Former megachurch pastor Tavner Smith is making headlines once again-this time with an urgent fundraising campaign to help his rapidly growing new church move into its first permanent home, just four years after the affair scandal and financial collapse that brought down his former ministry.
Smith, who founded Hope House Church in North Georgia in October 2024 after the implosion of Chattanooga's Venue Church, is asking supporters to raise $60,000 in just 24 hours to renovate a newly leased building before an August launch.
"We are on a massive, fast-paced mission to raise $60,000 in just 24 hours to get us into our building," Smith wrote on Instagram. "We are building this house brick-by-brick, together."
According to Hope House Church, what began with just 17 people meeting in the back of a warehouse has grown to more than 300 attendees in its first year. The church is currently holding services under a tent in Rossville, Georgia, while renovations are completed on its future home.
Smith's latest ministry milestone comes after one of the most public church scandals in recent memory.
In early 2022, the former Venue Church pastor publicly confessed to an "inappropriate relationship" with a female staff member after months of denying allegations. During an emotional apology to his congregation, Smith admitted that his actions had caused "embarrassment, heartache and confusion" and asked members for forgiveness.
The confession followed explosive reports that church volunteers, concerned about Smith's well-being, visited his home in November 2021 and allegedly found him wearing only boxer shorts alongside a female staff member wrapped in a towel. Smith reportedly claimed they had spilled chili and hot dogs on their clothing while preparing food together, an explanation many church volunteers openly questioned.
The controversy sparked an exodus of staff and members, with leaked recordings revealing frustrated volunteers confronting Smith over the allegations. Venue Church ultimately collapsed, and the ministry's property was later foreclosed.
Despite that dramatic downfall, Smith has steadily rebuilt his ministry through Hope House Church, which says it has experienced significant growth since its launch. The congregation now hopes its fundraising campaign will allow members to move from their temporary tent into a permanent worship space in the coming weeks.
For Smith, the campaign marks another chapter in a remarkable comeback story-one that continues to divide opinion as supporters celebrate the church's growth while critics remain mindful of the scandal that brought his previous ministry to an abrupt end.
