In the mid-2010s, if you saw a photo of Justin Bieber, there was a high chance a tall, tattooed man in a leather jacket was standing right next to him. That was Carl Lentz. He wasn't just some bodyguard or a random hanger-on in the entourage. He was the lead pastor of Hillsong NYC and, for a long time, the most influential person in the singer’s life.
They were inseparable. Honestly, it looked more like a brotherhood than a traditional pastor-parishioner vibe. Lentz was the guy who famously baptized Bieber in an NBA player's bathtub in the middle of the night. He was the one Bieber moved in with when his life was spiraling in 2014.
But then, the silence became deafening.
The Bathtub Baptism and the "Rockstar Pastor"
To understand where it all went wrong, you've got to look at how deep it went. Back in 2014, Justin was the poster child for "troubled teen star." Drag racing in Miami, legal troubles, the whole world watching him crash. He reached out to Lentz, and the pastor didn't just give him a sermon. He let Bieber move into his family home in New Jersey for an informal "detox."
They spent weeks together. Lentz told GQ that Bieber was just a "scared kid" trying to find his way. The most iconic moment of this era was that baptism. It wasn't in a church. They tried a few hotels, but paparazzi were everywhere. Eventually, they ended up at Tyson Chandler’s place, using his oversized bathtub because it was the only spot they could find some privacy.
For a few years, it worked. Bieber credit Lentz and Hillsong for saving his life. He stopped the wild antics. He got married to Hailey. Lentz even officiated the wedding in 2019. It looked like the ultimate redemption arc.
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The 2020 Fallout: "Moral Failures" and Broken Trust
The floor fell out in November 2020.
Hillsong Global announced they were firing Lentz for "leadership issues" and "moral failures." Shortly after, Lentz himself went on Instagram and admitted he had been unfaithful to his wife, Laura. A New York City designer named Ranin Karim eventually came forward, detailing a months-long affair.
The news hit like a ton of bricks. But for those watching closely, the cracks between Justin Bieber and Carl Lentz had actually started appearing earlier.
Rumors of a "falling out" had been circulating since late 2018. Some sources claimed Bieber felt the celebrity spotlight had changed the pastor. Others pointed to a 2018 video where Lentz seemed awkward when asked about Justin’s engagement to Hailey. Whatever the specific spark was, the 2020 scandal was the final nail.
Justin didn't just distance himself from Lentz; he distanced himself from the entire Hillsong brand.
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In January 2021, Bieber made a rare public statement on Instagram to clear the air. He posted: "Hillsong is not my church... For clarity I am a part of Churchome." He basically cut the cord on the organization that had defined his public identity for years.
Where Are They Now?
It’s 2026, and the landscape looks completely different.
Justin Bieber has moved into a much more private phase of his faith. He’s a father now—he and Hailey welcomed their son, Jack Blues, in late 2024. Sources close to the couple say they are still very much committed to their spirituality, but they do it through Judah Smith and Churchome. It’s less about the "celebrity church" spectacle and more about family life.
Bieber hasn't publicly reconciled with Lentz. Not in a way that the public can see, anyway.
Carl Lentz, meanwhile, has been on a long road of "restoration," as they call it in church circles. He spent years out of the spotlight. He worked regular jobs. He went to therapy. In 2023, he joined the staff at Transformation Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, though notably not as a lead pastor.
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Last year, he launched a podcast called Lights On with Carl Lentz. He’s been very vocal about his mistakes, claiming he’s "not that guy" anymore. But despite his attempts to rebuild his platform, the association with Bieber—the very thing that made him a household name—seems to be a thing of the past.
Why This Matters for Us
The story of Bieber and Lentz is a massive lesson in the danger of "celebrity worship," even when it’s happening inside a church. When you tie your spiritual identity to a single person, and that person fails—which humans usually do—the fallout is messy.
- Trust, but verify: It’s okay to have mentors, but don't give anyone total control over your narrative.
- Boundaries are healthy: The "brotherhood" between these two often looked more like a co-dependent brand partnership.
- Redemption is private: Bieber's shift to a quieter, less performative faith seems to have served him better in the long run.
If you’re looking to navigate your own relationships or spiritual path, the biggest takeaway is balance. Lean on people, sure. But make sure you're standing on your own two feet first.
To get a clearer picture of how Justin's faith has evolved since the split, you can look into the teachings of Churchome and how they differ from the Hillsong model he left behind.