Where Are Justin Bieber & Hailey Baldwin Getting Married? Apparently, Not At Hillsong Church & Selena Gomez May Be Why
Yes, the Jelena drama indeed continues.
Getty Images It wouldn't be strange for anyone wondering where Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin are getting married to consider the idea that Hillsong Church might be the leading option.
The Christian megachurch, which originated in Australia and has grown to include locations in major cities around the world, including Paris, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles and New York City, is said to be like the Chateau Marmont of the religious world.
Its youthful vibe seems geared more toward hipster "cool" kids than little old ladies in flowered dresses and kitten heels, which one reason it's become such a popular spot with celebrities like Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Vanessa Hudgens, Chris Pratt — and most notably, Justin Bieber.
Bieber's been known to have an especially close relationship with Carl Lentz — lead pastor at the Hillsong branches in New York City and the upscale community of Montclair, NJ, — who's been described as being like a "second father" to the Biebs.
And while Bieber may have bounced back and forth between now fiancee Hailey Baldwin and now ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez over the years, Lentz's presence in Bieber's life has been constant.
At least until now, as it's been reported the two had a falling out — right around the same time Bieber reunited with Baldwin.
You'd think someone who has been like family to Bieber would be thrilled about the pop star's engagement, but when asked on camera how he felt about Bieber and Baldwin's engagement, Lentz's response was pretty lukewarm.
When asked by an Australian cameraman, "Is it true that you'll be officiating Justin Bieber's wedding?" Lentz replied, "I have no idea about it."
The cameraman continued, "Do you have any thoughts on Justin Bieber and Hailey getting engaged?"
"No," the pastor replied.
"Are you happy for them?" the man behind the camera asked.
"Uh ... Yeah. Sure."
Why such a mediocre response?
It just so happens that another regular attendee of Hillsong is Bieber's aforementioned ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez.
It's no secret Bieber got together with Baldwin in-between breakups with Selena, as well as the fact that, in a gesture of good faith, Bieber's decision to reach out to Baldwin in order to make amends occurred during the period when he and Gomez were together again last year.
Sources say that when he told Selena about it, the two began fighting, with Lentz stepping in to offer the young couple his counseling.
After beginning their Christian couple's therapy with Lentz in December of 2017, the two ultimately broke up for good in March of 2018, after which Bieber and Baldwin got back together, and eventually became engaged.
Other than those details, it remains unclear exactly why Justin decided to sever ties with his Hillsong pastor, but the message Justin shared in his engagement announcement on Instagram may provide a clue.
"Gods timing really is literally perfect," he wrote, "we got engaged on the seventh day of the seventh month, the number seven is the number of spiritual perfection, it’s true GOOGLE IT! Isn’t that nuts? By the way I didn’t plan that, anyways My goodness does feel good to have our future secured!"
Perhaps Bieber is upset that Lentz hadn't been able to fix his relationship with Selena and blames him for the breakup.
Or maybe, when Justin got back together with Baldwin, Lentz may have shared his displeasure or taken Gomez' side, causing a rift between the two men.
Lentz is no stranger to fame himself, of course. The pastor has over 600,000 followers on Instagram and regularly posts photos with celebs like Bieber, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and Oprah.
He's also been featured in The New York Times, GQ, and "The Today Show."
Whatever the reason for the beef between Justin Bieber and Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz, it seems a strong sense of faith is working well for the Biebs.
And as for Lentz, he may just be Team Jelena after all.
Jill Zwarensteyn is a writer and Michigan native. When she's not writing, Jill enjoys Zumba class, travel, and referencing classic Seinfeld episodes.