Nick Jonas is opening up about one of the most painful and formative seasons of his life, revealing how his family’s abrupt departure from their longtime church during his early rise to fame deeply tested his faith and forced him to rethink his relationship with God.

During a recent appearance on the Jay Shetty Podcast, the 33-year-old singer reflected on the years when he and his brothers, Kevin Jonas and Joe Jonas, were first chasing their music dreams. At the time, their father, Kevin Jonas Sr., was serving as senior pastor at Wyckoff Assembly of God in New Jersey, a role he had held for a decade and one that provided stability, community, and a home for the family.

“Our dad was at that church for 10 years,” Nick said. “It was a real safety net for us and a place where we felt a part of a community.” But that sense of belonging quickly unraveled after the Jonas Brothers signed with Columbia Records in 2005. Nick recalled that resistance within the congregation mounted against his father, ultimately forcing him out of his pastoral position.

“Some of the families that were there prior to our arrival did not like my dad and made it their mission to get him pushed out of the church,” he explained. The fallout was immediate and personal. Because the family lived in the church-owned parsonage, they were also forced to leave their home and relocate to a modest rental house in Little Falls, New Jersey, during what Nick described as a deeply uncertain transition.

At the same time, the brothers were grinding through small high school performances across New Jersey, hauling their own equipment and playing brief sets, all while Nick’s health began to deteriorate. He described alarming symptoms—rapid weight loss, constant thirst, and frequent bathroom trips—that were eventually diagnosed as Type 1 diabetes, a life-altering condition he was facing as a teenager.

Financial pressure compounded everything. After the release of their debut album, It’s About Time, Columbia Records dropped the band, leaving the family hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. “There’s no money in ministry really,” Nick said, noting that credit cards were maxed out and resources were scarce. “We had to sort of figure something out.”

It was the convergence of illness, financial stress, and what he perceived as abandonment by the church that led Nick to question his faith. “It took a lot of faith, and even questioning faith at that time,” he said, describing the emotional whiplash of losing the church as both a spiritual home and a practical support system. “You look up and life just looked very different.”

Yet Nick emphasized that while his trust in organized religion was shaken, his belief in God never disappeared. When the Jonas Brothers signed with Hollywood Records in 2007 and found sudden success through the Disney Channel, the turnaround felt almost surreal. Looking back now, Nick believes that season of doubt ultimately strengthened his faith.

“My relationship with my God is totally intact, and my belief is totally intact,” he said. “I think it’s important for everyone to go on that journey of self-discovery.”