WKRN-TV
By Andy Cordan
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Is it a church or a swingers club posing as a church? That’s the big question posed Monday by the councilwoman who represents the Madison district.
The question comes in the wake of a once-proposed swingers club, The Social Club, filing paperwork to renovate the building to become a church.
News 2 learned more about the church Monday, called United Fellowship Center, and how easy it is to become a minister.
In a March 25 interview with the property owners’ lawyer, Larry Roberts told News 2, “My clients pulled a permit for a church.”
But many are skeptical, including District 8 Councilwoman Karen Bennett.
“Do I really think they are a church? Not really,” she said.
Bennett received an advance flyer for the church, which says it will be honoring all yearly subscribers and members of The Social Club. The flyer for the United Fellowship Center said men are charged $50 and women $20.
It also states the center believes that “we are children of the same universe,” where everyone is welcome, including Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, agnostics, pagans and wiccans.
The church’s primary belief is to “do only that which is right.”
“If you have researched constitutional law in Tennessee, a church is something you cannot regulate,” the attorney told News 2.
According to Bennett, the owner of the building has become an ordained minister, a process online that takes less than a minute and requires nothing more than a name and password.
“Churches have a lot of rights, but it is also federally regulated,” she said. “They certainly have their right to become a church; they just need to make sure they follow guidelines. …