"The Gospel Never Needs to Change"—Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz Opens Up about His Unique Ministry Style, Heart for the Lost in Exclusive GH Interview

Leah Marieann Klett : Jan 15, 2016
Gospel Herald

"We're saying, 'No, let me tell you about Jesus first and what the Gospel is about.' This isn't about bad people getting good, it's about dead people coming to life. Who's not interested in that?"

(New York, NY)—Carl Lentz, the charismatic leader of Hillsong Church's New York City campus, recently opened up about his unique ministry style and passion for the lost in an exclusive interview with the Gospel Herald. (Photo via Gospel Herald)

"I got saved when I was 19 and ended up going to Hillsong Bible College," Lentz shared. "I worked there for four years, went back to Virginia where I'm from, and Brian (Houston) decided to plant the first Hillsong Church in America, and we just wanted to be a part of it. So, we left Virginia with our family and ended up here, and five years later, we're here, we're still alive."

On a weekly basis, 30,000 people—including celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Selena Gomez, and others—sit under Lentz' teaching. But despite his reputation as a "celebrity preacher," the 35-year-old husband and father of three is strikingly humble, crediting Hillsong NYC's success to the power of the Gospel.

"For us, we're trying to tell people that this is a relationship with the living God that you can have," he told the GH. "You don't have to do it; you get to do it. When people start to hear that language, their ears perk up a little bit, because maybe they were raised in a church where you had to do this, or you had to go there. We're saying, 'No, let me tell you about Jesus first and what the Gospel is about.' This isn't about bad people getting good, it's about dead people coming to life. Who's not interested in that?"...

Read the rest of this interview here.