Carl Lentz’s wife says she suffered from depression, PTSD after cheating scandal

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Sunday, November 14, 2021

Laura Lentz, the wife of former Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz, has opened up about how she suffered from worsening depression and PTSD after her husband was fired from the global megachurch due to alleged moral failures and infidelity last November.

“It may not mean much to you but this past year was a doozy for our family,” Laura Lentz, who has three children, wrote on Instagram late last week.

“I have dealt with so much personally,” she continued. “I have never experienced anxiety or PTSD until this year! I have struggled with a mild depression for many years, but this year it got to be so bad that there were days I didn’t want to get out of bed.”

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Lentz and her husband were the focus of many headlines following his cheating confession last November and termination by the Australia-based international church network.

“I know, as I continue on my journey of healing, learning to put myself first, focus on my family and grow in my marriage, I can use my story so far to help someone else!” Laura Lentz wrote. 

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy. Every day, I feel the trauma, the thoughts and memories. and geez am I grateful for my therapists!”

Carl Lentz led all Hillsong campuses across the east coast of the United States. He was referred to as a celebrity pastor due to his connection to celebrities like Justin and Hailey Bieber.

But Lentz was fired last November over “leadership issues and breaches of trust” as well as “moral failures.”

After news broke of Lentz’s dismissal and confession, a 34-year-old New York City Muslim designer and actress spoke out about how she was in a relationship with Lentz for five months without knowing he was a married Christian pastor. She stressed that he told her he was a sports agent and contends the relationship they had “wasn’t just a fling or just a sexual relationship” but they both found a deep connection. 

Following the scandal, Bieber distanced himself from Hillsong and said publicly that his pastor has always been Judah Smith of Churchome.

Following Lentz’s firing, Hillsong launched an investigation into Hillsong NYC and East Coast amid concerns from individuals who attended those campuses. In December, Hillsong revealed that it had investigated 2018 allegations of inappropriate sex between staff members at Hillsong NYC. In February, Hillsong investigated allegations of financial abuse among pastors at Hillsong NYC accused of splurging tithe money on lavish expenses. 

In May, Laura Lentz opened up for the first time about what she had learned about herself during the challenging season in an Instagram post that included a photo of her looking upward toward several palm trees.

“They are strong, can weather the biggest storms, they always grow upwards,” she wrote, equating those facts to “Freedom, righteousness, reward, resurrection.”

“I have taken time away from social media because it was not good for my soul, I have blocked & deleted more people & comments than I can count,” she continued.

The attention on her family brought out negativity. And in her post, she maintained that “Trolls are cowards, SOME ‘Christians’ are anything but kind, gracious, or loving… but that won’t stop me from growing upwards & getting stronger.”

“I have learnt a lot about myself over the past few months. now more than ever I know the kindness of God, His grace, forgiveness & strength,” she continued. “I have found true friendships– the ones who have been with me on the mountaintops are the same ones who are with me during my darkest valley!!” 

In an Instagram post following his firing, Carl Lentz admitted that he had been unfaithful to his wife.

“When you lead out of an empty place, you make choices that have real consequences,” he wrote. “I was unfaithful in my marriage, the most important relationship in my life and held accountable for that. This failure is on me, and me alone and I take full responsibility for my actions.”

As she also departed from Hillsong following her husband’s firing, Laura Lentz is now pursuing a career as an interior designer.