Former Hillsong Pastor Carl Lentz Regrets Losing Justin Bieber’s Trust after Scandal
Former Hillsong East Coast Pastor Carl Lentz expressed remorse for breaking the trust he had with pop singer and Grammy-award winning artist, Justin Bieber. Lentz, who was fired in 2020 due to leadership issues and an extramarital affair, spoke about his former friendship with Bieber during an interview with “Mighty Pursuit” last August, Church Leaders reported.
“I feel like what people like Justin that supported us and trusted us, when you are at a certain level of fame, the only thing you have with somebody is trust—that’s all you have,” Lentz explained. “They don’t need money. People don’t need your opportunities, and so when that trust is violated, it’s times 10 because that’s all we had.
“My relationship with him and other people was built purely on trust, so depending on how you held that, it could be really devastating,” he added. “So I think my relationship with him, I kind of just keep it moving now, because I feel like he and a number of other people were drug into my mess, and I hated that.”
At one point, Lentz was Bieber’s pastor and mentor, including baptizing the pop singer in NBA Champion Tyson Chandler’s bathtub after Bieber insisted he be baptized after professing his faith in Jesus. During his time as pastor of Hillsong NYC, Lentz was friends with multiple celebrities, including Bieber, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Kylie Jenner, Kevin Durant, and Tyson Chandler.
Lentz noted that the media often uses these celebrities, including the ones he was friends with, as clickbait to draw attention to stories.
“I know people are into clickbait,” Lentz said. “[Meaning] if you put [Bieber’s] name in an algorithm, it’s going to get you 10 times the feedback [it would have]…and I’ve done this chapter [before].”
When answering questions about Bieber, Lentz said, “I just try to keep it really general.”
“We had a great relationship. I knew him since he was kind of like a young, up-and-coming teenager. And to watch him now flourish as a man is awesome.”
“But, you know, it’s sad,” Lentz added, “I’m sad that I broke that trust with him and everybody, really, but our relationship was special, and I’m grateful that I had a chance to be a part of that chapter with him.”
WATCH: Carl Lentz on His Affair, Scandal, Downfall & Redemption
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Shareif Ziyadat
Originally published March 07, 2025.
