A Megachurch’s Shocking Secrets Are Exposed In This New Doc

If you’ve been watching some of this year’s buzziest documentaries like Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields and MH370: The Plane That Disappeared, then you won’t want to miss FX’s new series The Secrets of Hillsong.

The four-parter series explores the “megachurch” Hillsong, which rose to become one of the biggest church groups on the planet before declining in a series of scandals, controversies and accusations. It predominantly features former church pastor Carl Lentz, who was fired from Hillsong, and offers a closer look at the inner workings of a religious phenomenon.

Hillsong was founded in New South Wales, Australia, and has churches in countries around the world including the UK, but The Secrets of Hillsong primarily focuses on the New York church. The church became known for its alleged modern approach, with pastors wearing jeans and jackets rather than traditional attire and interiors often looking more like a concert arena than a typical church – it even has established a music label.

Central to the success of Hillsong is the cultivation of charismatic pastors, perhaps none more so than Carl Lentz, formerly of the NYC branch. It’s reported he became close friends to celebrities including Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Kendall Jenner. His downfall began when exposed for having an affair and was subsequently fired by Hillsong for moral failures, but as he reveals in the documentary, it was far from the only allegations made against the church.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSgiyTf5GH8

The documentary recounts all of these claims and more in extensive detail, speaking to Lentz and others connected to the church. The series has been released on FX and Hulu in the US and the four parts are set to arrive on Disney+ in the UK soon. No definite release date has been announced yet.