"It was brand new, shocking, but his appearance helps. "When I first met him, I was like, 'You're a pastor?'" Fields said. "Basketball and life are so parallel everything on a team dynamic is a life dynamic."Īs much as his words may inspire players' hearts, Lentz's down-to-earth, relatable approach-bridging the gap between the court and the church-wins over their heads. It's a huge advantage for me," said Lentz, who's also close with some NFL players. ![]() His relationships go much further than any pregame chapel, as he calls his involvement with them "24/7." The story called Lentz "the hipster Joel Osteen," a pastor who's even befriended Justin Bieber and many other celebrities who attend his church.Īnd through all of his work in the NYC community and global travels to preach-while playing basketball three times a week and being a husband and father of three children-the Brooklyn resident has become a personal pastor and friend for dozens of current NBA players. This past December, before his 36th birthday, Lentz was named to Esquire's "37 People Under 35 Who Are Reshaping The World," along with the likes of LeBron James, Beyonce, Channing Tatum and Mark Zuckerberg. His base is New York City's nontraditional Hillsong Church, which attracts a younger congregation with its liberal style and musical sermons. While 8,000 people attend the church weekly, it also has foreign locations-the main one is in Sydney-and its own record label has sold 16 million albums and generates $100 million a year, according to Lentz. State in the late 1990s, Lentz is one of the most sought-after pastors in the country. You could even pass him for a fashion stylist or rock-band member with his scruffy beard, half-shaved head and slicked-back Mohawk, ripped jeans and leather jackets, graphic T-shirts and tattoos representing his family and faith.Ī former college baller at N.C. He's not an agent, business representative or in any way connected to players financially. He is one of the most connected people in NBA circles-but not for the reasons you may think. "There are only two times when I'm talking: balling and preaching," Lentz said. They are messages of encouragement, of Christian prayer and even networking-with one player sharing another's number so Lentz could connect with him and provide a positive voice during a difficult time. The list goes on and on, including some of the best ballers in the world not mentioned above. Without seeing the messages, some of the names are clear: Durant. They married in 2003 and have three children.īrian Houston, a global senior pastor and founder of Hillsong, said in a message to the church’s East Coast congregants Wednesday that Lentz was fired “following ongoing discussions in relationship to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.Lentz starts to scroll through multiple text conversations on his phone. The couple lives in Montclair, New Jersey. The church is popular among millennials and others. Lentz and wife, Laura, who met as students at Hillsong’s training college in Sydney, arrived in New York in 2010 to spread the church’s style of mass gatherings, a slick online reach and Grammy-winning Christian rock music throughout the U.S. ![]() I was unfaithful in my marriage, the most important relationship in my life and held accountable for that.” ![]() The leader of HillsongNYC, who once ministered to Justin Bieber and a bevy of other celebrities and sports stars, wrote: “When you lead out of an empty place, you make choices that have real consequences. NEW YORK (AP) - Carl Lentz, the celebrity magnet of a pastor who brought the global megachurch Hillsong from Australia to the United States, has been fired, acknowledging on Instagram that he cheated on his wife.
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