Hillsong has explained why it has decided to conduct an independent investigation into its NYC church.

A statement from Hillsong on 13th November reads: “Since last week’s announcement of a leadership change at Hillsong East Coast, we have heard from a number of people about their experiences and concerns.

“It is important that we establish the truth and then do everything we can to ensure our church is both a safe place and one that seeks to glorify God in all that we say and do.

"For this reason we have decided to appoint a New York based legal firm that is not associated or affiliated with Hillsong to conduct an in-depth review and investigation into all concerns and any wider cultural issues," the statement continues.

"We are taking this extremely seriously and on the basis of this report, we will be better positioned to take whatever actions are deemed necessary to right the wrongs and see Hillsong East Coast move forward in a way that enables many more people to find hope in Jesus."

Earlier in the week, Hillsong’s senior pastor Brian Houston announced that an investigation into the “inner workings” of the NYC/ East Coast branch would be taking place.

Pastor Houston’s statement came in the wake of the revelation of an affair Hillsong’s NYC pastor Carl Lentz was having.

After it was announced he and his wife, Laura, were fired from their roles at the church due to  "leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures", Lentz revealed on Instagram that he was unfaithful to his wife of 17 years.

"This failure is on me, and me alone and I take full responsibility for my actions,” he said in the lengthy post. “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.

"I am deeply sorry for breaking the trust of many people who we have loved serving and understand that this news can be very hard and confusing for people to hear and process." 

Hillsong NYC is in the process of selecting new leadership.