No wonder they loved it so much…
Just two weeks after reports of “inappropriate” s*x and “cult” claims came to light, Hillsong Church is under fire again for how its New York City branch operated its Sunday masses. According to a former insider, the infamous religious community gave priority to VIP guests over common folk as it held its weekly services at the concert venue Gramercy Theatre in New York, treating it like a popular hotspot!
One ex-attendee spilled to Page Six:
“They rented out the space every Sunday to hold their services and they had like this VIP congregation with reserved spots for celebrities, influencers and nightlife people in the know.”
Related: Selena Gomez Left Hillsong Over Scandals — Which Celebs Are Still Members?!
And while the idea that the famous get priority isn’t that revolutionary, what’s disheartening to hear is that other attendees had to wait hours outside in hopes of snagging a back row spot! The source further detailed the set-up, explaining:
“There were probably, like, 100 seats reserved for notables and regular people would line up to get one of the few seats from the back row…I’m talking they’d show up an hour or two before the church opened. A guy like me, I could show up five minutes before and get a seat. I’d hit up one of my friends and be like, ‘Hey, I’m coming to service with a plus-one,’ and they’d have two seats for me just like that.”
Yikes! Isn’t everyone supposed to be equal in the eyes of God? This feels rather backwards if you ask us…
The confidant also suggested the mission statement of “the hippest ministry” may have been its downfall from the start, divulging:
“It’s one of those things where they were treating the church with a nightclub mentality.”
It’s no secret the church is currently suffering from the now very public wrongdoings of their disgraced former pastor Carl Lentz, but it seems he can’t be blamed for all the problems their reputation faces. As you’ve surely been following in recent weeks, and as we touched on earlier, a slew of new accusations have hit the fan from former members of the church. Nicole Herman, who co-founded Hillsong LA, previously took to Instagram Stories, writing:
“I’m here to help anyone with a broken heart as well as a million other amazing people who left this cult.”
Since then, fellow accuser Yolandi Bosch confirmed a large group of former staffers, volunteers, and students are currently seeking legal action for what they call “industrial slave labor.”
Since COVID rocked the nation, the church has been online-only. Perhaps they should stay that way…
[Image via Hillsong NYC/Instagram]
The post Hillsong Church ‘Operated Like A Nightclub’ & Prioritized VIP Treatment appeared first on Perez Hilton.
