(OPINION) ETH – Another Hillsong pastor has just reportedly resigned after a report from CBN revealed that the creative director of Hillsong Church in Montclair, New Jersey, stepped down following his admission to infidelity and the sharing of explicit photos on Instagram.
The report details that Pastor Darnell Barrett, who is married, testified that he shared the photos with “close friends” and only “accidentally” shared photos of himself to a woman in his congregation. According to People magazine, those photos revealed him after a workout, shirtless and wearing Nike Pro Compression tights that were sexually revealing.
Barrett – who previously appeared on Steve Harvey‘s talk show – wrote that “depression and anxiety got the best of me in the last 30 hours” in-text written over the pictures he posted to his Close Friends list on Instagram, saying the gym is what’s been helping him get out of bed, the photos obtained by Daily Mail show.
According to an unnamed woman – who spoke to the Daily Mail said she was a former volunteer at Hillsong – and that that the father of two had sent her similar photos, before he shared those on his Instagram Stories, claiming it was “an accident.” Barrett told the outlet that sending her those photos was “an honest mistake.” “Hey! I think I might’ve added you to my close friends list by accident.
I’m so sorry. Trying to figure out how the hell to edit it. It’s some real raw s— I send to my friends man. Lol,” Barrett messaged her in screenshots obtained by the Daily Mail. The woman replied, “Lol rude! I’m NOT a close friend is what you’re saying. Haha that’s alright.”
“Seriously, sorry about that. I guess,” the pastor followed up with, before the volunteer blocked him. The woman later unblocked Barrett and told him, “For you to go out of your way to make it seem like you ‘accidentally’ added me to your close friends…
and then, went out of your way to message me about it KNOWING that would make me go look is bulls—,” messages obtained by Daily Mail show. “Obviously, what you wanted me to see were the shirtless photos and the outline of your d—, let’s not play and act like that wasn’t the point. Your messages to bait me into seeing your ‘raw s—’ are obvious.'”