Pastors Justin and Kasey Greenwell have resigned from their positions as online pastors at Greg Locke’s Global Vision Bible Church (GVBC), in Lebanon, Tennessee, alleging spiritual abuse and a lack of spiritual and financial accountability. They have called upon Locke to repent. Locke denies the allegations, maintains the church is financially transparent, and says that he has already repented of what he needs to repent of.
Locke is known for brash, controversial preaching, including telling congregants not to wear masks in 2021, claiming in 2022 that children with autism are under demonic attack, and calling for Catholic items and games like Dungeons and Dragons and Pokémon to be burned.
The pastor has received criticism and even death threats over the years. In September 2024, his home was subjected to a drive-by shooting while his daughter (who ended up unharmed) was inside.
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Greenwells’ Letter to Greg Locke Alleges Lack of Accountability
In a Facebook post Tuesday, Dec. 9, the Greenwells publicly announced that they were resigning from GVBC. “This decision was not made in haste, emotion, or frustration. It has come after years of seeking the Lord’s heart, examining our own, and weighing the things we have walked through behind the scenes,” they said in the caption of the post, which included a copy of their resignation letter. “Our deepest desire has always been to honor God above all else.”
“We have poured our lives, our time, our family, our gifts, and our hearts into this ministry. We served with integrity, we loved sincerely, and we believed the best for as long as we possibly ever could,” said the Greenwells. “Yet there comes a moment when remaining silent becomes its own form of dishonor: not only towards people, but toward God, toward truth, and toward our own souls.”
“There are things we have witnessed, endured, and navigated privately that many would never imagine,” they said. In the caption, they mentioned they will be sharing their story in a book that will be released in a couple of weeks.
The Greenwells’ resignation letter is signed by both Justin and Kasey but is written in the first person, presumably by Justin. He begins with repentance over not speaking the truth in love to Locke sooner.
“I am so sorry that I failed you as one of your pastors. I regret deeply that I did not speak sooner, that I was not more courageous, more biblical, and more faithful to the responsibility God had entrusted to me,” Justin said. “The environment we were in was not one where I felt safe to be heard, and I certainly did not feel welcome to approach you with my concerns. Even so, I should have spoken out.”
One concern the Greenwells raised was a “lack of true biblical accountability within the ministry.” They alleged that, rather than a board or elders shaping leadership decisions, “the weight of leadership and decision making fell entirely on you [Locke] and [Locke’s wife] Pastor Tai, creating an atmosphere where correction was impossible, disagreement felt dangerous, and accountability simply did not exist.”
The church also lacks the accountability and transparency required of an organization that functions as a 501(c)(3), the Greenwells allege.
