A Hillsong Church pastor from Montclair, N.J., has resigned his position as a faith leader after revelations that he shared explicit photos of himself with at least one of his followers, a woman, on Instagram.
He acknowledged the action but claimed it was a mistake.
The married Hillsong pastor, Darnell Barrett, 32—a father of two—shared shirtless pictures of himself for two days in a row “after a workout wearing Nike Pro Compression Tights that exposed him,” as People magazine put it and as other outlets reported as well.
Barrett had been creative director at the church in Montclair.
AsThe Daily Mail reported, “The eye-popping pictures were posted on Barrett’s ‘close friends’ story, which is only visible to followers he specifically selects, as seemingly motivational snaps of his apparent battle with ‘depression and anxiety.’”
The Mail went on, “Barrett, however, then shared his Instagram story in a direct message to at least one follower, a 30-year-old woman who used to volunteer” for him at his organization in New Jersey.
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“The sex scandal comes just six months after Hillsong was rocked by the dismissal of NYC pastor Carl Lentz, who was caught cheating on his wife,” the same outlet also noted.
Barrett told a reporter from The Daily Mail about his resignation from the church, “We thought it was best for me to move on. I don’t want to get into the details,” as The New York Post reported.
He also said that he and his wife are “working through” the details of his apparent “infidelity.”
Hillsong is a charismatic Christian megachurch; it is based in Australia.
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—By CNJ Staff