Prominent revivalist Pastor Greg Locke is facing an IRS investigation into alleged misappropriation of church funds, resulting in a dramatic raid on his home and a significant drop in his congregation from thousands to hundreds.




Greg Locke, an American non-denominational preacher, pastor and founder of Global Vision Bible Church in Lebanon, Tennessee, has been known as a "Spiritual Diplomat" and revivalist for the last few years. Recently, however, Locke has been part of an ongoing investigation by the Internal Revenue Service for allegations regarding “misappropriated church funds.”

According to the Christian Post, Locke’s home was ransacked on July 12 by 60 federal agents “just three weeks into a six-week sabbatical he had taken to mourn his 20-year-old son, Evan, who died from a drug overdose in May.” Now, just a few weeks later, Locke’s church congregation, which typically draws 3,000 congregants, has dwindled to just a few hundred. Despite these hardships, however, Locke’s been open about his response to such indictments.

On Facebook, Locke noted:

“There was a time when our “tent” church shook with three thousand voices. A time when the parking lot looked like a city, when the altars stayed wet for hours, when deliverance was not a side ministry but the heartbeat of a global movement. Books that hit bestseller lists….”

Locke later continued, “We are not going into a new season. We are walking into a Genesis. The Lord is giving us a true opportunity to begin again. Not with the old scaffolding. Not with the old pressure to impress. Not with the old demand to keep three thousand people emotionally satisfied every seven days. Just a clean slate, a smaller room, a deeper fire, and a people who are all in. Yeah, the big crowds felt powerful. But they never satisfied the way this does. I don’t miss the crowds. I miss the hunger. I’m not mourning the three thousand. I’m thanking God for the three hundred who stayed, and for the millions who still listen with hearts of passion. This is not survival. This is resurrection. This is Genesis. And I’m here for every bit of it.”

While many have applauded Locke’s response, others have noted that the Church’s finances are skeptical. Justin Greenwell, a former pastor at Locke’s church, told The Christian Post, “There was no transparency in the financials of the church. Absolutely zero,” he claimed to CP. “There were times where we were asked for there to be transparency; [he said] it was none of our business. It was, ‘Well, if you can't trust your pastor, then you don't need to be here,' kind of thing.” According to Greenwell, only Locke and his wife had access to the finances during that time.

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