The Journal. The Battle Over a Church Worth Millions
61 snips
Dec 18, 2025 
Cameron McWhirter, a dedicated Journal reporter, investigates the dramatic takeover of a historic Nashville church, featuring insights from Amy Grant, a six-time Grammy-winning singer and descendant of the church's founder. They unravel the church’s decline and the assets left behind that made it a target. McWhirter explains the legal complexities surrounding steeplejacking, while Grant shares her family's fight to reclaim their legacy. The discussion highlights how vulnerable American churches are to opportunistic business moves.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Rapid Rise And Contested Takeover
- Sean Mathis joined Central Church of Christ in 2017 and quickly rose to leadership by promising revival and internet outreach.
- Longtime members later accused him of using the church's assets for financial gain, sparking a multi-year dispute.
Tiny Congregations Hold Big Value
- Small, aging congregations can hold outsized assets like valuable buildings, parking lots, and endowments.
- Those assets make declining churches vulnerable to external takeover attempts or financial diversion.
Family Discovers Stripped, Boarded Church
- Amy Grant and the Burton family discovered the church boarded up and stripped after Mathis' changes.
- They felt compelled to act because A.M. Burton intended the building to serve Nashville's vulnerable people.