NEW YORK (RNS) — In an e mail reportedly despatched by Hillsong founding pastor, Brian Houston, to church workers and members of Hillsong East Coast on Wednesday afternoon (Nov 4), Houston introduced the termination of Carl Lentz, the lead pastor for Hillsong NYC.
The e-mail, which was obtained by RNS, cited the rationale for termination as “management points and breaches of belief, plus a latest revelation of ethical failures.”
“I do know this may come as a shock to you, however please know that this motion was not taken evenly and was achieved in the perfect pursuits of everybody, together with Pastor Carl,” Houston wrote.
“Please perceive that it will not be acceptable for us to enter element concerning the occasions that led to this resolution. Nevertheless you will be assured that this resolution was made so as to honor God and pastorally take care of you, our East Coast household, Pastor Carl and his household,” Houston continued.
Lentz, 41, was certainly one of a variety of pastors GQ Journal has described as “hypepriests” who lead church buildings frequented by celebrities. Associates and congregants embody Justin Bieber and his spouse Hailey Baldwin Bieber, in addition to the Jenner sisters.
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Lentz together with Houston’s son Joel, started the primary Hillsong East Coast church in Manhattan, New York in 2010. The church, a part of the worldwide community of Hillsong church buildings, rapidly drew consideration for the lengthy traces ready to be “let in” on Sunday mornings — and for the demographic ready in these traces. The worshippers who flocked there have been — like their lead pastor — younger, hip and dressed trying extra like they had been headed to a rock live performance than to Sunday morning church. Certainly, their venue, Irving Plaza within the Gramercy neighborhood of Manhattan, was a church by day and live performance corridor by night time.
Lentz, comparatively unknown earlier than taking the helm of Hillsong NYC, drew the eye of main media retailers for his hipster costume, his tattoo lined arms, and his movie star parishioners, together with Bieber, who in response to GQ was baptized by the pastor within the bathtub of Tyson Chandler, a New York Knicks participant on the time.
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Lentz was raised in Virginia and performed basketball at North Carolina State, the place he advised the New York Post he was “doing my very own factor, being my very own god.” He moved to Los Angeles to attend King’s School and Seminary, then headed to Australia to affix Hillsong’s coaching program, Hillsong School, the place he met his spouse, Laura. He labored in youth ministry in Virginia Seaside earlier than transferring to Brooklyn’s stylish Williamsburg neighborhood to launch Hillsong’s first U.S. location, in response to media experiences.
“Whereas I’ve little question in my coronary heart that that is the proper plan of action, I have to point out Bobbie’s and my private unhappiness, as we’ve got recognized Laura her complete life and Carl for properly over 20 years,” Houston wrote in his letter.
Pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston based the unique Hillsong Church in 1983 within the suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It now has places in 28 nations all over the world and, pre-pandemic, noticed a mean 150,000 attenders every week, in response to its web site.
Hillsong can be recognized for its common worship music and conferences.
Neither Hillsong nor Carl Lentz instantly responded to request for remark.
This story is breaking and might be up to date.
Emily McFarlan Miller contributed to this report.
