Board approves Woodmont Christian Church family life center with conditions The Metro Board of Zoning Appeals approved Woodmont Christian Church's request to build an 18,900-square-foot Family Life Center on Jan. 15, 2026, subject to planning-recommended conditions including lighting controls and a requirement that a vehicular crash gate be kept locked when not in use.

The Metro Board has given the green light for Woodmont Christian Church to expand with an 18,900-square-foot Family Life Center, but not without addressing neighborhood concerns and strict conditions.

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State Supreme Court hears argument over church-autonomy shield in Garner defamation suit The state Supreme Court heard argument over whether the Southern Baptist Convention’s internal communications are protected by the First Amendment in a defamation suit by Preston Garner, with justices questioning whether church autonomy is a jurisdictional bar or an affirmative defense and probing factual limits of the case.

The Tennessee Supreme Court is deliberating a pivotal case that could redefine the intersection of church autonomy and defamation law, as a former minister claims he was wrongfully labeled an abuser.

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