Tennessee Megachurch Pastor Literally Caught With His Pants Down
Tennessee Megachurch Pastor Literally Caught With His Pants Down In Affair With Church Employee
A Tennessee megachurch pastor has been put “sabbatical.” Pastor Tavner Smith was caught on video having an alleged extramarital affair with an employee of the congregation.
The video showed Pastor Tavner Smith of Venue Church in Chattanooga kissing the woman in a restaurant. See the video below. This prompted at least eight staff members to resign.
The Daily Beast reports that addition to the video, a group of church volunteers claim they visited Smith’s home in November. They found him alone with the woman. The volunteers say they saw the woman wrapped in a towel and Smith in his boxers. Consequently, Smith and the woman claimed they took off their clothes after getting food on them. They claimed they got messy making hot dogs and chili.
In fact, Smith still has not publicly admitted the affair, despite announcing his sabbatical earlier this month.
Mrs. Smith accused him of adultery in their ongoing divorce case. She also requested the court to bar the female employee from being around their three children. The female employee’s husband has also filed for divorce.
Smith reportedly called a meeting with his staff and others to address the video. One former church member who attended the meeting said Smith was “evasive and refused to answer questions directly,”
The former church member told the Daily Beast:
Divorce Papers Show Tennessee Megachurch Pastor Was Rolling In The Dough
Smith’s divorce case also revealed that he was earning about $200,000 per year. Case filing also show he and his wife owned three houses worth a combined $1 million. That’s in addition to the $4.9 million church building. Smith frequently stressed the importance of tithing in his sermons.
The Daily Beast reports that nearly all of the church’s full-time employees have resigned. The church breifly suspended services in Chattanooga. Venue Church closed their Georgia campus permanently.
Employees, members and volunteers are still struggling to come to terms with the maelstrom. The church was one of the country’s fastest-growing megachurches. However, it is now in shambles.
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