All About Justin Bieber: Was Justin Bieber Paid to Go to Australian Hillsong Conference?

By Joe Bielawa from Minneapolis, USA (Justin Bieber -DSC_0589-10.20.12Uploaded by tm) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Bieber was simply a member of the audience, rumors of his compensation are untrue, says Pastor Lentz.

Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz and Justin Bieber's friend, insisted the singer wasn't paid to attend the Hillsong Closer Conference[/tweetit]. The singer, he strongly stressed, was paid nothing to be at the four-day long conference. 38-year-old Lentz was asked the question on Sunrise, an Australian TV show.

Lentz is a photogenic and trendy pastor, having traveled with Bieber during his multiple previous visits to Australia. He was agreeable enough when asked about the Canadian singer's passion for religion on-air. He asserted that Bieber can be described as a good Christian. Lentz continued, "I don't think his problems are behind him." He reminded his show hosts that everyone has to deal with life's many challenges- and Bieber is simply one of them.

The street-smart pastor continued to say that Bieber's relationship with Jesus has changed the singer's life and it continues to change him. He grows up as a person every day. Bieber, he reminded the audience, gets older every passing day and with each new day comes a new chapter which in turn pushes new growth. The conference, he concludes deals with such concepts.

When it came to describe the 24-year-old singer's role in the program Lentz said, "He sings, does what everybody else does. He does not perform. He is not on stage, he is just a face in the crowd. His face is really recognizable but for him, it is just a chance for him to be as normal as he can."

I wonder if Bieber is a part of the Hillsong cult or just paid talent.

— Duncan Anderson (@duncanjanderson) July 4, 2017

Lentz, in a 2015 interview, was eloquent in his description of Bieber getting down to his knees in intense mental pain and crying that he wants to understand Jesus. The singer wanted to be baptized that night itself. The Canadian singer was going through a rough patch at that time. He was arrested in Miami, Florida due to an incident involving a drag race. It was soon followed by him failing a sobriety test and police found him driving a car with an expired driving license.

In July 2014, Bieber was kept on probation for a period of two years after he pled guilty to vandalizing his neighbor's residence with eggs. The then 21-year-old had to attend 12 sessions on anger management and community service. He also had to pay about $80,900 as restitution.