Posted on 10/12/2025 2:57:37 PM PDT by Morgana
Six-time Grammy winner Amy Grant, who gained much of her notoriety through her Christian songs, has agreed to a legal settlement about a church founded by her great-grandfather in downtown Nashville, Tenn., according to the Wall Street Journal.
The boarded-up red brick building, now worth at least $11 million, served for decades as the Central Church of Christ, founded in 1925 by A.M. Burton. During its heyday, the church was involved in providing housing, daycare, food, and a free library in addition to its worship services.
Burton’s sermons were broadcast through a radio station that he founded.
He died when Grant was just 5 years old, but his life “cast a beautiful shadow” over her life, she told the WSJ.
The church had deed restrictions that required the building to operate as a church, or it would revert to the Burton estate.
Through the mid-2010s, Central Church of Christ continued to have generous revenue that it garnered from two adjacent downtown parking lots, resulting in $3 million in the bank.
Despite its hefty bank account, its membership dwindled to a few dozen people, most of them elderly.
Introducing Shawn Mathis
In 2018, businessman Shawn Mathis is alleged to have seized control of the church and its assets, renamed it Nashville Church of Christ, and launched an online ministry. However, he didn’t hold church services in the building.
Mathis’s lawyer claimed the church was engaged in mission work supporting Church of Christ congregations around the world via online ministry.
Andy Burton, Grant’s cousin, said he heard from a friend in 2018 that “people [were] kind of being chased away” from Central Church of Christ. He checked on the building and found it boarded up and the new sign for Nashville Church of Christ.
Mathis told the WSJ the congregation voted to adopt a resolution converting to Nashville Church of Christ, a nonprofit corporation.
Howell Townes, a long-time member of Central Church of Christ, welcomed Mathis when he came on board in 2017, telling the WSJ that Mathis impressed congregants with his credentials and connections.
He said Mathis began inquiring about church finances and was eager to become an elder. It wasn’t long before Mathis had control of the board, Townes said.
Court battle
In 2019, Grant and other Burton descendants hired an attorney to investigate Mathis and his takeover of the church. The renamed church then sued Grant to invalidate the deed restrictions.
The court documents asserted that Mathis pushed out longtime members and installed a handful of supporters to gain control of the church — a process that Burton’s descendants called “steeple-jacking.”
The case settlement requires that the building must be sold at fair market value with 80% of the proceeds going to the Burton family and the Mathis side receiving 20%.
Mathis “made the strategic decision to settle the very narrow litigation relation to certain deed restrictions,” his lawyer told the WSJ, and will use the proceeds to support global mission efforts.
Grant told the WSJ she has been in talks with groups and philanthropists about setting up a large center to assist homeless persons in downtown Nashville.
“It would be amazing to have a downtown location for that,” she said. “We sure need it.”
About $600,000 in back taxes are owed on the property, and those will be divided between the parties with the Burton descendants paying $50,000 and the Mathis group paying the remainder.
Townes told WSJ he was disappointed the Mathis group will receive any proceeds.
“He’s getting paid extremely well for shutting down the Lord’s church in downtown Nashville,” Townes told the WSJ.
The state attorney general’s office is also conducting an investigation into the Nashville Church of Christ finances. Last year, it filed a civil lawsuit against the church for improperly commingling missionary funds with other money. Mathis denies any wrongdoing.
To me, she gained notoriety when she started banging her next door neighbor (Vince Gill), while still married to her former husband Gary Chapman.
Ugg. I used to work with this guy who “thing” was to be a better Christian than you. He went to church more than you, he played in the church band more than you, he was planning to do missionary work in Cambodia, etc. And he met his wife while they were both attending Belmont University (”Timeless Christian Values”) in Nashville, and were both working to promote Amy Grant. So, to HIM, she was the best, most wholesome singer in the world, and you were a heathen that deserved to go to hell if you didn’t agree. I took great glee in hearing the Vince Gill story because of him.
Sometimes you really NEED a lawyer. They are like helicopters: expensive, loud, and often dangerous; but sometimes when yu need one, nothing else will do.
Good job Amy Grant.
The building my church uses has been oura since 1877. It was sold to the church for a really good price and we have the same kind of agreement with the family that sold it. If we were to stop having church there, we have to give it baxk to the family. We had a woman from the family show up about five years ago on a Saturday afternoon. My wife and I pulled onto the property and saw her taking a lot of pictures. So, I naturally had to ask why she was doing that. I decided to let into the buildimg so she could see obvious evidence that we were still a church and it seemed to satisfy her. They have a family cemetary at the edge of the property with at least 20 graves.
I remember those days. There were always “rumors” of their involvement for years.
Not really clear what the outcome is.
I have a good, very helpful Christian friend
To him, Amy Grant was quite a thing
He’s wised up now
Her top song is STILL great
That being said, can’t rely on any human being
Interestingly, during a local John Waite concert, John was relating a story about Vince Gill showing up for a song they were performing with Alison Krauss
I was fortunate enough to meet John Waite after the show along with his bass player - John was extremely friendly
Yeah I’m disappointed that Any Grant went all LGBTQ+ apologetic... disappointing there too...😟😦😲🤯
El Shaddai?
Yeah
That’s a good one
The girlfriend I picked out of the church choir sang that one - well I fell for it - OUCH 🤕🤕🤕 😖😣😧
I was thinking of Baby, Baby
https://youtu.be/vMXuuYnoRdI?si=E_cQR2zaIkHu_R9y
Yep
We had that sung at our wedding.
Nice
Through the years, I have referred to it as “El Shutup.” I didn’t care for it.
LOL 🤣🤣😆😆
✝️✝️🙏🙏🛐🛐
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