Wilson County sues Greg Locke’s church following growing conflicts with neighbors
Facing increasing pressure from neighbors over church services and property expansion at Global Vision Bible Church, a local battle with Pastor Greg Locke’s church escalated with a new lawsuit from Wilson County.
The county based its case on construction and stormwater zoning violations, narrowly tailoring it to avoid a fight over protections for religious practice.
Yet, the suit is significant because it marks an important moment in a lengthy conflict between Locke and his neighbors and because a government entity is going after Locke, who gained a reputation nationally for protesting government intervention.
“I’ll be addressing it on Sunday at church,” Locke said in a statement. “It’s a ridiculous situation but rest assured we’re not in violation and we will not stop having services.”
Wilson County filed its complaint Thursday, detailing a four-year history of county inspectors issuing “stop work orders” and the church allegedly outright refusing to comply. County inspectors issued the stop work orders for unpermitted building construction and property redevelopment, according to the lawsuit.
Wilson County Attorney Mike Jennings addressed the lawsuit at a planning commission meeting Friday and explained the county specifically did not seek an injunction against Global Vision.
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“There’s a danger involved if you try to shut down even temporarily religious activities,” Jennings said in the meeting. “There’s quite a bit of protection under state and federal law.”
The federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and the Tennessee Religious Restoration Act give Tennessee houses of worship broad latitude in zoning restrictions.
Locke, who has gained a reputation nationally for his political rhetoric and more recently a mass deliverance ministry, has drawn the ire of his neighbors for noise and traffic issues related to worship services and construction.
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Global Vision, previously housed in a small building on the property, expanded its acreage and erected a tent for church services in May 2020, according to Locke. The church currently has 18 acres, Locke said.
As Locke’s profile grew nationally, mostly for his involvement with politically far-right groups and events, so did the visitors to Global Vision on Sundays, many traveling from other states. Last year, Locke started a mass deliverance ministry, a religious practice that believes demonic forces “oppress” people and need to be exorcised, leading to additional services on Sunday nights and even a conference on New Year’s Day in January.
The mass deliverance conference in January and another major event later that month, called the ReAwaken America Tour, drew thousands of visitors who created traffic disruptions locally.
Locke acknowledged some of his neighbors’ grievances in an interview with The Tennessean in January but said he feels it’s impossible to address all the concerns.
“They don’t care what we do, they hate us. We’re the most polarizing church in town,” Locke said in a January interview.
The church recently erected a new tent meant to reduce the sound level emanating from church services, though the county said in its lawsuit it’s still receiving complaints about Global Vision.
Meanwhile, residents are calling for Wilson County elected officials to push through a noise ordinance due to complaints about Global Vision. An online petition has received more than 1,800 signatures, and the planning commission discussed the prospect at its meeting Friday.
Several planning commission members seemed less inclined to advance the proposed noise ordinance partly due to questions about the ordinance’s applicability county-wide, even though Global Vision presents the most pressing concern.
Andy Humbles contributed to this report.
Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean. Reach him at ladams@tennessean.com or on Twitter @liamsadams.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Greg Locke Global Vision Bible Church Wilson County lawsuit
