{{short description|American Christian minister}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox pastor | name = C.J. Mahaney | image = CJ_Mahaney_Pastor.jpg | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|9|21}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Pastor | spouse = Carolyn | children = | networth = | website = | signature = | church = Sovereign Grace Church | religion = Reformed Christianity }} '''Charles Joseph Mahaney''' is an American Christian minister. He is the senior pastor at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville, and was formerly president of Sovereign Grace Ministries, now known as Sovereign Grace Churches. He was one of the founding pastors and leaders of Covenant Life Church, in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Under Mahaney's leadership, Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville is a member of Sovereign Grace Churches and works with the Southern Baptist Convention for training and Christian mission work. Mahaney resigned from the presidency of Sovereign Grace Ministries in 2013 in order to plant Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville.
A 2012 class-action sex abuse lawsuit was filed against Sovereign Grace Ministries and listed Mahaney as a defendant. The lawsuit was dismissed due to the statute of limitations; Mahaney released a public statement explicitly denying all claims in the suit.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mahaney|first1=CJ|title=A Statement from CJ Mahaney|url=http://www.sgclouisville.org/blog/post/a-statement-from-c-j--mahaney|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207030521/http://www.sgclouisville.org/blog/post/a-statement-from-c-j--mahaney|archive-date=February 7, 2019|publisher=Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville|accessdate=January 4, 2015}}</ref><ref name="lawsuit dismissed">{{cite news|last=Lee |first=Morgan |url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/sovereign-grace-sex-abuse-case-appeal-dismissed-by-marylands-court-of-special-appeals-122587 |title=Sovereign Grace Sex Abuse Case Appeal Dismissed by Maryland's Court of Special Appeals |newspaper=The Christian Post |date=July 1, 2014 |accessdate=April 1, 2015}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Mahaney was born in Maryland into a Catholic household, the middle child of five. He was the son of a metalworker in Takoma Park, Maryland.<ref name="WAtimes">{{cite news|title=Keeping their eyes on the cross|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2002/dec/23/20021223-111002-4857r/|accessdate=January 12, 2013|newspaper=The Washington Times|date=December 23, 2002}}</ref>
Mahaney attended Springbrook High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. He reports having been converted to Protestantism in 1972 at age 18 by a friend who shared his faith. He says that a newspaper ad motivated him to join a local prayer meeting known as Take and Give, which evolved into Covenant Life Church.<ref name="WAtimes"/>
==Career== {{update|section|date=April 2026}} {{expand section|with = a third-party source-derived summary of the actual career of the title subject, including thorough highlights from 1974 to present (filling the gaps from 1977 to 2004, 2004 to 2011-2012, and 2012 to present)|small = no|date=April 2026}} In 1974, aged 20, Mahaney met Larry Tomczak, with whom he led and taught a large local prayer group named Take And Give (TAG), started by Lydia Little. He says his only reading in theology at that time consisted of the Bible and ''The Late, Great Planet Earth'' by Hal Lindsey.<ref name="WAtimes"/> thumb|C.J. Mahaney And Pastor Richard Kline after an early C.J. Mahaney speaking engagement circa 1974 at a Take And Give (TAG) youth outreach at Homewood Rec Center, Wheaton MD
In 1977, Mahaney became senior pastor of what had evolved into Covenant Life Church. He cites his reading of the works of 19th-century Baptist leader Charles H. Spurgeon and the Reformed theology of John Calvin as influences.<ref name="WAtimes"/>
Mahaney was the senior pastor of Covenant Life Church for 27 years before handing the senior pastor role to Joshua Harris on September 18, 2004. In 2012 he planted a church on the east side of Louisville, Kentucky.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|author = Mahaney, J.C. & SGCL Staff | date = July 10, 2015 | title=Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville|work= Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville (SGCL; SGCLouisville.org) | url = http://www.sgclouisville.org|accessdate=July 10, 2015}}{{third-party inline|date=April 2026}}</ref>{{third-party inline|date=April 2026}}
