By Ian M. Giatti.
An Evangelical pastor and author who served at a Nashville church has resigned over allegations he engaged in a relationship with another man.
Sam Allberry, who served as associate pastor at Immanuel Nashville since 2023, stepped down after church elders released a statement Monday calling Allberry “disqualified from gospel ministry” for what they described as a “serious breach of trust.”
According to the statement, the Immanuel elders were first “made aware that Pastor Sam Allberry engaged in an inappropriate relationship with an adult man in 2022” in the spring of 2024. The board added that while the relationship “concluded” before Allberry joined the staff at Immanuel in 2023, the church launched a “thorough investigation” and found Allberry’s conduct was “unwise” but “did not rise to the level of disqualification.”
The church received “new information” in January that it says “had not been disclosed previously,” which triggered a reopening of the investigation. Following that inquiry, the Immanuel elders said, “while the relationship did not go as far as it could have, Sam’s conduct constituted a serious breach of trust and a failure to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel. The elders are unanimous in their decision that Sam is currently disqualified from gospel ministry.”
Allberry agreed with the findings and resigned from his position at Immanuel Church, according to the elders’ statement, which described him as “repentant, humble, and cooperative.” The statement expressed optimism that Allberry can be restored to full fellowship in the church.
The statement cited Galatians 6:1, which reads: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
“The elders continue to care for Sam as a brother in Christ and member of Immanuel,” the statement added. “We will continue to support Sam and the other party with counseling, and we are determined insofar as we are able to ‘restore him in a spirit of gentleness’ to full fellowship in the church.”
Allberry, who grew up in England, is the author of several books, including Is God Anti-Gay? (2023), Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With? (2020) and the 2023 children’s book God’s Signpost: How Marriage Points Us to God’s Love.
He served on staff at Immanuel with lead pastor T.J. Tims and assistant pastor Barnabas Piper, the son of Evangelical pastor and author John Piper.
The announcement came a day after The Gospel Coalition (TGC) said Allberry resigned as a fellow of the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics upon learning of his “inappropriate relationship with another man a few years ago.”
In addition, TGC said it “began to remove all of [Allberry’s] content from our website and other content channels,” including a 2022 podcast titled “Sexual Identity and Loving Our Neighbor,” in which Allberry spoke on a panel about “having experienced same-sex attraction” and “engaging in conversations with others around the confrontational and controversial topics of sexuality.”
Allberry’s work was also scrubbed from Piper’s Desiring God website as of Monday.
