Venue Church—once one of the fastest growing churches in America—is now facing foreclosure following allegations that Venue pastor, Tavner Smith, engaged in sexual misconduct.
In December, eight employees of Venue quit after a video of Smith kissing a woman not his wife surfaced on social media. Smith then went on a short sabbatical but resumed pastoring the church about a month later. About the same time, the church also closed one of its two campuses.
On Sunday, the Chattanooga Times Free Press published a notice of foreclosure and sale, stating that Venue is in default of its loan of the property at 6401 Lee Highway in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The notice said the property will be sold to the highest bidder on August 24 at 2:00 p.m. at the courthouse in Hamilton County, Tennessee.
The original loan amount on the property was $2.8 million and was secured by Venue in September 2019 from First Citizens National Bank in Dyersburg, Tennessee, the notice stated. The property is…