More than five years after stepping down from Hillsong Church, Carl Lentz is looking for redemption. On November 4, 2020, members of Hillsong NYC were notified that Lentz had been removed from his position as lead pastor due to “leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.” On November 5, Lentz revealed he had been “unfaithful” in his marriage to Laura Lentz. “I was unfaithful in my marriage, the most important relationship in my life and held accountable for that,” he wrote. “This failure is on me, and me alone and I take full responsibility for my actions. I now begin a journey of rebuilding trust with my wife, Laura and my children and taking real time to work on and heal my own life and seek out the help that I need.” Following his dismissal, Lentz faced accusations of spiritual and sexual abuse from the couple’s former nanny, Leona Kimes. Lentz has denied the charges. So far, none of the allegations have resulted in legal action.

The couple remained largely quiet after stepping away from Hillsong, with Laura admitting she wasn’t able to forgive Carl until 2023. “It’s been a lot for me to put that last guard down … because you put yourself out there again to be hurt. So, it’s been a process, but I’ve learned to take it one day at a time,” she said in an interview. The two host the “Lights On” podcast, where the two have spoken candidly about picking up the pieces of their family after the scandal. Publisher Simon and Schuster announced on February 11 that it would be releasing a new book from the couple, entitled, Overcoming Infidelity: 10 Conversations to Help Heal the Hurt.  The book is set to be released October 20.

“We are deeply hopeful this book helps people, because we’re not writing from a place of arrival. The title is intentional. Overcoming infidelity is very different than claiming we’ve overcome it,” the Lentzes said in a statement to People. In a video released with the announcement from Simon and Schuster, Laura described what the book means to her. “I’m really excited about [this book] personally, because I know it’s going to help a lot of people. And it wasn’t easy to write, but we’re really excited for it,” she said. “We have found that the worst chapter of your life doesn’t have to be the defining one,” the couple added. “In fact, this book gives you options to consider radically changing the direction of your life and help you move into a much healthier place.”