‘They refute suggestions that such careless action would not be addressed immediately.’Īccording to Lezeth, however, the photo scandal fits a pattern of Hillsong pastors misbehaving for years and getting away with it. But specifically about the photo, Hillsong leadership was not informed about the inappropriate photo before it was publicly reported. ‘I know he was under review and had been suspended. ‘There might have been some other situations with Darnell that they were working on,’ the source said.īut the insider insisted Hillsong hadn’t known about the photo incident before the DeuxMoi posting. However, a source close to Hillsong acknowledged that the church began ‘reviewing’ Barrett for other indiscretions before the photos were posted and that he was already under suspension. Hillsong officials declined to comment when contacted by. Rumors of the scandal began circulating on social media a week before the story broke, when influential celebrity Instagram account DeuxMoi shared a tip about a senior Hillsong leader who had been sending inappropriate messages.Īnd Lezeth said she learned of at least one current member who had also received the lewd photos and reported them to church higher-ups. Only after broke the story the following day did Hillsong put out a vague statement saying they had accepted Barrett’s resignation and ‘were disappointed to learn about choices he made that were unacceptable for any Hillsong staff member.’ He claimed the explicit photos were ‘some real raw s**t I send to my friends. Screenshots published by at the time showed Barrett had initially tried to play it off as a mistake before apparently trying to lure her into a conversation. He direct messaged Lezeth a link to the two selfies, which showed him posing in front of a mirror wearing nothing but white Nike Pro tights, barely concealing what appeared to be his engorged penis extending down his thigh. It was the same day had approached him for comment at the West Orange, New Jersey home he shares with his wife.īut it also came two months after the church leader had shared the lewd photos with select friends on Instagram. If it didn’t, they’d just keep going on as if nothing happened – which is what we’re finding to be a common thing with Hillsong.’ĭarnell Barrett, 32, resigned as creative director of Hillsong’s New Jersey chapter on April 27, citing ‘infidelities’ in his marriage. ‘I think they were just waiting to see if it got out. ‘They already knew about it,’ Lezeth, 30, a former Hillsong member who wished to be identified by her first name only, told in her first interview since the story broke last month. A young woman targeted by a married Hillsong Church leader who sent her photos of his bulging manhood claims church officials were aware of his lecherous behavior but didn’t acknowledge it until the scandal became public.
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