Back In Church Space 5 Years After Everything Fell Apart
Lights On with Carl Lentz
B-Side
4.8 • 797 Ratings
🗓️ 22 October 2025
⏱️ 65 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What happens when one of the most influential pastors in America falls from grace? And what does redemption look like on the other side of scandal?
As lead pastor of Hillsong Church NYC, I preached to thousands every Sunday, counseled celebrities and athletes, and became the face of a new generation of church leadership. Then, in November 2020, everything came crashing down.
I was fired from Hillsong Church following revelations of moral failures and breaches of trust. What followed was a media firestorm—tabloid headlines, public shame, and the dismantling of everything I'd built over two decades of ministry. My marriage was on the brink. My reputation was destroyed. My calling was questioned.
But this isn't just a story about a fall. It's a story about what comes after.
In this conversation, I'm sitting down with my wife Laura, and our friends Mike and Natalie Todd from Transformation Church, to talk about everything. The scandal. The restoration process. The accountability. The pain our family endured. The friends who stayed. The critics who won't forgive. And the biggest question: Should I return to ministry?
We're not avoiding the hard questions. We're talking about disqualification, forgiveness, celebrity pastor culture, what real restoration looks like, and whether someone who failed publicly can lead again. This is raw, unfiltered, and honest.
Whether you believe in second chances or think some lines can't be uncrossed, this conversation matters. Because at the end of the day, we all mess up. The question is: what happens next?
—
—
Featuring:
Mike Todd
https://instagram.com/iammiketodd
Natalie Todd
https://instagram.com/natalietodd
Carl Lentz
https://instagram.com/carllentz
Laura Lentz
https://instagram.com/lauralentz
—
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction: First Time on Stage in 5 Years
04:10 - The Importance of Friends in the Fire
09:03 - The Night Everything Changed
14:30 - Why Mike & Natalie Stepped In When Everyone Else Left
24:20 - Laura Speaks: Walking Through Public Scandal
32:40 - The Biggest Mistakes We Made & What We'd Change
37:10 - How We Rebuilt Our Marriage After Everything Fell Apart
41:25 - The Celebrity Pastor Problem Nobody Talks About
45:30 - Lessons From the Fire: What We Learned in the Darkness
49:15 - Don't Wait Until Everything's Burning Down
52:56 - Be the Church Outside the Building
54:33 - When Friends Saved Mike: The Spit Hit the Fan Story
58:23 - Final Prayer: Friends Who Step Into the Fire
—
A huge thank you to Mike and Natalie Todd for creating the space for this conversation.
Their friendship, grace, and willingness to step into the fire with us has been one of the greatest gifts of our lives. This is what real friendship looks like.
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Transcript
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