An 80-20 Split and an $11 Million Building: A Settlement Ends a Fight Over a Historic Nashville Church

• The former Central Church of Christ building in downtown Nashville must be sold
• The property was assessed at $11 million
• Proceeds will be split 80 per cent to the A.M. Burton estate and 20 per cent to the church
• A court found the church violated a deed clause reserving the property for Churches of Christ

A long legal battle over a historic Nashville church building has ended with a court-approved sale, The Christian Chronicle reported in October 2025.

The building at 145 Rep. John Lewis Way North was home to the Central Church of Christ, founded around 1926 by businessman A.M. Burton. After Shawn Mathis became an elder in 2017, the church incorporated as a nonprofit, renamed itself Nashville Church of Christ and moved to online-only services, and the building deteriorated. The church sued the Burton family in 2020, and the family countersued over deed violations. The court ruled that the church had violated a deed clause reserving the property for “the use and benefit of the Church of Christ.”

Under the settlement approved on October 9, 2025, the property must be sold at fair market value, assessed at $11 million, under probate court oversight. Eighty per cent of proceeds will go to the Burton estate and 20 per cent to the Nashville Church of Christ. Unpaid property taxes of $558,000 plus interest will be split, with the estate’s share capped at $50,000. The church keeps the parking lots.

Singer Amy Grant, a Burton descendant, said: “We care deeply about protecting A.M. Burton’s legacy.” Andy Burton said: “This year, Central Church of Christ should be celebrating a 100-year anniversary of serving the community. Instead, it stands as a shuttered eyesore in the very heart of our city.” The church’s attorney, Jeremy Goolsby, said it looked forward to investing its share in global mission.

The case shows how a deed restriction written a century ago can decide who controls a church building today.

Some Jamaican church land came through gifts or deeds with conditions. Congregations and trustees should know exactly what their deeds require, keep property taxes paid, and seek legal advice before changing a church’s name, structure or use of a building.