An annual theology conference that grew into one of the largest such evangelical meetings in the country has been canceled after its founder, a pastor at a Georgia Baptist church, admitted he used fake social media accounts to attack his online critics.

Josh Buice had founded G3 – which stands for “gospel, grace and glory,” in 2013 at Pray’s Mill Baptist Church in Douglasville, Georgia, where he was pastor. The event grew from 750 people to 6,500 from 2013 to 2021 and became a religious non-profit organization with the mission of educating churches on biblical theology. It expanded to offer online articles, podcasts, preaching workshops, worship workshops, Sunday school curriculum, study cruises and church history tours.

But this week, a scandal went public surrounding Buice’s anonymous social media accounts.

The elders of Pray’s Mill Baptist Church released a statement this week:

“In recent weeks, the elders of PMBC uncovered irrefutable evidence that Dr. Buice has, for the past three years, operated at least four anonymous social media accounts, two anonymous email addresses and two Substack platforms,” they wrote. “These accounts were used to publicly and anonymously slander numerous Christian leaders, including faithful pastors (some of whom have spoken at G3 conferences), several PMBC elders, and others. These actions were not only sinful in nature but deeply divisive, causing unnecessary suspicion and strife within the body of Christ, and particularly within the eldership of PMBC.”

They documented efforts to uncover the scandal:

“Dr. Buice had been asked on multiple occasions over the past two years whether he had any connection to these anonymous accounts,” the church elders wrote. “In each case, he denied any knowledge of them. On Sunday evening, May 4, 2025, after clear and comprehensive evidence emerged linking the accounts directly to him, the elders of PMBC confronted Josh. For two hours, he continued to deny his involvement. Only after further evidence was presented and much pleading with him to walk in the light did Josh finally confess to his actions. Since then, Josh has acknowledged his sin, expressed sorrow, and asked for forgiveness. His desire is to personally ask forgiveness of every person he has slandered or lied to. While Josh has acknowledged with the elders that he is presently disqualified from serving as an elder, we do not believe at this time that his sin is necessarily permanently disqualifying.”

Buice (pronounced “Bice”) resigned on May 8 and is on indefinite leave from the church, they wrote.

The board of G3 released a similar statement, saying Buice resigned as president of G3 on May 8 and that this year’s G3 Conference was canceled.

“We grieve for the harm caused to the body of Christ and to those faithful ministers who were targeted,” the G3 board wrote.

Founders Ministries, formerly called Southern Baptist Founders Conference, released a statement saying its leaders had been targeted by Buice’s anonymous social media attacks.

“A large percentage of his wicked words and actions were directed at Founders Ministries, our President, Tom Ascol, and his family,” the Founders statement said.

“We harbor no animosity toward Josh,” they wrote. “Many of Josh’s secret sins have been brought to light and the revelation has been painful and sorrowful. We are aware that the seeds of those sins live in our own hearts, and we must, by the grace and power of Christ, mortify them daily.”

At the 2019 Southern Baptist Convention in Birmingham, the SBC passed a statement on critical race theory that did not condemn it but said such theories of systemic racism must never supersede the gospel.

Since then, Buice openly attacked Southern Baptist leaders as “woke” and accused them of liberal drift.

In 2021 in Nashville, the SBC adopted a resolution on racial reconciliation that was more broad and general, and sidestepped criticism of critical race theory.

In 2022, Buice announced he was leading Pray’s Mill Baptist Church out of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Since then, he had been sniping at his critics openly, but also anonymously through various social media accounts.