The Battle Over a Church Worth Millions

数百万教堂之争

The Journal.

2025-12-19

19 分钟
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After a historic church in the heart of Nashville was taken over by a businessman, the family of the church’s original founder, including Christian pop star Amy Grant, says the building was “steeple-jacked.” The businessman leading the church denies the allegations. WSJ’s Cameron McWhirter explains to Ryan Knutson why many American churches are vulnerable to a hostile takeover. Further Listening: - ‘Exmo’ Influencers Are Taking On Mormonism - The Financial Mess Facing the Vatican - Why the New Pope Is Taking on AI Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • There's a church in Nashville, Tennessee that's been around for generations.

  • It's a five-story red brick building that was once a pillar of the community.

  • And for many, many decades, the church was really thriving down there in the heart of Nashville.

  • That's my colleague, Cam McWhorter.

  • Cam says that like many churches around the country,

  • eventually the congregation shrank and got older.

  • The church, over time, dwindled.

  • Ultimately, by the late 2010s, it had maybe 30 people going to it.

  • It had a lot of assets, but it didn't have a lot of people.

  • Then, one Sunday in 2017, a man named Sean Mathis showed up.

  • He came for a service there with his wife.

  • Mathis was in his 40s, much younger than the average member.

  • And the congregation, which was desperate for newcomers, welcomed them with open arms.

  • They knew it was declining.

  • They knew there were issues.

  • So when Sean showed up, at first they were very excited.

  • Mathis said he wanted to get involved and started sharing his thoughts about how the church could grow.

  • What were some of his ideas?

  • He was very interested in talking about reviving the church and bringing in more members and expanding its mission to the whole world via the Internet.

  • He had big plans.