At least eight employees of Venue Church, a fast-growing congregation based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, have reportedly quit their jobs over alleged misconduct by Pastor Tavner Smith, who is allegedly shown kissing a woman who is not his wife in a video that recently surfaced online.
According to a report from The Christian Post, Last Friday afternoon, staff and volunteers confronted Smith about the video recorded in North Georgia. Two former employees and four volunteers or members previously connected to the church told the newspaper that the eight employees quit after confronting the pastor about a rumored affair with a church employee.
Venue Church did not immediately respond when contacted by The Christian Post on Thursday morning. But a spokesperson for the church told the Times Free Press that no comment will be made until after the severance process for staff was finalized. Court records show that the pastor and his wife, Danielle Smith, who have three kids, began divorce proceedings in May, according to The Times Free Press.
Yahoo News stated: “We are currently conducting our exit process with our staff members. We appreciate their service and value their feedback,” the church said in an email. On Wednesday, the Times Free Press sent a message seeking comment to Smith’s Facebook page. The request was not acknowledged.
Some previous employees have signed non-disclosure agreements and are unable to speak publicly about their employment. Smith, the father of three children, is in the process of divorcing his wife, Danielle, according to records from Hamilton County Circuit Court. Divorce proceedings began in May.
Smith moved his family to the Chattanooga area from Greenville, South Carolina, in 2012 to start Venue Church. In 2015, a report from Outreach Magazine and LifeWay Research listed Venue as one of the fastest-growing churches in America.
Smith would regularly post to social media pictures of himself in designer sneakers and clothes. Sunday services included light shows and congregants would provide a standing ovation when he came on stage. Along with the campus security team, a special team of armed bodyguards would follow Smith around.
Raw Story reports that Venue Church was founded in 2012. Just a few years later, in 2015, the church was named as one of the “fastest-growing churches in the country,” with more than 1,000 people regularly attending sermons.
“Smith would regularly post to social media pictures of himself in designer sneakers and clothes,” The Chattanooga Times Free Press explained. “Sunday services included light shows and congregants would provide a standing ovation when he came on stage. Along with the campus security team, a special team of armed bodyguards would follow Smith around.”
Destiny Santos, who served on the church’s security team, told The Chattanooga Times Free Press that she was instructed to bar certain people from the megachurch. “Anyone that spoke bad about him or the church went onto this watch list with code names and explanations as to why they’re not allowed,” she explained.
Santos also alleged that Smith would regularly take credit for the work of others. “All everyone ever sees is him giving away a check to this school on the news or volunteering at a soup kitchen or giving back here,” she said.
“Newsflash: he didn’t do any of that. He shows up when the cameras get there. We did everything. Like we volunteered at the soup kitchen. We gave away the clothes to the homeless. We cleaned up the streets. We raised the money to give to the schools. We did this and we did that. And he just shows up, looks nice on camera.”
