G.O.D. International (Global Outreach Developments International) was founded in 1996 in Southern California by Gregg Garner and a group of college friends. The organization initially operated as a small ministry delivering food to people in need but gradually expanded its activities under Garner’s leadership. Garner claimed an extensive academic background in biblical studies, missiology, and law, and presented himself as an approachable, culturally engaged pastor. In 1999, he married Tara Bishop, a longtime collaborator in the ministry. The couple relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2000, where the organization continued to expand.
In Nashville, the ministry grew beyond its initial youth outreach programs. In 2004, Garner established a Bible college called The Institute on a 40-acre campus, followed in 2013 by a primary and secondary school, The Academy.
Around the campus in the Hopewell area, G.O.D. International acquired residential and commercial real estate while also developing international initiatives. Over the following two decades, the ministry grew into a network of more than 20 affiliated businesses, including health care practices, a construction firm, media outlets, and service ventures, many of them connected through shared administrative organizations. By the 2023-2024 fiscal year, The Institute had received full accreditation, and Garner reported earning more than $360,000 annually from the nonprofit.
As G.O.D. International expanded its commercial and educational operations, it also attracted scrutiny from state authorities and former members. In March 2021, a grand jury indicted Gregg and Tara Garner on felony charges of TennCare fraud and theft of services. Prosecutors alleged that the couple had concealed income from several affiliated businesses to qualify their children for state-funded health care benefits. The charges were ultimately dropped in August 2022. G.O.D. International said the couple had been fully cleared and attributed the investigation to rumors circulated by online critics.
Around the same time, former members began publicly describing their experiences within the organization. Operating under the collective name “G.O.D. Is a Cult,” former adherents published accounts alleging that the ministry maintained high-control practices centered on Garner’s personal authority.
Their accounts cited forced isolation, the use of spiritual language to demand obedience, punitive social shaming, and the deliberate separation of members from relatives outside the organization. Former associates also described an environment in which members were pressured to surrender personal autonomy, creating emotional dependence and leaving some people without support systems or resources after leaving.
Further legal and organizational problems emerged in 2025. Three women filed a federal lawsuit against Garner and G.O.D. International in February 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.
The complaint alleged that Garner had sexually abused, assaulted, and coerced female members between 2022 and 2025. It further alleged that he used indoctrination and control techniques — including sleep and food deprivation, isolation, and psychological abuse — to operate what the plaintiffs characterized as a sex and labor trafficking venture through the ministry’s schools and businesses. One plaintiff alleged she had performed approximately $300,000 worth of uncompensated labor. These allegations became a major point of scrutiny for both Garner and the organization.
Additional civil litigation involving G.O.D. International emerged around the same period. In early 2025, an accounting firm sued several ministry-linked commercial entities over $125,000 in unpaid debts.
Separately, church members initiated legal action alleging that Garner had persuaded them to obtain home equity loans to finance real estate purchases near the campus, claiming the development projects that had been promised never materialized. Independent watchdogs, including MinistryWatch, also gave the ministry low ratings for efficiency and transparency and advised donors against providing financial support.
The organization’s leadership took action against Garner later in 2025. In late September, G.O.D. International confronted him regarding the allegations. He was suspended in early October and officially resigned several days later. Following his departure, the ministry appointed an interim CEO and commissioned GRACE, an independent organization specializing in investigations of religious abuse, to examine the allegations. Local law enforcement said an earlier report involving two women had not resulted in active criminal charges. The federal civil lawsuit, however, remained active alongside the independent investigation.
Throughout these developments, G.O.D. International denied that it operated as a cult and had previously characterized organized critics as a hate group. Following the 2025 federal lawsuit and Garner’s resignation, however, the ministry publicly acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations. G.O.D. International pledged to cooperate with the legal proceedings and with the independent investigation into the organization’s historical practices.
Key Sources:
Adams, L. (2026, March 12). What to know about Garner, G.O.D. International after abuse lawsuit. The Tennessean.
Meyer, H., & Sharon, K. (2021, March 25). Global Outreach Developments founder Gregg Garner and his wife indicted on TennCare fraud charges. The Tennessean.
The Nashville Banner. (2026, April 30). Another G.O.D. International lawsuit.
The Nashville Banner. (2026, March 27). G.O.D. International lawsuit.
Roberts, K. (2026, March 6). G.O.D. International and Former Leader Sued for Sex Trafficking and Forced Labor. MinistryWatch.