![]() Hillsong is my church, and I will remain on staff, working toward a stronger future." "Even with all I’ve been through, I still love it. "I still have the same heart toward church that I’ve always had," she wrote. When Kimes learned Lentz was leaving Hillsong, she said she confided in her husband about her treatment from the couple. She thanked the Houstons for treating her with compassion and urged readers to stay faithful to God without becoming "blindly loyal to an individual." "We were growing so quickly that we didn’t really have the things that are supposed to protect against situations like this… or any sort of 'safe place' to share concerns." "I couldn’t even imagine reporting my experiences," Kimes wrote. When Laura came to speak with her, Kimes said she was dismissed from all household duties but kept on staff. He said his wife would come and talk to me about the boundaries we would have moving forward." "He said he’d thought about confessing to leadership, but after talking it through with his wife, they decided they didn’t have to because it wasn’t necessary, and we could just move on," Kimes wrote. "I was told that if his reputation was ruined, my reputation would be, too. "His elevated status made me feel like he had all the power, and I had no voice."Ĭelebrity pastor Carl Lentz fired from Hillsong church: 'I was unfaithful in my marriage'Īccording to Kimes, Lentz and his wife Laura addressed the harassment and abuse on two occasions: First in 2016, when they "blamed and silenced" her, and in 2017, when Lentz "took full responsibility for taking advantage of me." She said he eventually started violating her physically, with "unwanted and repeated sexual touching of intimate areas," including while she was driving and in a crowded movie theater. "I had been around long enough to know that’s just how he was with women," she wrote. "But after a while, the comments started to escalate. I remember being told, 'after you have kids, we’ll buy you a boob job.'"Īccording to Kimes, Lentz continued to cross boundaries, asking her to rub his feet and body. In her essay, Kimes described instances where Lentz made inappropriate comments about her body. Unfortunately, I can’t forget any of it." believing that I didn’t deserve to be on this earth and entertaining ideas of how to end it all. I can’t forget about the days I laid in bed. "I can’t forget how he took away my voice. "I can’t forget how he took away my confidence," she wrote. The Houstons released their statement the same day Kimes alleged in a Medium essay that Lentz subjected her "to manipulation, control, bullying, abuse of power, and sexual abuse" throughout the seven years she worked for his family. "As a church, we are committed to learning more about how to identify such trauma and bring meaningful support to anyone who has experienced it." "Abuse of any kind, in any circumstance, is always deplorable," the Houstons continued. Lentz was one of Hillsong's most famous pastors before his firing in November over "breaches of trust" and "moral failures." Shortly after his termination was announced, Lentz confessed on Instagram to being "unfaithful in my marriage." USA TODAY has reached out to the Lentzes for further comment. In that light, we commend her for her courage and have assured her of our utmost compassion in their journey forward."Ī legal representative for Lentz "vehemently" denied the accusations in a statement to NBC News, adding that the ex-pastor and his wife "have irrefutable proof the events did not happen as they are being described." "We know that Leona may face criticism for her story and her choice to share it. "We initiated an independent and lengthy investigation into the culture of all four Hillsong East Coast locations," they wrote. In a statement on Hillsong's website Monday, the couple, who founded the self-described "contemporary Christian church" in Australia in 1983, gave their "pastoral support" to Leona Kimes, the woman who accused Lentz of abusing her when she worked for his family as a nanny. Hillsong Church founders Brian and Bobbie Houston say they're working to improve the organization as one of its former pastors, Carl Lentz, faces sexual abuse allegations.
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