'The Secrets of Hillsong': All the Celebs Affiliated With Pastor Carl Lentz and the Controversial Church

etonline.com:

, a new four-part Hulu documentary series from FX and explores the rise and fall of a megachurch — and the charismatic pastor at the center of it all.Most of the public first heard of Carl Lentz over a decade ago.

He made headlines as the «spiritual advisor» spotted hanging out with Justin Bieber, who was in the midst of a notorious spree of minor arrests and public altercations (remember the mop bucket?).

Lentz co-founded and served as the head pastor at Hillsong NYC — an offshoot of the original Australian megachurch — eventually becoming something of a star in his own right as A-listers flocked to the casual and contemporary services.«People say we cater to celebrities,» Lentz told  back in 2015. «And I say, yes, we do.

Celebrities deserve a relationship with God. Celebrities deserve a place to pray.»In reporter Dan Adler — whose work with Alex French is the basis of the investigative series — explains how celebrity attention created a «feedback loop» of popularity surrounding Hillsong: «It gave congregants the sense that, if these big stars were attracted to Carl and everything he was offering, why wouldn't I be, too?»However, Lentz was unceremoniously fired from his position at Hillsong in November 2020, with Global Senior Pastor Brian Houston citing «a recent revelation of moral failures» after Lentz admitted to an extramarital affair.