Amy Grant fights to preserve Nashville church founded by ancestor

Amy Grant is embroiled in a legal battle to reclaim the Nashville Church of Christ, founded by her great-grandfather, A.M. Burton, in 1925. The church, once thriving, has become boarded up and is now controlled by businessman Shawn Mathis, who allegedly pushed out longtime members and misuses the property, according to Grant and her family. The church's original deed stipulates it must serve as a worship site, yet the last service was held in 2018, and the church is now generating revenue through its parking lots. Mathis, who became an elder in 2017, transitioned the church into a nonprofit despite Grant's claims that this was unnecessary and detrimental to its original purpose. The situation has attracted the attention of the Tennessee Attorney General, who is investigating the nonprofit's financial dealings. Grant emphasizes the importance of preserving her family's legacy and maintaining the church's intended religious use.