Pastor says he will ‘go to jail’ before closing Tennessee church during pandemic
A Tennessee pastor said he’s willing to go to jail before his church shuts down.
“We are staying open,” church leader Greg Locke said Monday in a Facebook video that has gotten more than 6,000 comments. “We are packed to capacity. You ain’t gotta wear a mask. We’re not social distancing.”
Locke is pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, a city near Nashville.
The pastor said he was opposed to possible repercussions for Grace Community Church, a California congregation that has continued to gather in spite of a statewide ban on indoor worship.
“I will go to jail before I will close our church,” Locke said. “They will be selling Frosty’s in the lake of fire before Greg Locke and Global Vision Bible Church ever closes down.”
A video the congregation posted on its Facebook page this week shows people without masks sitting in adjacent chairs during a sermon. During the coronavirus pandemic, people are urged to avoid crowds and wear face masks in public, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Tennessee Department of Health in its recommendations for faith groups says congregations should consider remote services. For groups that decide to hold in-person gatherings, it has guidance to help protect attendees against COVID-19.
After Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee in March banned gatherings of more than 10 people, about 250 attendees came to a service at Locke’s church, the Tennessean reported. The pastor at the time decided to hold drive-in services, according to the newspaper.
Recent social media posts from the church show gatherings in a tent-like structure.
The “church has not identified COVID-19 cases” in its congregation, Newsweek reported Tuesday.
“We’ve always promoted and provided a very safe and clean environment,” Locke reportedly told the news outlet in an email. “We are doing nothing different now than we were six months ago. We’ve never had an issue and we refuse to live in constant fear and media hysteria.”
This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 9:04 AM with the headline "Pastor says he will ‘go to jail’ before closing Tennessee church during pandemic."
