Justin Bieber talks openly about his faith, and the singer is often seen attending services at Hillsong churches.
One of Bieber’s closest spiritual advisers was Pastor Carl Lentz, who the “Baby” singer even lived with for a time in 2014. Although the two had a falling out since then, they were very close at the time.
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Now, however, Pastor Lentz has been fired by Hillsong Church East Coast due to “moral failures.”
Keep reading for all the details!
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Lentz was popular for his friendship with many celebrities who attend Hillsong, but his relationship with Bieber stuck out the most.
The pastor baptized Bieber, and he also let the singer stay with him in Montclair, New Jersey. According to the Associated Press, "Bieber once spent a month living with Lentz and his family at a time several years ago when trouble followed him around, from egging a neighbor’s house to urinating in a bucket and getting caught on video."
Plus, the pastor helped coach Justin through his (sometimes rocky) relationship with Selena Gomez.
According to PEOPLE, however, Lentz has been fired from the church.
The church's founder Brian Houston said in a release: "Today Hillsong Church East Coast advised our congregation that we have terminated the employment of Pastor Carl Lentz. This action was not taken lightly and was done in the best interests of everyone, including Pastor Carl."
The reason behind Lentz's sudden departure from the church is, according to the statement, related to "ongoing discussions in relation to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures."
The statement continues, "We thank Pastors Carl and Laura for the way they have served faithfully and sacrificially since the start 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 people and we are confident that after a time of rest and restoration, God will use Carl in another way outside of Hillsong church. In terminating his tenure, we in no way want to diminish the good work he did here."
Although the church's statement did not go into specifics, Lentz himself explained why he was let go on Instagram.
He wrote, "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. 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. 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."
Justin Bieber has not commented on his previous spiritual confidant's indisgressions, but the two did have a falling out a few years ago.
