“C.J. Mahaney, like any strong Christian leader, is able to lead precisely because of who he is and how God uses him,” [SBTS President Albert] Mohler said. “That doesn’t mean that he can lead all people any more than any other leader can lead all people.” He welcomed the start of a Sovereign Grace congregation in Louisville, which Mahaney plans to lead at an as-yet undetermined location.

A small, growing denomination that has faced internal conflicts in recent months is moving its headquarters from Maryland to Louisville.

Sovereign Grace Ministries announced that it plans to launch its first Kentucky church and tighten its already strong bonds with the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Sovereign Grace — based in Gaithersburg, Md. — is a three-decade-old network of more than 90 churches worldwide and about 28,000 members.

Sovereign Grace officials said they are moving to take advantage of Louisville’s lower costs of living and overhead compared with suburban Washington, D.C., and so its pastor-training program could collaborate more closely with Southern Seminary.

The announcement also comes amid increased tensions between Sovereign Grace and its flagship congregation, Covenant Life Church, where its headquarters is located.

That tension has been part of wider conflicts within Sovereign Grace that emerged in public view last summer with the release of internal church documents from a former church official, accusing its president, C.J. Mahaney, of pride, dictatorial conduct and doling out harsh criticism he was unwilling to receive himself.

Mahaney took a leave of several months while the Sovereign Grace board reviewed the case. It declared him fit for ministry and restored him to the presidency earlier this year.

The relocation announcement comes just two days after an independent panel — brought in to review the conflicts — faulted the group for an overemphasis on sin and a lack of emphasis on God’s grace and forgiveness.

The report also cited an often-arbitrary system of discipline that left many pastors and lay people feeling wounded, while those at the top lacked outside accountability.

While it currently has no churches in Kentucky or Indiana, Sovereign Grace and Mahaney have close ties with Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.

Mahaney and Sovereign Grace have each donated at least $100,000 to the seminary, according to the school’s publications.

Mahaney formerly served as vice chairman the seminary-based Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, which promotes male authority in churches and families.
Sovereign Grace and Mahaney have been prominent in New Calvinist circles in recent years, as has Southern Seminary and its president, Albert Mohler. The multi-denominational Calvinist movement emphasizes God’s power, rather than human free will, in matters of salvation and earthly events and promotes male authority and tightly disciplined churches.