Ex-Hillsong Pastor Carl Lentz Reveals Why He Joined FX Series 'Secrets Of Hillsong'

Carl Lentz, the former New York head of Hillsong, is now in a "happy" and "honest" place, nearly three years after he was ousted from the celebrity-favorite megachurch in 2020 over an extramarital affair.

On Tuesday, the 44-year-old celebrity pastor surprised social media users with an update on his and his family's life in the time since he was fired from his position at the megachurch for cheating on his wife Laura, who was also a pastor at Hillsong and was dismissed around the same time as her husband.

Lentz also shared that his family is set to appear in "The Secrets of Hillsong," FX's upcoming four-part docuseries based on Vanity Fair journalists Alex French and Dan Adler's "explosive original reporting" on a number of the megachurch's scandals, as well as the reason for their participation.

"For the last 3 years, my entire focus has been fighting for my wife and my kids, my family has been my only priority. In order to do that, seeking sobriety and healing had to run parallel with those goals," Lentz began in a lengthy Instagram post.

He continued, "Honestly, nothing else mattered. None of the noise, the lies, none of the half-truths that were said about me and or us, mattered. All I wanted was to prove to my wife and kids that I could show up for them like I had never done before. Although we have a long way to go, with a lot of work, a lot of honesty and a lot of prayer, we have found ourselves in a beautiful, happy and deliberately honest place."

Despite the affair, Lentz revealed that his wife Laura stayed with him, and they even celebrated their 20th anniversary together earlier this month "in the purest way." However, he admitted that they went through "a lot of humiliation, embarrassment and heartache" before getting to the place where they are now.

"Part of the healing from that heartache led us to the decision to be a part of a documentary that we do not control, that we don't have any say in, and that we haven't even seen yet," he explained, adding that his family has yet to see the series and will watch it along with the rest of the world when it premieres.

Lentz said that their goal in participating in the project was not to shift the blame or deflect responsibility but rather to "focus on my mistakes and the context for what transpired." He added that the "feeling of not being worth" led him to "some dark places" in the past, and reaching a place of "honesty and freedom" had been "freeing."

The former pastor also gave an update on his current status, revealing that he was no longer part of the ministry, preaching or overseeing people. He said he has found a different role as someone who could help give "perspective and insight" where he is able.

"What gives me joy and hope is knowing that what I have been through, what I have made it past can help so many others. I can do that in so many ways inside and outside the church," he said in the post, before promising to be a person who welcomes those who have gone through "addiction and destruction" with open arms.

"It truly makes me wonder if this is what all of this pain was all about. From the lows of where I've been, to the grace and forgiveness that God has granted me, I have something to share and so [do] Laura and my kids," he added, before thanking his followers for taking the time to read his post.

Aside from being Hillsong NYC's main pastor, Lentz also served as a spiritual adviser for celebrities including Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Kevin Durant, Katherine Schwarzenegger and the Kardashian-Jenner family, among others.

But due to "moral failures" and "breaches of trust" related to his adultery scandal, the former pastor was terminated from the church three years ago.

In "The Secrets of Hillsong," Lentz and his wife Laura will give their first-ever joint interview since their public ouster from the church and discuss how the scandal affected their lives.

The docuseries will begin airing on FX and Hulu on May 19.