Stuti Gokhale
FX’s ‘The Secrets of Hillsong’ is a thought-provoking four-part docuseries that chronicles the controversies surrounding the infamous Hillsong megachurch and its ex-pastors Carl and Laura Lentz. Through a series of insightful interviews, it delves into their lives after they were fired from the church in 2020 due to allegations of infidelity and inappropriate behavior with women against Carl. Given the grave scandal that affected their marriage, many are curious if he and Laura are still together.
Carl and Laura Lentz’s Journey
In the early 2000s, North Carolina University alum Stephen Carl Lentz went to study at the Hillsong International Leadership College in Australia. There, he met Laura Brett at the church’s training program. Their mutual friendship with founder Brian Houston‘s family and their dedication to the church soon led love to blossom between the two, and they eventually tied the knot in May 2003. That same year, Carl graduated in theology, and the couple moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia. In June 2004, he and Laura welcomed their first child — a daughter named Ava.
The couple’s second daughter, Charlie, arrived in June 2006, followed by their son, Roman, in June 2009. After being Youth Pastors for some years at Wave Church, Virginia, the Lentz family moved to New York City. Eventually, Carl co-founded Hillsong Church NYC in 2010 with Brian’s son, Joel Houston, and Laura joined him as a pastor there. With time, he became extremely popular amongst young pastors and followers, who dubbed him “the hipster pastor” for his stylish appearance and attire.
Besides, Carl and Laura were well-respected within the church community, with their congregation growing over the next 10 years. Not just that, he even conducted the baptism for renowned celebrities like Justin Bieber and Kevin Durant and served as a spiritual advisor to many others. However, things crashed in November 2020 when Brian Houston publicly announced that he had fired Carl and Laura from the Hillsong Church.
Specifically, the founder cited “leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures” as the reason for the abrupt decision, and shocking revelations followed soon after. In an Instagram post, Carl confessed that he had cheated on Laura, and Fashion Designer Ranin Karim came forward claiming that he had been in a month-long affair with her after they met at a New York park. The Lentz family’s woes continued when several women in the church came forward alleging inappropriate behavior from Carl’s end since 2017 and the church administration’s inaction.
The women included a church volunteer who accused the pastor of making her uncomfortable with his flirting, as well the family’s former dog walker who claimed to have caught him making sexual noises with a younger celebrity. Unfortunately, matters worsened in May 2021 when the Lentz family’s former nanny, Leona Kimes, publicly accused Carl of “manipulation, control, bullying, abuse of power, and sexual abuse.” She claimed that the pastor had made inappropriate comments about her body and even touched her repeatedly and unwantedly.
On the other hand, Carl outrightly denied Leona’s allegations of assault, and the family seemingly went off the radar for a while, moving to Bradenton, Florida. This sudden silence from Carl and Laura in the aftermath of his infidelity revelation caused many speculations about how badly their marriage took the hit and whether it did survive the storm after all.
Carl and Laura Lentz Are Still Going Strong
Carl and Laura Lentz are still going strong and have seemingly braved all the challenges that their marriage faced in the past few years. While the latter confessed in the documentary how devastated she was when she allegedly walked in on her husband and Leona in a compromising position in October 2020, the two have dedicated much time to moving past their problems and rebuilding their relationship.
Though Laura did take a lengthy social media break after the rumors first surfaced in late 2020, a cryptic Instagram post by her in May 2021 indicated that she and her husband were working on their marriage. Furthermore, she was intent on healing away from the judgmental eyes of those who criticized them. Luckily, that period of self-introspection supposedly worked wonders for the couple, and they celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on May 5, 2023.
In fact, Carl penned a lengthy and heartfelt note on Instagram on the occasion, sharing how he had struggled for three years to restore his family’s faith in him and took full accountability for his past actions. He even revealed his battle with addiction and how he focused on healing and seeking sobriety alongside mending his strained marriage. Lastly, Carl shared how he and Laura have learned significantly from this troubled phase in their lives and were willing to help others undergoing similar struggles.
From what we can tell, the Lentz family relocated from Florida to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when Carl joined the Transformation Church as a Strategist in March 2023. Meanwhile, Laura has built a fulfilling life and works as an E-Commerce and Network Marketer, often sharing her moments with her kids on social media as a proud mother. It is commendable to see the couple’s sincere efforts and mutual love that have restored their marriage despite such turbulent times, and we wish them the best for the years ahead.
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