On the heels of Justin Bieber’s romantic reunion with Selena Gomez, 25, in October, Justin’s pastor, Carl Lentz, is opening up exclusively to In Touch about how the pop star has turned his life around over the past year and what kind of a dad he’ll be.

The charismatic leader of NYC’s Hillsong Church, who favors skinny jeans and leather jackets over traditional religious garb and has been branded “the hipster pastor,” has served as a mentor and confidant to Justin in recent years and has been credited with influencing the pop star’s transformation from bad boy to man of God.

pastor carl lentz getty

Carl, who insists he has “no idea about his current relationship status” when asked about Justin and Selena’s rekindled romance, tells In Touch that he knows Justin will be a great dad someday. “He’ll be a phenomenal, amazing father because being a father is about care and about trust and about investment and commitment, and he’s great at all those things.”

Carl insists Justin doesn’t deserve his reputation as a selfish and troubled bad boy.
“He’s kind. Just absolutely has a brilliant mind, and that affects everything he does. His level of thoughtfulness and in-depth view of stuff… He sees things in layers and tries really hard,” Carl explains.

“He’s not anybody other than who he says he is, which is a guy on a journey of getting better every day.” We hope he’s right!

For more exclusive celebrity news, pick up the latest issue of In Touch, on newsstands now!

Have a tip? Send it to us! Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com.