NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Christian pop star Amy Grant and her family are set to regain control of the downtown Nashville church, the Nashville Church of Christ.
The church, formerly known as the Central Church of Christ, is located at 145 Rep. John Lewis Way and was founded by A.M. Burton in 1925.
Grant and her family were in a legal fight to save the church founded by her great-grandfather for years.
Below is additional reporting from Steve Cavendish with The Banner:
The heirs of A.M. Burton, led by Amy Grant and her cousin Andy Burton, have won control of the building that housed Central Church of Christ on 5th Avenue. A settlement order by Chancellor Anne Martin issued Wednesday ruled that Nashville Church of Christ, a successor nonprofit led by Shawn Mathis, “has violated the Conditional Limitation in the 1925 Deed that is at issue in this case, and therefore, the real property hereby reverts to the Estate as per the language of the 1925 Deed.” In a five-year court battle, documented by Banner Executive Producer Demetria Kalodimos in a three-part series, Grant and the estate claimed that Mathis and NCC violated the deed and the mission of the original church. Martin ordered the property to be sold, with 20 percent going to NCC and 80 percent going to Burton’s heirs, which Grant said will be dedicated to charitable purposes.
The Jefferson Street Sound Museum is a great little gem in North Nashville. The founder and curator turned his home into a museum to keep the legacy of historic Jefferson street alive. Now, it's been named a stop on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. Aaron Cantrell takes us inside.
- Lelan Statom
