![]() ![]() The former head of the megachurch’s New York branch and onetime personal pastor and confidante of Justin Bieber was fired last month, then admitted he cheated on his wife. "I think that people look at Carl like he is God to them.Disgraced megachurch pastor Carl Lentz had multiple affairs – but is still getting a payoff, Hillsong church founder Brian Houston claimed in a bombshell secret recording. ![]() “When you give somebody so much power, they become God to people, and I think people forgot the concept of religion and beliefs," she said. Karim said she believes that Lentz's rising celebrity status may have contributed to his behavior. “We need a solid foundation for a fresh start and new beginning,” Houston wrote in a Nov. Houston later announced that Hillsong Church is launching an “independent investigation into the inner workings of Hillsong NYC/East Coast.” “I am deeply sorry for breaking the trust of many people who we have loved serving,” he added. I now must begin a journey of rebuilding trust with my wife Laura and my children and taking time to work on and heal my own life and seek out the help that I need.” ![]() “This failure is on me, and me alone and I take full responsibility for my actions. “I was unfaithful in my marriage, the most important relationship in my life and held accountable for that,” Lentz wrote. Lentz addressed his firing in a lengthy Instagram post the next day. “The action has been taken following ongoing discussions in relation to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.” “This action was not taken lightly and was done in the best interest of everyone, including Pastor Carl,” Houston wrote. 4th, Hillsong Church’s global senior pastor Brian Houston released a statement on the church's website announcing that Lentz had been fired. Karim described her connection with Lentz as one that is "hard to explain in words." She said Lentz's wife found out about the alleged affair in October. Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz stands backstage at the Hillsong Conference at Allphones Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, July 3, 2015. Lentz, who has not identified the woman with whom he had an affair, did not respond to requests for comment from ABC News. "You don't go and just stick or put stickers on people and think they're going to be that, and going to be this, and I didn't want to do that to him, because I don't want to judge him." "You get to know them, and you let them paint their warm colors on it," Karim said. "I like to meet people, and feel like they're a blank canvas, you know?" I was married before, and I didn't want to judge him," she said. You never ever see him wearing a ring."Īfter finding out Lentz was married, Karim said she stayed in touch because she did not "want to judge him." "I was, like, 'Are you married?,' and he said, 'I am,'" said Karim. After finding out who he was, she said she asked him directly about his marriage. Karim said she attended Hillsong once, years before meeting Lentz, a father of three. ![]() Karim said she did a reverse Google search with Lentz’s phone number and found out about his role at Hillsong, which was founded in Australia in 1983 and has over 150,000 members worldwide. “He was like, ‘You know, I work with celebrities … I manage celebrities, and I travel with them,'" Karim recalled. VIDEO: Woman speaks out about alleged affair with Hillsong pastor Lentz also asked her not to Google him and saved her phone number in the Notes app of his phone, instead of in his contact list, according to Karim. Their meetings at the park became a regular thing, according to Karim, who said that Lentz refused to tell her his last name or even what he did for a living. Karim says her story with Lentz began five months ago when they first met at a park near her New York City home. Lentz, who was fired earlier this month, developed a celebrity status of his own, followed online by more than 500,000 people. Lentz became a high-profile pastor during his time at Hillsong Church, a megachurch once frequented by celebrities including Justin Bieber, Chris Pratt and Vanessa Hudgens. I wish I can just like, delete it, but you can’t.” “I still cherish what we had,” Ranin Karim told ABC News' Amy Robach of her involvement with Carl Lentz. The woman who says she had a consensual affair with the high-profile former pastor of a New York City megachurch, which led to his shocking firing, is speaking out about what happened. ![]()
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