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Hillsong Church was once known as a place where A-listers went to say Amen.
Heres a guide to what you better know about Hillsong, its scandals, and its most faithful followers.
So what is Hillsong Church?
Founded in 1983 in Australia, Hillsong grew to become a megachurch with locations in 30 countries.
The New YorkTimesoncedescribedHillsong as the leading edge of cool Christianity.
Lentz, former pastor for Hillsong NYC, wore brands like Gucci and Supreme while speaking to packed congregations.
Famous attendees couldreportedlyreserve their spots in a special section.
People say we cater to celebrities, LentztoldGQin 2015.
And I say, yes, we do.
Celebrities deserve a relationship with God.
Celebrities deserve a place to pray.
The churchs sitestatesthat globally, an average of 150,000 people attend every week.
However, the Hillsong press office clarified to theTimesthat the number is a pre-pandemic estimate.
How did it become so controversial?
Hillsong has additionally faced criticism for some of its conservative attitudes.
Which celebs have been linked to Hillsong over the years?
Justin Bieber was famously close with Lentz, even briefly moving in with the pastor in 2014.
Wait, didnt Chris Pratt also go to Hillsong?
Pratt has denied this, despiteEntertainmentTonights 2017reportthat the actor attended a Hillsong service after his divorce from Anna Faris.
After Pratt discussed his religious beliefs onThe Late Show With Stephen Colbertin 2019, Elliot Pagetweeted, Oh.
But his church is infamously anti lgbtq so maybe address that too?
In 2022, PratttoldMens Healththat he has never been to Hillsong and doesnt know anyone from that church.
He instead confirmed that he attends Zoe Church in Los Angeles, though not exclusively.
The megachurch was founded by Chad Veach, a pastor who previouslyspokeat Hillsong conferences.
According toMens Health, Veach executive produced a 2017 film that equated sexual brokenness with same-sex attraction.
Veach alsotold the New YorkTimesin 2018 that he modeled the youth-oriented megachurch in part after Hillsong.
Are celebs avoiding Hillsong now?
Justin Bieber, at least, definitely seems to have moved on.
In January 2021, Bieberconfirmedon Instagram that he attends the megachurch Churchome.
But Churchome still has its connection to Hillsong.
Accordingto Yahoo, Bieber declined to be interviewed forThe Secrets of Hillsong.
Stacy Lee, who directed the docuseries, said.
What happened to Carl Lentz?
Lentz, meanwhile, celebrated his 20th wedding anniversary with his wife this month.
In the FX documentary, he criticized Hillsongs leadership for the way it has handled other controversies involving leadership.
Most of the time, it serves everybody to push everything down.
You just push it as far under the rug as you’re able to, he said.
