{"id":31826,"date":"2026-05-07T14:51:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T18:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=31826"},"modified":"2026-05-07T14:51:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T18:51:42","slug":"tennessee-pastor-sam-allberry-resigns-after-inappropriate-relationship-with-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/05\/tennessee-pastor-sam-allberry-resigns-after-inappropriate-relationship-with-man","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee Pastor Sam Allberry Resigns After \u201cinappropriate\u201d Relationship With Man"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Tennessee pastor and advocate for Christians who suffer from so-called \u201csame-sex attraction\u201d (SSA) has stepped down after revealing an \u201cinappropriate\u201d relationship with a man some years ago. Pastor Sam Allberry stepped down from his position as an associate pastor at Immanuel Church Nashville, a nondenominational, independent congregation after what the church called \u201ca serious breach of trust.\u201d In a statement<\/a> put out by the church elders, it stated Allberry had informed the church in 2024 of an \u201cinappropriate relationship\u201d with a man in 2022. The statement noted that the relationship had concluded prior to Allberry being called to his position in the church in 2023. At the time, the church stated it conducted a \u201cthorough investigation\u201d of the relationship and concluded that it was not \u201cdisqualifying\u201d for the position.<\/p>\n

That changed, however, in January 2026 when the elders received \u201cnew information about this relationship that was not disclosed previously.\u201d This led to a second investigation, in which the findings \u201cled the Elders to conclude that, while the relationship did not go as far as it could have, Sam\u2019s conduct constituted a serious breach of trust and a failure to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel.\u201d The statement said the Elders were \u201cunanimous\u201d that Alberry was \u201ccurrently disqualified from gospel ministry\u201d and that Allberry had submitted to the decision. The Elders said he had been \u201crepentant, humble, and cooperative with the Elders and outside counsel.\u201d The Gospel Coalition (TGC)<\/a> also confirmed that Allberry had resigned from its Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics and that it was in the process of removing Allberry\u2019s content from its website.<\/p>\n

Allberry is notable for his past writings on Christians that struggle with SSA, something he has admitted to struggling with himself. He co-founded Living Out, which focuses on being \u201cChristian and gay\u201d and has been accused of what is referred to as promoting \u201cSide B\u201d theology<\/a>, the idea that \u201chomosexual orientation is not a sin, but acting on homosexual inclinations is.\u201d Many proponents of Side B identify as celibate, gay Christians, and say that homosexuality is no different than any other sin. The exact details of Allberry\u2019s relationship with the unidentified man have not been disclosed.<\/p>\n

Allberry\u2019s resignation has reignited the debate over what the Bible says about homosexuality. While Side B theology has grown popular in its winsome approach to the LGBTQ+ community, opponents accuse it of opening the doors to progressive church doctrine where openly gay men and women serve as pastors and bishops and oversee gay marriages. Owen Strachan wrote that while he prayed for Allberry, it was important for the church to take a firm stand on homosexuality. \u201cEven as we grieve, we must be clear. The experience of homosexual desire is sinful. This is not unloving to say,\u201d he wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cThis is loving to say. There is nothing about homosexuality that is righteous. There is no such thing as a \u2018gay Christian.\u2019 Love requires us to teach the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Tennessee pastor and advocate for Christians who suffer from so-called \u201csame-sex attraction\u201d (SSA) has stepped down after revealing an \u201cinappropriate\u201d relationship with a man some years ago. Pastor Sam Allberry stepped down from his position as an associate pastor at Immanuel Church Nashville, a nondenominational, independent congregation after what the church called \u201ca serious…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":31829,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nTennessee Pastor Sam Allberry Resigns After \u201cinappropriate\u201d Relationship With Man<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pastor Sam Allberry resigned from Immanuel Church Nashville after new details emerged about an undisclosed inappropriate relationship.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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