Church of highlands exposed. Chris Hodges, the Pastor, is going through a firestorm on social media. What is the reason? Why has Chris Hodges, pastor of the church of Highland, apologized? It is covered in detail hereby Techktimes.co.uk.
The founder, Chris Hodges, of the church of Highlands, exposed and has been in the news for a while, which became a big deal and taken to court for a lawsuit.
Who is Pastor Chris Hodges? Church of the Highlands Exposed Matter
Pastor Chris Hodges is the senior and founding pastor of the Church of Highland, which started in 2001 and has grown widely across the state of Alabama. He also co-founded the Association of Related Churches ARC, and in the same year, he inaugurated hundreds of churches all around the USA.
Other than that, he is also the founder and chancellor of Highlands College, an institution that offers ministry training and makes students into full-time careers.
What are the allegations against the Church of the Highlands exposed case?
In the church of Highlands exposed case, pastor Chris Hodges stayed in the news for a while and was accused of severe allegations that led him to lawsuits.
One of the major allegations was the sexual misconduct that was rumored after a retreat center was opened for the pastors.
Church of Highland exposed, Clergy Accusations.
Church of Highland exposed case: Chris Hodges, Pastor, has cleared the air and stated in an interview that No Clergy Accused of Sexual Misconduct will stay at the Lodge. Source.
He elaborated that the retreat center is for pastors who are suffering from burnout, more like a restoration center for them—not for their misconduct. In a sermon, Chris Hodges pastor stated his previous comments regarding the pastoral restoration center, a center where the pastor can learn, grow, worship, and rest.
The center of the church’s campus in Irondale is the primary place where the guest speakers and events are hosted.
Church of Highland exposed case, The Pastoral Lodge Explained
In another interview with the same source regarding The Pastoral Lodge, the outsiders and a former member of the church of Highland were curious that the lodge would be used to house clergy for sexual misconduct, which is not true and is baseless. When the related question was repeated and requested, Chris Hodges did not respond.
In a church conference sermon held in 2021 stating the suffering and depression to the verge of suicide of the pastors—Hodges said that he loves restoration and wishes to be known for helping them as he was part of 20 pastoral moral failures.
However, the sermon did not anticipate sharing the lodge’s future mission, Chis Hodges pastor further added. Furthermore, he stated that he is referring to the ones who were ready to quit but not about the ones who are in sin.
The Church of the Highlands exposed case, Chris Hodge pastor has mentioned the occasionally supported pastors in need of restoration due to moral failure.
He stated that it happened mainly during the pandemic. “If it’s a recoverable offense, that has been the protocol,” Hodges explained. He further said that they need to step down for a season, or whatever it is.”
Hodges clarified that the church’s involvement in the restoration process of a former megachurch pastor, who served at Church of the Highlands from 2019-2021, was unrelated to the planning of The Lodge.
Hodges mentioned that the timing of the Micahn Carter case, which occurred the same year The Lodge was announced, might have caused confusion. “I wasn’t working with any other sexual or moral cases, not a single one,” Hodges emphasized.
Another allegation that he faced is that he was, out of desire and greed, advancing his own interests to take over the church.
Church of Highland Exposed, the Lawsuit
Even after clearing the air regarding the allegations for the lodges, Chris Hodges Pastor, and other founders were sued by the leaders of the church in Florida. They claim that these pastors planned and carried out a takeover of their congregation.
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Florida, Chris Hodges and Dino Rizzo, along with the Association of Related Churches (ARC), and John Seibeling of The Life Church, are named as defendants.
The lawsuit was filed by Stovall and Kerri Weems, founders of Celebration Church of Jacksonville, Florida, claiming they were ousted from church leadership in April 2022 over alleged financial mismanagement and abusive behavior toward staff.
The lawsuit seeks damages, accusing ARC, Hodges, Rizzo, and Seibeling of conspiring against the Weems to protect and expand their church interests.
The defendants are accused of targeting the Weems because they rejected the defendants’ church growth model and focused on missionary work and developing supporting businesses, which are seen as a threat to the defendants’ economic interests.
A Church of the Highlands spokesman referred to a comment from ARC, expressing sadness about the lawsuit and stating that they believe the truth will come out in court.
The lawsuit makes many claims, saying that Chris Hodges benefits from ARC, Church of the Highlands, and its related ministries, including The Lodge at Grants Mill in Irondale. This program, aimed at restoring pastors, has faced criticism in the past.
The plaintiffs argue that The Lodge is similar to their own Honey Lake Farms’ Lodge, which has been running since December 2020. They claim that their lodge had an advantage because it was already operating and offered various retreats, counseling, and restorative programs led by professional therapists.
According to the lawsuit, Celebration Church wasn’t planted by ARC but still donated $150,000 to $200,000 yearly to ARC’s church-planting efforts. Despite this, ARC and the defendants allegedly pressured Weems to donate 2% of the church’s yearly income to the organization.
According to the lawsuit, Weems decided to step away from Hodges and ARC’s high-growth strategy because it was negatively affecting pastors’ mental health.
He planned to transition out of his role as senior pastor and focus more on mission work. However, the defendants allegedly wanted to remove Weems and replace him with a pastor affiliated with ARC who they could control.
The suit alleges that they spread rumors about the Weems being investigated for financial mismanagement, hoping to keep their plan secret under the guise of ecclesiastical protection.
Church of Highland Exposed, The Criticism
According to some critics, the Church of Highlands attracts members from established denominations by providing hi-energy worship services. They consider that the services are more like Christian rock concerts which is featuring uplifting the lifestyle sermons delivered by a charismatic pastor who focuses on engaging with youth.
Church of Highland Exposed, Reaction and Social Media
Social media has changed how we share information and form opinions, especially when it comes to public figures and big institutions like the Church of the Highlands exposed case.
This has brought a firestorm at social media and has affected what people think about the church. It talks about how people use platforms like Facebook and Twitter to talk about allegations, share stories, and get others to agree with them.
Social media can make people think good or bad things about the church, showing how powerful it is in our digital world, even if the church itself is far away.
Throughout its growth, the Church of the Highlands expanded its reach. They built a large $16 million campus in Irondale and held services in school auditoriums across different cities.
More branches and campuses were added, and Chris Hodges’ preaching was streamed live to locations all over the state. By the beginning of 2020, over 50,000 people were attending weekly services across all branches.
Other pastors admired the church’s unprecedented growth and came to learn from its methods. Highlands College was even created to train a new generation of ministers.
Despite suspending in-person services due to COVID-19, the Church of the Highlands continued to thrive. They prioritized live-streaming their services, which made the transition to online-only smooth. Members already contributed their tithes online, so the church’s income remained strong.
Historian Wayne Flynt, known for his expertise in Southern religion, described the church as shrewd and modern. He noted that its members are typically suburban, upwardly mobile, and millennial-oriented, with conservative beliefs both theologically and politically.
Frequently Asked Questions Related to Church of the Highlands Exposed
1. Where is the Church of the Highlands located?
The church of the Highlands is located in Alabama. Its address is 3660 Grandview Parkway, Birmingham, AL. Postal Code: 35243.
2. What did Pastor Chris Hodges’s son do?
The pastor Chris Hodges’s son, Michael Hodge, is a game-show winner of the Wheel of Fortune, where he won an amount of $52650.
3. Where is Pastor Chris Hodges Now?
The pastor Chris Hodges, after all of the Church of Highland exposed cases resides there as these were just allegations that he cleared all in his interviews with different platforms.
