Brian Houston, founding pastor of Hillsong Church, emailed members and staff at Hillsong Church in New York on Wednesday to announce the firing of Pastor Carl Lentz.
Dyears the email that got CBN News and which was also shared on social networks yesterday, Brian Houston indicates as the reason for the dismissal: “Leadership issues and breach of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failure”.
41-year-old Carl Lentz had been described by GQ Magazine in 2017 as a “pastor of hype”, he is notably known for being the spiritual mentor of Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey Baldwin Bieber or even of the Jenner sisters.
Carl Lentz has been fired by Hillsong for “a recent revelation of moral failures” writes Brian Houston in an email to church members. pic.twitter.com/Q653Qd4YvB
— Andrew Beck (@AndrewBeckNYC) November 4, 2020
The senior pastor of the Australian mega-church Hillsong, explains in his email that “this action was not taken lightly and was done for the benefit of all, including Pastor Carl”.
He also claims that it “would not be appropriate to go into the details of the events that led to this decision”. But assures us that this decision “was made in order to honor God and pastorally care for you, our East Coast family, Pastor Carl, and his family.”
CBN News contacted Hillsong for more information and they received a response from Brian Houston. In this message, the pastor reiterates most of the words quoted above and adds thanks to Carl Lentz and his wife, Laura Lentz.
“We thank Pastors Carl and Laura for the way they have served faithfully and with sacrifice since the beginning of Hillsong NYC and for contributing so significantly to the countless lives that have been transformed for Jesus Christ through this ministry. They have a heart for the people and we are convinced that after a time of rest and restoration, God will use Carl in another way outside of Hillsong Church. By terminating his mandate, we do not want to diminish the good work he has done here in any way. “
He also mentions the “sadness” felt by his wife, Bobbie and himself in the face of this news because the Lentz are longtime relatives.
“While I have no doubts that this is the right course of action, I have to mention Bobbie’s sadness and mine as we’ve known Laura and Carl for over 20 years. “
He also added that worship services will “continue as usual” and that Hillsong New York Church will continue to be a “place of hope, love and faith through the powerful and transformative message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ ”.
Brian Houston concluded his message by expressing his gratitude to the Hillsong Church in New York team and informs that he is already engaged in a “process of selecting new leaders”
“I want to thank the great team of people who serve here, and as we embark on the process of selecting new leaders, we pray that God will bring an exciting new season to our church and this region. “
Like the Twitter post below, the support and prayers for Carl Lentz and his family are multiplying on social networks, while other Internet users are speculating on the reason for the dismissal.
I’m praying for Carl lentz and his family ❤️
— QualityThoughts???? (@BeeThandeka) November 5, 2020
C.P
Image Credit: Roland Magnusson / Shutterstock.com
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