Pastor Judah Smith has responded to a question about whether his Seattle‑based Churchome congregation is a "cult."
During a recent sermon, the longtime spiritual adviser to pop star Justin Bieber recounted how a passer‑by asked him to confirm or deny if the ministry is a cult moments after he stepped out of his car.
Smith told his congregation that paparazzi and a woman with a phone camera surrounded him before she asked, "So, is this a cult or not?"
According to the video posted on Instagram Friday, the 45‑year‑old pastor said he had "never experienced that question" in such a setting. He described the encounter as "not good PR" yet chose to address it from the pulpit, turning the moment into what he called "a first."
He then rejected the label in comic fashion.
"If we're a cult, we are the worst cult in the history of all cults," Smith said. "We meet once a month, guys. I stopped doing this every Wednesday. We've got to get better at this."
Laughter rippled through the room as he compared Churchome's once‑a‑month in‑person schedule with the tighter discipline implied by the word cult. Churchome operates from Kirkland with app‑based sermons extending its reach.
The scrutiny has mainly intensified because of Smith's decade‑plus bond with Bieber, 31. The singer's mother, Pattie Mallette, introduced them when Bieber was a teenager.
Smith officiated Bieber's 2019 wedding to Hailey Bieber and baptized the couple together in 2020. He has also provided the couple with counseling sessions.
Bieber has turned to faith‑based counsel in recent weeks while rumors swirl online about his life and marriage.
On April 24, the Grammy winner posted on Instagram Stories that "they treat me like a — out here, but I remember that I am flawed and God forgave me." A few lines later, he wrote that his instinct is to judge online gossip but that he, too, can "be mean and hurtful," according to E! News.
Earlier that month, a representative for the singer told the outlet that "unnecessary stories and inaccurate assumptions" would persist, yet would not divert Bieber from "the right path."
Smith's voice already features on Bieber's religious output. For Easter 2021, the performer released his first gospel EP titled Freedom, featuring Smith.
Across six tracks, he collaborated with artists such as Beam, Tori Kelly and Chandler Moore. Smith appeared on the spoken‑word segment "Where You Go I Follow," asking, "Who is this Jesus?" and concluding that "there is nobody like Jesus."
The pastor also shared screen time with Bieber in the 2020 YouTube documentary series "Justin Bieber: Next Chapter."
One episode showed the Biebers in a virtual counseling session with Smith while the pandemic kept touring on hold. Bieber remarked that he wanted to dedicate the forced downtime to working on his marriage.
"I love using what I'm good at to make other people smile," he said at the time but added that he needed to "release that control to God" and focus on personal growth rather than canceled shows.
During the session, Smith told the couple, "Marriage is just difficult in general, and what's added in your relationship is obviously the pressure of the perception of people that actually don't know the details." Bieber responded that they were "so not perfect," and expected missteps while aiming to add value to his family as Smith had modeled.
Bieber's association with high‑profile pastors has attracted public attention, particularly when former Hillsong Church Pastor Carl Lentz was dismissed in 2020 over moral failures. At the time, Bieber publicly distanced himself from Hillsong and strengthened ties with Smith, whose family has led Churchome for three generations.
