Justin Bieber clarifies that he does not belong to Hillsong but to Churchome, report says.
According to Relevant Magazine, the pop star dispelled rumors that he was trying to train as Hillsong's next pastor seeing that his career is somewhat lucrative in the music industry.
To clear up the confusion, Bieber took to Instagram and clarified that he is not "studying to be a minister or anything even close to that."
Bieber calls the rumors "fake news" and emphasized that he has no desire to be a pastor at Hillsong. His post also explained that he is part of Churchome, not Hillsong.
"And btw, Hillsong is not my church. For clarity, I am part of Churchome," the post read.
Studying to become a minister or a pastor of any church is not likely for the 26-year old at the moment. Just recently, Bieber released "Holy" together with Chance the Rapper which the pop star described as a "new era" for him.
The rumors of Bieber getting into the ministry might stem from the fact that he attended Hillsong Church from time to time in the past. He was also a close friend of the now former pastor of Hillsong New York, Carl Lentz. As proof, the singer posted a photo with Lentz in 2013 with the caption, "Love you bro."
The former Hillsong pastor was also the one who famously baptized Bieber in 2015 in Manhattan in a bathtub no less of New York Knicks star Tyson Chandler.
However, Bieber had a falling out with Lentz in 2018 that caused him to go their separate ways.
Two years later, news broke out of Lentz multiple affairs and infidelity which affected his marriage and his leadership at Hillsong Church. Though the pastor made a public apology and even admitted to getting treatment for depression and burnout, a lot of his friends - including Bieber - had cut ties not just to him, but to the entire Hillsong Church.
Bieber's new church, Churchome, is pastored by Judah and Chelsea Smith, with the former officiating his marriage with Hailey Baldwin in 2019. Smith water baptized them again as man and wife to make a public declaration of their love to God.
To clear up the rumors of the church he belongs to, the famous pop star concluded that the real church is not the place but the people. As long as people connect to God, He will be there. He is "wherever we are."
"Church is not a place. We are the church. We don't need a building to connect with God. God is with us wherever we are."
Churchome is a digital church community which existed even before churches found it necessary to have an online setup, mostly due to the pandemic.
Pastor Smith's church acts a whole ecosystem of a social media church which allows church "goers" to network with others who have the same interest. Churchome also connect people to organize small groups and even take part in volunteer opportunities. With their online setup, the digital church community is able to offer its member sermon videos and music. They even have a so-called "foyer" that allow members to chat before the service starts.
