Former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz has been seen for the first time since he finished 30 days of rehab, where he spent Christmas and New Year, welcoming his wife while doing errands in California.
The deposed mega-church leader, 42, known to be a close friend of celebrities like Justin Bieber, looked a little worse for his hair-grown wear as he headed to Target on Redondo Beach with his Australian wife Laura for an order early in the morning. run on Sunday.
Laura, whom he married in 2003 and with whom he shares three children, was seen with the wedding band on his finger and arm around Carl’s for the outing.
The couple has maintained a united front since Carl, who worked with Hillsong for ten years and was the lead pastor of the New York City chapter, was fired in November for having an affair and admitted he cheated on her. his wife.
Former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz has been seen for the first time since he completed 30 days of rehab, where he spent Christmas and New Year’s Day hosting his wife while doing errands in California on Sunday.
The deposed mega-church leader, 42, known to be a close friend of celebrities like Justin Bieber, looked a little worse for his hair-grown wear as he headed to Target on Redondo Beach with his Australian wife Laura for an order early in the morning. runs on Sunday
Putting a united front: Laura was seen, with whom Carl shares three children, with his wedding band on his finger and arm around Carl’s for the outing
Moving forward together: after Carl’s dismissal, the family left New York and moved to California.
In early December, Carl entered a treatment program to treat mental health problems after his dismissal, at an outpatient center specializing in “depression, anxiety and pastoral exhaustion,” according to People magazine.
“He wants to be better for his family and is dedicated to doing the job,” a source told the magazine at the time. “His family supports him and hopes his privacy will be respected on this trip.”
They added: “He has no ill will towards the church and acknowledges that they had to take some action to fix his wrong steps.”
During his ten years with Hillsong, Lentz adopted a fashionable attire and fostered friendships with famous young people to help raise the church’s image, although he publicly said that homosexuality and abortion were sins.
But a statement from Hillsong founder Brian Houston on Nov. 4 announced he had been removed from his post for “ongoing discussions related to leadership issues and breaches of trust, in addition to a recent revelation of moral failures.” .
“They have a heart for the people and we are confident that after a time of rest and restoration, God will use Carl in another way outside of Hillsong Church,” the statement continued. “At the end of his term, we by no means want to diminish the good work he did here.”
All eyes on her: although Carl never said who his adventure was with, New York City designer Ranin Karim, 34, came to light days after the scandal claiming he ended his secret relationship of months in early November
Despite the infidelity, Lentz’s wife, Laura, seems to be staying with him, and his family seems to be supportive.
In early December, Carl began a treatment program to treat mental health problems after his dismissal, at an outpatient center specializing in “depression, anxiety and pastoral exhaustion.” “He wants to be better for his family and is dedicated to doing the job,” a source said. “His family supports him and hopes his privacy will be respected on this trip.”
Hillsong founder Brian Houston announced on Nov. 4 that Carl had been removed from office for “ongoing discussions related to leadership issues and breaches of trust, in addition to a recent revelation of moral failures.” It’s unclear what Carl will do after his high shot
Carl had worked for Hillsong for ten years before he was asked. Laura had grown up in the church and was also retired from working there
Before rehab: Carl was photographed taking a break from fitness clothing after moving to his Manhattan Beach mansion in November
Lentz was the pastor of the New York branch of Hillsong, though he seems to spend a lot of time on the west coast as well.
It appears the scandal impacted his relationship with Bieber and his wife Hailey, as the two did not follow him on Instagram after spending a lot of time with him.
Last year, Lentz christened Bieber and even presided over his wedding.
In December, DailyMail.com reported exclusively on Houston’s audio to church leaders and major donors, in which it claimed Lentz had “more than one issue” prior to his dismissal.
He described them as “significant” and added that some “moral misconduct had been traced back historically”, although he did not refer to these recent issues, which were apparently consensual.
Lentz’s Instagram post where he confessed to cheating on his wife Laura, 17
Playing the role: Lentz adopted a fashionable style of dress and surrounded himself with celebrities like Justin Bieber, although he publicly called homosexuality and abortion a sin; seen in 2017
Several women: Lentz was a pastor at the New York branch of Hillsong for ten years before being fired. In private recordings, Hillsong founder said he was continuing with various issues
Shortly after the scandal erupted, New York City-based designer Ranin Karim claimed she had been having an affair for months with him.
The Egyptian and Palestinian designer claims the relationship began after a casual meeting at New York’s Domino Park. Karim said the couple had started their “love story” on the backdrop of the Covid-19 and comfort had been found between them during the strange moment.
The 34-year-old claimed Lentz “would brag about his BMW” and talk about his friendship with pop star Justin Bieber.
Lentz had christened Bieber at church and also shook hands with other celebrities alongside Drake, Vanessa Hudgens and several NBA stars.
According to her, Lentz only gave her first name and claimed to be a sports agent.
When Karim found out that Lentz was married, he claims that he told him to end his adventure.
“When I found out he was married, I repeatedly told him,‘ Go back to your wife, go back to your family, ’but he kept popping up in the lobby of my apartment block with Blue Class textile bottles for us to drink, he said. .
“He said he felt bad about what he was doing to his wife, that she was an amazing good woman, that he had never done it before, but his marriage wasn’t perfect.”
Karim believes Lentz was looking for a way out of his “boring” marriage.
Lentz’s wife, Laura, discovered the matter because Lentz had synced her iPhone messages with her iCloud. She discovered Karim’s messages on her work computer while she was in the Hillsong offices, surrounded by co-workers.
Despite the alleged affairs, Lentz’s wife, Laura, appears to be with him, and his family appears to support him.