Before he became senior pastor of the Fort Lauderdale congregation, [Tullian] Tchividjian\u2019s church plant, New City, merged with the larger Coral Ridge. Seven months in, a group of church members, headed by Kennedy\u2019s daughter, circulated a petition calling for his removal. Church members voted 69 percent to 31 percent to keep him, but a group of congregants formed a new church in response.<\/p>\n
Tchividjian was described by the Miami Herald as a pastor who would focus on specific Bible passages rather than on the news, preferred more contemporary music over the organ, and chose podcasting over broadcasting.<\/p>\n
The Hartford Institute for Religion Institute\u2019s database of megachurches lists Coral Ridge as having 1,900 attendees. The church began in 1978 under Kennedy, and its weekly services were televised as the Coral Ridge Hour, reportedly reaching up to 3 million people. Kennedy was a founding board member of Jerry Falwell Jr.\u2019s Moral Majority and developed the popular curriculum \u201cEvangelism Explosion.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Last year, Tchividjian broke up with the Gospel Coalition, a network of Reformed leaders, over a theological dispute. His popular blog was hosted at TGC and he wrote several books with evangelical publishers Crossway and David C. Cook.<\/p>\n