In 2006, Ligon Duncan, Mark Dever, Albert Mohler, and Mahaney founded the biennial Together for the Gospel conference, with their continuing participation in <ref>{{cite web | author = Duncan, Ligon; Dever, Mark; Mohler, Albert & Mahaney, C.J. | date = 2012 | title=The People & History: Together for the Gospel |work = Together for the Gospel (T4g.org) | url=http://t4g.org/about/people-history/ | access-date=February 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207125122/http://t4g.org/about/people-history/ |archive-date=February 7, 2012 }}</ref> It was announced that he was pulling out of the 2014 T4G due to ongoing lawsuits against Sovereign Grace Ministries.<ref>{{cite news |title=CJ Mahaney Drops Out of 2014 Together for the Gospel Conference Due to Sovereign Grace Lawsuit |newspaper=Christian Post |date=July 2, 2013 |url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/cj-mahaney-drops-out-of-2014-together-for-the-gospel-conference-due-to-sovereign-grace-lawsuit-99252/}}</ref> He returned in 2016 but withdrew again in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Allen |first1=Bob |title=Haunted by old lawsuit, C.J. Mahaney withdraws from Together for the Gospel confab |url=https://baptistnews.com/article/haunted-old-lawsuit-c-j-mahaney-withdraws-together-gospel-confab/ |access-date=August 11, 2021 |agency=Baptist News Global |date=March 8, 2018}}</ref>
As of 2015, Mahaney was the senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville,{{cn|date=April 2026}} a church he planted in the fall of 2012 with Bob Kauflin, Brian Chesemore, Jeff Purswell, and Gary Ricucci.{{cn|date=April 2026}} He resigned from the presidency of Sovereign Grace Ministries in April 2013 while planting the church.<ref name=":0" />{{third-party inline|date=April 2026}}{{failed verification|date=April 2026}}
===Voluntary leave of absence=== In June 2011 Mahaney voluntarily took a leave of absence for self-examination after charges were leveled against him by a former Sovereign Grace pastor.<ref name="charges">{{cite news|author=Peter Smith|title=Mohler backs Mahaney, dismisses claims of abusive leadership|newspaper=Courier-Journal|url=http://blogs.courier-journal.com/faith/2011/07/12/mohler-backs-mahaney-dismisses-accusations-of-abusive-leadership/|date=July 12, 2011|accessdate=July 13, 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130119171401/http://blogs.courier-journal.com/faith/2011/07/12/mohler-backs-mahaney-dismisses-accusations-of-abusive-leadership/|archivedate=January 19, 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/cj-mahaney/post/2011/07/06/Why-Im-taking-a-leave-of-absence.aspx Why I'm taking a leave of absence] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920161353/http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/cj-mahaney/post/2011/07/06/Why-Im-taking-a-leave-of-absence.aspx |date=September 20, 2011 }}, C. J. Mahaney's blog</ref><ref name="charges2">{{cite news|author=Lillian Kwon|title=C.J. Mahaney Takes Leave Over Charges of Pride, Hypocrisy|newspaper=Christian Post|date=July 11, 2011|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/cj-mahaney-takes-leave-over-charges-of-pride-hypocrisy-52127|accessdate=July 13, 2011}}</ref> His leave occurred in the wake of accusations from a former top Sovereign Grace pastor who distributed hundreds of e-mails and internal church documents that portrayed Mahaney as focusing on the sins of others below him in the church hierarchy. After Mahaney's departure, the Sovereign Grace board gave a strong vote of confidence to him, saying that he is "a qualified minister of the gospel and this board approves his pastoral and teaching ministry."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/sovereign-grace-board-of-directors-announcement-regarding-cj-mahaney.aspx|title=Sovereign Grace Ministries Board of Directors Announcement|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319013816/http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Sovereign-Grace-Board-of-Directors-announcement-regarding-CJ-Mahaney.aspx|archivedate=March 19, 2015}}</ref> After an extensive outside review by Ambassadors of Reconciliation<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Ambassadors-of-Reconciliatione28099s-report-on-Sovereign-Grace-Ministries.aspx|title=Ambassadors of Reconciliation's report on Sovereign Grace Ministries|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522085042/http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Ambassadors-of-Reconciliatione28099s-report-on-Sovereign-Grace-Ministries.aspx|archivedate=May 22, 2012}}</ref> of the charges brought against him and affirmation of the Sovereign Grace board,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Board-Update-Response-to-Ministry-Recommendations.aspx|title=Board Update: Response to Ministry Recommendations|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512085850/http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Board-Update-Response-to-Ministry-Recommendations.aspx|archivedate=May 12, 2013}}</ref> Mahaney continued to serve as president of Sovereign Grace Ministries. Covenant Life Church, the church Mahaney co-founded and pastored for 27 years left Sovereign Grace Ministries.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Christian Post|title=Maryland Megachurch Secedes From Sovereign Grace Ministries|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/maryland-megachurch-secedes-from-sovereign-grace-ministries-87028/|author=Jeff Schapiro|date=December 20, 2012}}</ref>
