Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz accused of ‘sexually abusing nanny while they were in front of his children’
HILLSONG pastor Carl Lentz was accused of sexually assaulting his family’s nanny as they were in front of his young children.
Leona Kimes - who now is a pastor for Hillsong Boston - previously worked for the ex megachurch leader and his wife, Laura Lentz, for seven years as their children’s nanny.
In a blog post on Medium, Leona alleged she “was subjected to manipulation, control, bullying, abuse of power, and sexual abuse.”
She went into further detail about how the alleged abuse unfolded, telling Religion News Service: “I felt trapped and silenced. I also felt so ashamed and I had been told not to say anything or tell anyone.
“I was physically violated by his unwanted and repeated sexual touching of my intimate areas. I froze. Every time, I froze.”
Leona alleged that Carl physically violated her on two occasions with one or more of his children present - once in a movie theatre and another time while she was driving.
A rep for Carl and wife Laura told People they "vehemently deny the allegations and, in addition to that, have irrefutable proof the events did not happen as they are being described.”
In the report, Leona explained that she would begin her workday in the Lentz home around 7 a.m. and would not finish up until 11 p.m. from her duties of cleaning, running errands and childcare.
She alleged that Carl began making “unwanted sexual advances” on her in 2015 - beginning with the fired pastor “asking for massages” which Leona felt she “couldn’t decline.”
In the blog post, she wrote: “Then the physical encounters escalated.”
However, she felt she was not in a position to make the unwanted advances stop due to his power and fame.
“During this time, he was finishing his first book and being celebrated as he reached a new level of success.
“His elevated status made me feel like he had all the power, and I had no voice,” she wrote.
Leona claimed she eventually brought up the alleged abuse with Carl, but was reportedly met with the response of Justin Bieber's former pal telling her: “who would possibly hire you?”
She said she’ll “never forget” how the comment made her feel "so alone, so worth absolutely nothing, so fearful of my future, so fearful for my husband’s future.”
The current Hillsong leader works as a pastor in Boston with her husband, Josh - who also was once a staffer for the Lentz family.
She alleged that a year later, Carl “took full responsibility for taking advantage of me and putting me in a situation that was so heavy for me.”
However, Leona claimed that after discussing the matter with Carl and Laura, the couple “decided not to confess his conduct to church leadership.”
“I was told that if his reputation was ruined, my reputation would be too,” she wrote.
Leona claimed that Laura later dismissed her from her nanny job and household duties - leading her and her husband to move to Boston to lead its Hillsong branch.
After Carl, 42, was fired from Hillsong NYC in November due to “moral failures” and “breach of trust," Leona said she came forward to her husband about the alleged abuse.
She then claimed she told church leadership and was “met with compassion” by founders Brian and Bobbie Houston.
The worship leader claims she plans on staying on the Hillsong staff to be a part of “working toward a stronger future.”
Yesterday, Brian and Bobbie said in a statement that Leona's experience was "very disturbing" as they work to do better with their "full concern and pastoral support" moving forward.
In November, The Sun exclusively spoke to Ranin, a 34-year-old designer from New York City who opened up about dating the married church leader for over five months one day after his firing.
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In December, The Sun exclusively revealed that movie mogul Tyler Perry paid nearly $100,000 to house the Lentz family in a luxury beach home.
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Following the family’s cross-country move, the “fame-hungry” former pastor has tried to pursue a career in showbiz.
Multiple insiders close to Carl, 42, have confirmed he’s motivated by “fame and money.”