Tavner Smith’s Church Faces Sale and Foreclosure After Sex Scandal Implodes Congregation
Tavner Smith’s Venue Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is crashing and burning. The church, led by the ‘WISH’ version of Steven Furtick, has been hemorrhaging members and money for nearly a year after it was revealed he was carrying on an illicit affair with his worship leader/ personal assistant. They were spotted in a video kissing, as well as were caught in a compromising situation involving a bowl of chili and some boxer briefs. After the news came out, which saw most members of his church leadership team quit, Smith took a month or so off for personal reflection and healing and then was back in the saddle again.
Venue Church used to be among the fastest-growing churches in the nation, at one point topping 1500 people spread across four services and two locations. Now, they’re lucky to get a few dozen people. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that during their last service, “two-thirds of the roughly 150 cushioned chairs” in the church were “unfilled.”
Now, a recent foreclosure and sale in the local paper reveal that Venue Church is in default of its loan and that the property will be sold to the highest bidder. This will certainly come as a shock to whatever congregants are left, as Tavner led them to believe that their church was acquired debt-free after an exhaustive giving campaign, where Smith asked congregants to forgo Christmas gifts to give to the church’s building project instead.
The notice reads:
Furthermore, like his other location that has been shuttered, Google lists his current location as permanently closed.
Despite these developments, Smith is defiant, explaining on Facebook that he’s been assured by his legal team that the church is going nowhere, and that he will address many of these things on Sunday.
Hey guys, I just wanted to come and address a lot of the things that you’ve seen in the news that have been written and, and put in video form and typed about the foreclosure of our building and, and Venue Church shutting down.
First of all, I wanted to say it’s absolutely not true. Venue church is not shutting down. Number two, our legal team who is amazing, has assured me that I can tell you with confidence, our Chattanooga location is going nowhere.
There have been so many rumors. There’s been so many things that have swirled around in the past year that I want to set some things straight this week. And so what I want you to do is invite some friends, I want you to make plans yourself. And I want you to show up this Sunday to our Chattanooga location at 9 or 11 Because we’re going to talk about some things together.
I’m going to set the record straight. It’s going to be a great day and I can’t wait to see it because guess what? The best is yet to come for Venue church. It ain’t over. We just getting started and I’m glad you’re part of it. I’ll see you Sunday.
It’s no surprise that Smith finds himself here. His theology is a jumbled mess of prosperity preaching, wretched theology, charismatic mumbo jumbo, vision casting, the pursuit of ‘impossible dreams’, an insatiable ask for money and seed-sowing, constantly positioning himself as hearing directly from God, and being the conduit to the heavens.
Like most cult of personalities, this led him to escape accountability. With no elders or guardrails, the structure was created to allow him to indulge in his baser passions without anyone being able to call him out on it, until it was too late.
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Ever wonder why there are so many independent, nondenominational churches like this clown’s, Furdick’s, T.D. Jakes’, Mike Todd’s and so many others?
It’s simple: they don’t want accountability, even if they’re not engaged in illicit sexual conduct, which is one reason the Presbyterian form of church government works the best of any as even in theologically sound Baptist churches the pastor typically has too much authority and in some cases, as I have seen, almost becomes a protestant pope and once in a while does.
No wonder there’s so many sex scandals, as I am aware of Tullian’s shameful reign after D. James Kennedy died at Coral Ridge Presbyterian in Florida.