==Dismissed sexual abuse lawsuit== In 2012, a class action lawsuit was filed against Sovereign Grace Ministries, alleging that leaders, including Mahaney, had covered up child sexual abuse.<ref>{{cite news |last=Allen |first=Bob |date=November 19, 2013 |title=Mahaney, Mohler share speaker platform |newspaper=Associated Baptist Press |url=http://www.abpnews.com/ministry/people/item/9029-mahaney-mohler-share-speaker-platform |access-date=December 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210183852/http://www.abpnews.com/ministry/people/item/9029-mahaney-mohler-share-speaker-platform |archive-date=December 10, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bailey |first=Sarah Pulliam |date=May 24, 2013 |title=Evangelical leaders stand by pastor accused of abuse cover-up |newspaper=Religion News Service |url=http://www.religionnews.com/2013/05/24/evangelical-leaders-stand-by-pastor-accused-of-abuse-cover-up/}}</ref> The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in May 2013. The Maryland Court of Appeals also dismissed the case after finding that the plaintiff's lawyer had filed the appeal too early.<ref name="lawsuit dismissed"/> After the case was dismissed, a former volunteer at CLC, Nathaniel Morales, 56, was convicted of sexually abusing three young boys between 1983 and 1991. During the trial, Mahaney's brother-in-law, former pastor Grant Layman, admitted that he did not report sex abuse claims to authorities but tried to handle them within the church.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/megachurch-pastor-confesses-to-protecting-child-molester-for-years.html|title=Megachurch Pastor Confesses to Protecting Child Molester for Years|website=www.christianpost.com|date=May 16, 2014 |language=en|access-date=February 3, 2020}}</ref> In February 2016, Mahaney was the subject of a ''Washingtonian'' magazine article, titled "The Sex Scandal That Devastated a Suburban Megachurch - Inside the Rise and Fall of Sovereign Grace."<ref>{{Cite web|title = The Sex Scandal That Devastated a Suburban Megachurch|url = https://washingtonian.com/2016/02/14/the-sex-abuse-scandal-that-devastated-a-suburban-megachurch-sovereign-grace-ministries/|website = Washingtonian|access-date = February 15, 2016|first = Tiffany |last=Stanley |date = February 14, 2016}}</ref>
== Personal life == {{unreferenced section|date=April 2026}} Mahaney met Carolyn Layman in the 1970s, while he was teaching at Take and Give and she was working as a secretary at a Christian conference ministry in Sarasota, Florida, and they soon married. Mahaney has one son and three daughters.
==Selected publications== * ''Don't Waste Your Sports'', Crossway Publishing 2010, {{ISBN|978-1433522475}} * ''Living the Cross Centered Life'', Multnomah Books 2006, {{ISBN|978-1590525784}} * ''Humility: True Greatness'' Multnomah Books 2005, {{ISBN|978-1590523261}} * ''Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God'', Crossway Publishing 2004, {{ISBN|978-1581346244}} * ''Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World'', Crossway Publishing 2010, {{ISBN|978-1433502804}} * ''Christ Our Mediator'', Multnomah Books 2006, {{ISBN|978-1590523643}} * ''The Cross Centered Life'', Multnomah Books 2002, {{ISBN|978-1590520451}} * ''Why Small Groups?'', Sovereign Grace Ministries 1996, {{ISBN|978-1881039068}} * ''Disciplines for Life'', People of Destiny International 1994, {{ISBN|978-1881039006}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.sgclouisville.org/ Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville] official site
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahaney, Charles Joseph}} Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century American male writers Category:20th-century American non-fiction writers Category:20th-century evangelicals Category:21st-century American male writers Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers Category:21st-century evangelicals Category:American Charismatics Category:American Christian clergy category:American Evangelical writers Category:American male non-fiction writers Category:American Christian religious leaders Category:Apostolic networks Category:Converts to evangelical Christianity from Roman Catholicism Category:People from Takoma Park, Maryland Category:Religious leaders from Louisville, Kentucky