Letter from 2023 Senior Pastor, Jay Strother
Dear Church Family,
As we look back 2023 was a historic year in the life of our church. We can celebrate God’s faithfulness to us in countless ways. On Easter, we launched a new campus, West End Columbia, that was immediately filled to near capacity under the leadership of Brandon Abbott. We called Brandon Hays, a new Campus and Teaching Pastor to The Church at Harpeth Heights. We celebrated Senior Pastor Mike Glenn’s retirement after 32 years of faithful ministry at Brentwood Baptist Church. We called John Joseph to be the next pastor of the Station Hill campus as I received the “baton” from Mike and became Senior Pastor on October 1. It’s been a huge year of change. But as you have heard both Mike and I say, one thing that is certain is that things change. But the love of Christ for a lost and broken world does not. That’s why we’re more excited about our mission than ever!
Even in a year of change, God continued to work in powerful ways, which is a testimony to His faithfulness and the hard work of our campuses and ministries. This annual report is just that – a testimony to all God has done in and through us. In Acts 14 (one of my favorite chapters about ministry in the New Testament), Paul and Barnabas return to Antioch at the end of their first mission journey and “reported everything God had done with them and that he opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27). Consider this Annual Report that kind of celebration of what God has done.
I’d encourage you to spend some time with this report. Praise God with us that he’s found for us a perfect future home of our Avenue South campus in a strategic neighborhood in the city of Nashville. Celebrate how we’re impacting the families of now and future leaders through NextGen, Special Needs, and Foster and Adoption Ministries. Watch the videos that capture the stories of needs met, communities served, churches planted, and global workers launched. And then prayerfully consider how you can use what God has given you – your time, creativity, experience, and giving- to join us in our mission, “Engaging the whole person with the whole gospel of Jesus Christ.”
I’m honored to be your pastor. I can’t wait to see what God does in 2024 and all the year ahead!
You are loved, and you are sent!
Jay Strother
Senior Pastor
Letter from 2023 Trustee Chair, Joey Moss
Dear Church,
While it is natural for us to leap into the new year and focus on all that is ahead of us, we must recognize and celebrate the momentous year that was 2023 in the life of Brentwood Baptist Church. There were so many significant moments that shaped the year, including settling into the new worship center on the Brentwood campus, kicking off construction at our new Avenue South campus, welcoming a new campus pastor at Harpeth Heights, and launching an incredibly successful new campus in Columbia, the Church at West End!
And while those alone would be enough to mark a milestone year, we had the joy of celebrating the amazing 32-year leadership and ministry of Mike Glenn as Senior Pastor. The opportunity to praise the Lord for all that He has accomplished during and through Mike’s ministry was a blessing, and we are beyond grateful for the service of Mike to God’s kingdom. The Lord’s faithfulness continued to be abundantly clear to us through the Spirit’s leading to confirm Jay Strother as the third senior pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church. God has quickly affirmed for us all why Jay is God’s appointed man to lead us into His future plans for Brentwood Baptist Church.
In 2023, we welcomed almost 5,000 first-time guests, averaged over 6,100 in attendance weekly, and, most importantly, celebrated over 315 baptisms across our campuses. The Lord is most definitely moving in our church, and I’m excited and grateful He welcomes us to be a part of it.
Joey Moss
2023 Trustee Chairman