Megachurch Denies Building $4.5M Retreat For Pastors Who Cheated On Their Wives

The Church of the Highlands (COTH), the second largest church in the United States, has dismissed allegations that its multi-million-dollar Lodge is being utilized as a sanctuary for disgraced pastors. This clarification was provided by Layne Schranz, the senior associate pastor, in a report from the Christian Post.  

“Unfortunately, there are articles out there that are completely false with no truth to them. “The Lodge that we have at our church has no recovery aspect to it. We have no restoration program. That’s not what The Lodge is for.”

The COTH, a 55,000-member non-denominational Alabama megachurch, operates on an annual budget surpassing $132 million, has 22 campuses, and is led by Senior Pastor Chris Hodges, a terrible preacher that Chris Rosebrough of Fighting For The Faith has chronicled years of wretched bible interpretation. 

With poor preaching comes poor theology. Hodges holds a special interest in restoring disgraced pastors, specifically those who have committed adultery or have been involved in ‘inappropriate relationships.’

Alongside fellow pastor Dino Rizzo, Hodges believes in reestablishing these fallen pastors into the ministry, currently overseeing the recovery of about 20 pastors. The church does not view marital infidelity as grounds for disqualification from the pastorate, and in some cases, pastors are restored within a few months. Interestingly, Rizzo himself was restored to the senior pastor role at the Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, La, after a year of ‘recovery’ from a similar scandal. 

Constructed for $4.5 million, The Lodge was once referred to by Senior Pastor Chris Hodges as a “kind of a pastoral recovery center” where pastors “from all over the world” can “rest, worship, and grow.” The idea is that burnt out pastors can come here and rest up, before returning to their congregations. The Lodge website reads:

 The Lodge will provide a place of rest and renewal for these pastors and their spouses during their stay. We are praying this space will provide a getaway of peace for so many that devote their lives to the call that God has given them.

The Lodge and its purpose raised scrutiny after a pastor at Highlands, Micahn Carter, was let go after being found guilty of clergy sexual misconduct. Before his expulsion, Carter was employed by Together Church but was let go from there after engaging in similar sexual activity. He started attending COTH and was hired as a pastor despite being in the pastoral restoration process.


Unfun Fact: Pastor Hodges has a fascinating side gig that involves inviting pastors for a weekend-long rendezvous of imparting wisdom and guidance. This unique experience comes at a price – $7500 for singles and $10,000 for couples. A recent weekend retreat reportedly padded his pockets with a cool $200,000 to $300,000.

Now, isn’t that a fruitful way to spend a weekend?


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5 thoughts on “Megachurch Denies Building $4.5M Retreat For Pastors Who Cheated On Their Wives

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  2. Didn’t Jesus say “the Son of man has no where to rest his head” and Peter: “Silver and gold have I none”?

  3. We lay people need a retreat time to recover from hearing all the crap these idiots teach.

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