Pastor Greg Locke: 'It's time' to move Global Vision Bible Church from tent

Pastor Greg Locke has announced plans to move his controversial white-tent evangelical Global Vision Bible Church from its longstanding Wilson County campus.

The church, which attracts large crowds from across the region, has been the subject of lawsuits and complaints at its current location on Old Lebanon Dirt Road.

Locke told his congregation in July that Global Vision will look at a new location within a 15-mile circle of its campus. But a specific location is yet to be determined.

"Will God open a door right here in Mt. Juliet? I don't know," Locke rhetorically asked the congregation when he made the announcement. "And I think it's time. I think there is a different group of people who want to come to our church and never will until we have a building. And we've shown them you don't have to have one."

Efforts to reach Locke on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

Locke did not provide a specific time-frame for a potential move.

But, beyond disputes with community leaders over traffic and land use, the pastor said he would like a larger, more comfortable venue.

Locke referenced the lack of heat and air-conditioning during winters and summers in the tent and that "it's time for (indoor) bathrooms," as reasons to move from the tent to a permanent structure. Snowfall in January also damaged the Global Vision tent.

Global Vision put up its tent on the campus in May 2020 as church attendance grew. The church campus is in Wilson County, just outside the Mt. Juliet city limits.

Locke has gained national attention for social media posts with extreme right-wing political stances and a mass-deliverance ministry that includes casting out evil spirits. The church has also held events such as inviting people to burn items the church relates to witchcraft and the occult.

The pastor addressed multiple ongoing lawsuits and neighborhood conflicts with the church that have raised complaints about noise and traffic snafus for events.

"I have fought over this property," Locke said at one point in his announcement.

One lawsuit, filed by Wilson County, claims the church started construction on its campus at 2060 Old Lebanon Dirt Road without site-plan approval, building permits and land-disturbance permits.

The Wilson County Planning Commission approved a site plan earlier this year in efforts by the church to resolve the lawsuit, which is still active, according to Wilson County Attorney Mike Jennings. Global Vision's church engineer has continued to work with county departments to gain approvals, Wilson County Planning Director Tom Brashear said.

If Global Vision moved to a location that doesn't have approval for a church use in place within Wilson County's jurisdiction, site plans for any grading and improvements would be required before work starts, Wilson County Planning Commissioner Tom Brashear said.

Global Vision also has been cited for deficiencies by the Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office, which are unrelated to the county's action and lawsuit. And the church has been the recipient of vandalism and graffiti in past years.

A trailer fire earlier this year that burned Bibles at the intersection of Old Lebanon Dirt Road and Chandler Road near Global Vision Bible Church was believed to be intentionally set, according to police.

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: Pastor Greg Locke: 'It's time' to move Global Vision Bible Church from tent