Greg Locke's Global Vision Bible Church billed $18,000 for police OT after conference
Wilson County and Mt. Juliet have each sent Global Vision Bible Church and Pastor Greg Locke separate bills that total about $18,000 for officers who worked overtime to manage traffic and crowds of pedestrians at their Labor Day weekend conference.
Locke, a controversial right-wing pastor, estimated 8,000 people attended the National Deliverance Training Conference that took place Sept. 2-4 at Global Vision. The church holds services in a large tent off Old Lebanon Dirt Road in west Wilson County.
Mt. Juliet has sent an invoice that requests “full payment” of $10,958.72.
“This amount reflects the non-budgeted expense of city taxpayer money that was spent on city employee wages and benefits specifically tied to the Global Vision Deliverance Training Conference,” the invoice states.
Wilson County Sheriff Robert Bryan sent an invoice this week for approximately $7,000 to Locke and the church to pay for deputies who worked overtime during the event.
Locke said the bills were "totally unexpected" and unfair.
“We’ve been lied about and made out to be the bad guys," Locke said. "It won’t work. It won’t last. It will backfire."
A neighborhood group that has been involved in an ongoing clash with the church over noise raised concerns to county and state officials about event traffic and other complications before the conference.
Locke countered that the impact wouldn't be that large because the conference was scheduled when school was out on a long weekend.
The church campus is in Wilson County, close to Mt. Juliet city limits.
Bryan described “a lot of traffic in and out of the conference” and said Old Lebanon Dirt Road was “not constructed for that many vehicles.”
The impact was beyond what the sheriff said was a typical Sunday service. A portion of Old Lebanon Dirt Road had to be closed for crowds of pedestrians.
“As far as an inside event, (Locke) says it was successful and it may have been,” Bryan said. “Out on the roads it was not. I have a responsibility to the taxpayers of Wilson County.”
Mt. Juliet’s invoice described Old Lebanon Dirt Road as having little to no shoulders and limited sight distance. Because it was a holiday weekend, at least some officers assigned to the event were on overtime and holiday pay so that normal service wasn't disrupted elsewhere.
Locke is discussing with an attorney whether the group is obligated to pay the bill.
Churches regularly hire officers from the sheriff’s department and other agencies for traffic and security, Bryan said. Mt. Juliet police have an off-duty employment coordinator to regularly schedule local churches that pay for additional officer services weekly, and sometimes more according to Mt. Juliet Police Captain Tyler Chandler.
Global Vision has traditionally hired one officer for services, according to Bryan. But the sheriff said one person “wasn’t enough” for the recent conference.
Wilson County has a pending lawsuit against Global Vision Bible Church for defying multiple stop-work orders in violation of county zoning and stormwater ordinances. The lawsuit also regards a lack of permitting for structures and site grading on the property.
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Greg Locke's Global Vision Bible Church billed after big conference
