BY    :  Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter 

Outspoken Tennessee Pastor Greg Locke has mentioned the possibility of taking legal action as he faces allegations from former pastors of the Lebanon-based Global Vision Bible Church that he inflicted “spiritual abuse” on church employees and has not been transparent with the use of church finances, a claim he denies.

Locke, an author with a large online following, didn’t mince words during Sunday’s service as he addressed allegations laid out in a letter published earlier this month by former pastors Justin and Kasey Greenwell, who announced their resignation and are working on a book about their experiences at the church. Locke says he has “zero to hide” and suggested he has spoken with his lawyer about potentially moving forward with a lawsuit.

“If you think you’re going to drag this church through the mud, draw people out of it and then publicly besmirch my wife for no reason,” do not “think for a second as a shepherd I’m going to take that laying down,” Locke said.

In a Facebook post published Dec. 9, the Greenwells announced their resignation and posted a copy of the letter they sent to Locke and his wife, Tai. They cited what they called a “lack of true biblical accountability within the ministry.” Insisting that “The New Testament church operated under a plurality of elders, shared leadership, and collective discernment,” the Greenwells claimed their experience at Global Vision Bible Church was “marked by the absence of such structure.”

“Decisions were not shaped by a functioning board or council of elders,” they wrote. “There was no system in place for shared governance or mutual accountability. Instead, the weight of leadership and decision making fell entirely on you and Pastor Tai, creating an atmosphere where correction was impossible, disagreement felt dangerous, and accountability simply did not exist.”

“This lack of covering left staff spiritually exposed, emotionally vulnerable, and without a safe or biblical structure to process concerns or conflicts.”

The Greenwells claimed that Locke had “promised” to “establish a board, open the financial books, and allow the staff to take part in major decisions that shape this ministry.”

“That day never came,” they told Locke. “You lied to us.”

“The fruit of that broken word has revealed where the priorities of this ministry truly lie,” the Greenwells added. “When accountability is denied and transparency is avoided, it communicates something devastating: that money is being protected more fiercely than integrity, more fiercely than the people who sacrificially tithe, trust, and give to this house.”

The letter contained allegations of mismanagement of funds, as some members have questioned why the church failed to close on a multi-million-dollar real estate deal in 2024 that would have allowed it to move from a white tent in Mount Juliet to the Love’s Way Church in Lebanon. After that sale fell through, the church began leasing a 32,000-square-foot warehouse facility in Lebanon in November 2024.

“I personally know from answering the phones for the church that you borrowed hundreds of thousands of dollars from congregants online in the form of ‘loans’ for the new church that never came to pass,” the Greenwells wrote in their letter. “When we asked to see the books, we were denied. When we inquired about spending decisions: the museum purchases, extravagant travel, and unexplained expenses, we did not receive clear or direct answers.”

The fact that the planned purchase of a new church fell through loomed large throughout the letter. In addition to raising concerns about money management, the Greenwells suggested that Global Vision Bible Church may have broken the law.

“Federal guidelines for charitable organizations exist for a reason: to protect donors, congregants, staff members, leadership, and the integrity of the ministry,” they stated. “A 501(c)(3) requires a functioning board, transparent decision making, documented oversight, and clear separation between personal preference and organizational stewardship.”

The Greenwells insisted that their “concern is not rooted in accusation but in the sobering reality that without these structures, everyone involved becomes vulnerable: legally, ethically, financially, and spiritually.”

The letter included additional details about what the Greenwells viewed as spiritual vulnerability, decrying a “culture of hierarchy and emotional manipulation” that they say staff and congregants “regularly endured.”

“[M]any of us experienced what can only be described as control dressed in spiritual language,” they asserted, stating that “unity was equated with silence,” “honor was equated with suppressing concerns” and “loyalty was equated with surrendering discernment.”

“This environment cultivated fear, anxiety, confusion, and a form of emotional dependency that Scripture never endorses,” the letter stated. The letter also accused Tai Locke of practicing “favoritism” and said employees were discouraged “from building genuine relationships with one another.”

The Greenwells characterized the prevailing environment at Global Vision Bible Church as “a form of spiritual abuse,” specifically an “emotional, physical, and spiritual misuse of authority that damaged the hearts of those who served within this ministry with sincerity.” The climate extended beyond church leadership into the congregation itself, they added.

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