false.
They said the New York branch had conducted an ‘internal review’ and found no evidence supporting the claims against Carl.
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