Pastor removed over fake social media accounts to slam other ministers

A Christian preacher and writer who founded one of the largest evangelical conferences successful the United States has been removed from his enactment relation astatine a Georgia religion aft elders determination said helium utilized fake societal media accounts to slander different ministers online. He has besides resigned arsenic president of G3 Ministries, a non-profit ministry based successful Metro Atlanta.

Dr. Josh Buice, was placed connected indefinite permission astatine Pray’s Mill Baptist Church (PMBC) successful Douglasville past week, and stepped down arsenic G3's president, the non-profit enactment announced May 12. The religion is located connected Atlanta's westbound side, astir 30 miles from downtown.

In an online connection released by G3, its committee members wrote Buice, who founded the non-profit successful 2010, admitted to concealing his individuality by operating astatine slightest 4 anonymous societal media accounts, 2 anonymous email addresses, and 2 Substack platforms over the past 3 years to defame different ministers.

In caller weeks, the connection reads, PMBC elders of uncovered "irrefutable evidence" Buice utilized the accounts "to publically and anonymously slander galore Christian leaders, including faithful pastors" immoderate who antecedently spoke astatine G3 conferences arsenic good arsenic respective elders astatine the reformed Baptist religion helium pastored.

"These actions were not lone sinful successful quality but profoundly divisive, causing unnecessary suspicion and strife wrong the assemblage of Christ, and peculiarly wrong the eldership of PMBC," the connection continues.

The committee did not elaborate connected the contented of the slander oregon accidental what the station and emails said.

USA TODAY has reached retired to Buice.

Pastor Josh Buice, a reportedly outspoken SBC critic

Buice, a reformed Baptist and a reportedly outspoken professional of Southern Baptist Conference leaders implicit issues of contention and societal justice, initially denied helium created the accounts to the board, according to the statement.

In an updated May 13 statement, leaders wrote helium aboriginal confessed to the "public and egregious sin."

"We judge Josh Buice has stained the ngo and quality of G3 Ministries," the religion wrote. "After further information and godly counsel, we person made the determination to region each of Josh Buice’s contented from each platform... From our founding, G3’s intent has been to educate, encourage, and equip section churches with dependable biblical theology. With sadness, yet successful airy of these caller events, we bash not judge Josh’s contented volition assistance fulfill that intent immoderate longer."

On May 14 the non-profit inactive had Buice listed connected its X relationship arsenic the ministry's laminitis but the nexus to his societal media leafage work the relationship nary longer existed.

G3 Ministries declined to remark further to USA TODAY.

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Who is Josh Buice?

According to the church's webpage, aft pastoring successful the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, Buice was hired successful June 2010 arsenic Pray’s Mill Baptist Church caput preacher.

According to his online bio, the 41-year-old preacher became a Christian astatine property 25, and helium and his woman attended seminary successful Louisville, Kentucky. The mates besides stock 4 children.

Buice is simply a Calvinist pastor who discontinue the Southern Baptist Convention aft Religion News Service reported the curate claimed it "was excessively woke and liberal."

He authored and edited "The New Calvinism: New Reformation oregon Theological Fad?"

USA TODAY has besides reached retired to PMBC.

What is G3 Ministries?

G3 Ministries website shows G3 stands for gospel, grace and glory and the non-profit was created assistance section churches by investing successful pastors arsenic good arsenic "educate, encourage, and equip section churches with dependable biblical theology for the glory of God."

The archetypal G3 Conference was held successful Douglasville connected the field of Pray’s Mill Baptist Church successful 2013 and, according to the church's website, the yearly lawsuit grew from 750 radical to 6,500 from 2013 to 2021 skyrocketing it into 1 the largest evangelical conferences successful the nation.

The ministry calls it a theology league created "to absorption connected God’s Word arsenic opposed to the pragmatism and techniques that are truthful often the absorption of evangelical conferences."

G3 league canceled

According to G3 committee leaders, Buice's actions forced the committee to cancel this year's league due to the fact that respective of the scheduled speakers "had been sinfully targeted by him done anonymous accounts."

The committee promised afloat refunds for the lawsuit which had been acceptable to instrumentality spot successful September.

"We did not privation to enactment these brothers successful the hard presumption of deciding whether to enactment successful an lawsuit truthful intimately tied to idiosyncratic who had maligned them," the committee wrote successful an updated May 13 statement. "We recognize this is disappointing to galore who person faithfully supported the league implicit the years, but we judge this was the indispensable and close people of enactment successful airy of specified grievous sin."

"These are hard matters and whitethorn instrumentality immoderate clip to afloat unfold. Please beryllium diligent arsenic we question to beryllium transparent and biblical and dainty the sinner and victims successful a godly manner. Please proceed to commune for the church, the elders, the victims, Josh, and his household arsenic they locomotion done this hard process."

Natalie Neysa Alund is simply a elder newsman for USA TODAY. Reach her astatine nalund@usatoday.com and travel her connected X @nataliealund.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: Josh Buice of G3 Ministries resigns implicit anonymous accounts