Just weeks after candidly admitting that attendance at Global Vision Bible Church has fallen dramatically from its peak, Pastor Greg Locke has announced another major change: the church is preparing to relocate to a new home.
Speaking to his congregation on Sunday, Locke revealed that he had finalized the contract for a church building on Murfreesboro Road in Lebanon, Tennessee, saying the congregation is now racing to complete renovations before its anticipated first service there.
"An amazing amount of work has been done, but an extraordinary amount of work is still to be done," Locke told attendees.
According to Locke, crews are repainting the building, replacing carpet, renovating bathrooms, reconfiguring classrooms for children, and knocking down walls to prepare the former church facility for its new occupants.
The pastor urged members to help fund the final stage of the transition, describing the coming week as "an all-hands-on-deck" effort.
"There are a lot of expenses that are going into the reality of transforming everything that we need to transform this week," he said.
The move comes during one of the most turbulent seasons in Locke's ministry.
Last month, federal agents executed a pre-dawn search warrant at Locke's home as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations that include the possible misuse of church funds. Locke has denied any wrongdoing and has maintained his innocence.
The investigation unfolded shortly after the heartbreaking death of Locke's 20-year-old son, Evan, who died from a drug overdose in May. In response, Locke stepped away from the pulpit for a six-week sabbatical before recently returning to preach.
The relocation also follows Locke's unusually transparent remarks about the state of his congregation.
Once drawing roughly 3,000 worshippers at its height, Global Vision now averages only a few hundred people each Sunday. Rather than expressing disappointment, however, Locke described the smaller congregation as a blessing.
"We are pastoring a few hundred truly dedicated people now," he told his church recently. "Three hundred. Maybe four hundred on a strong Sunday."
Far from viewing the decline as a failure, Locke said the smaller church has brought a renewed sense of freedom.
"I am not less happy. I am not less called. I am not less anointed. I am actually more free than I have ever been," he said.
He added that he no longer feels pressure to maintain the appearance of a large, successful ministry.
"The anxiety of managing the appearance of greatness is gone. The performance is over," Locke said. "What is left is a remnant that actually wants Jesus more than they want a production."
Locke founded Global Vision Bible Church in 2006 and has become one of the most polarizing figures in American evangelicalism. Over the years, he has drawn national attention for his outspoken political commentary, fiery preaching style, public deliverance services, and controversies surrounding his ministry.
Now, with a smaller congregation, an ongoing federal investigation, and a new church home on the horizon, Locke appears determined to begin a new chapter-insisting that ministry is measured less by attendance numbers than by the commitment of those who remain.
