2024 Annual Report

As we moved into our new location, we saw God move in and through The Church at Avenue South in several ways!

A Year of Spiritual Growth: 31 Baptisms in 2024

Not only have we seen growth in attendance after moving into our new building, but we’ve also experienced immense spiritual growth in the lives of our church family. We’ve seen 31 people respond to the gospel through baptism this year alone. Each baptism represents a person who has turned away from their sin and decided to follow Jesus with their whole heart for their whole life. This includes Caroline, a student who served on our summer mission journey to Guatemala. During the mission journey, Caroline felt a strong conviction to take the next step of obedience in her faith through baptism. We celebrated her decision in July as she was baptized at Avenue South!

VBS: A First of Many

This year, Avenue South hosted our first-ever Vacation Bible School! We welcomed 107 kids and 53 leaders, witnessed three professions of faith, and collected over $1,200 for missions. The new building was filled with energy and excitement as children learned about Jesus and responded to the gospel message.

Commissioning Eliza Marsh: Sent to the Mission Field

This year, we were honored to commission Eliza Marsh to the mission field. Eliza has been a member of Avenue South since 2021, and she is now serving in England with Greater Europe Mission. We’ve supported her throughout her journey of following Christ, from her vision trip in 2022 to helping her raise support to go full-time in 2024. We continue to pray for Eliza as she spreads the gospel in England and makes an impact for Christ.

Multiplying Leaders: Gaining by Losing

Churchwide, we’re committed to multiplying leaders for the sake of the Gospel. This year, the Avenue South campus commissioned Hunter Melton, former Groups Minister, to serve as the new Campus & Teaching Pastor at The Church at Woodbine, along with several dedicated leaders and volunteers from our campus. While we will miss these leaders at Avenue South, we are so grateful to have been a part of sending them to Woodbine and can’t wait to see how the Lord uses them!

This year at the Brentwood Campus, we celebrated significant growth as a campus. This year, we launched 25 new groups, serving over 350 new people searching for a group, celebrated 67 baptisms, and welcomed 180 new members at the Brentwood campus!

Gospel Advancement in Student Ministry

At the start of the year, our 10th-grade guys’ group was small, but after attending a MOVE event at a local apartment complex, several new students started participating regularly and bringing friends. This growth has led to a vibrant, close-knit community within the group, resulting in two baptisms. Praise God for the new work he is doing in and through the lives of these young men and so many others in our ministry!

Beach Camp was a highlight of the year for our student ministry. Nearly 300 students and leaders from all campuses joined us in Panama City, we saw 30 students have Gospel conversations and many more come to know Jesus in a deeper way.

Jared and Jeremy Mott: A Story of Adoption and Faith

Jared, a longtime leader in our ministry, recently adopted his son, Jeremy. Before his adoption, Jeremy attended the church’s fall retreat, where Jared prayed with him to follow Jesus. This spring, the church celebrated Jeremy’s baptism, a testament to the power of faith and family. Since then, Jeremy has grown as a student leader, even beginning to lead his friends from the children’s home, sharing the love of Christ with others.

Serving Newborns: 250 Blankets of Love

Our members have come together this year to meet food and school needs and provide for expecting families. Small groups have made over 250 blankets for newborn babies, sharing their gifts and resources with others. At each event, there is always an opportunity to pray for those we serve.

Cul2Vate: Harvesting Hope on New Ministry Fields

This year, we celebrated the opening of Cul2Vate’s largest growing field to date on the Brentwood Campus property. Since March, over 275 people have served on this field, producing more than 33,000 pounds of food. This partnership has been a way to connect with others, serve our community, and learn new ways of ministering through the literal fruits of our labor.

Family Mission Journeys: Expanding Horizons

This year, we launched Family Mission Journeys, providing families with an opportunity to engage in Gospel Conversations together. With trips to Bozeman, Montana, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Las Vegas, Nevada, families were able to worship, pray, and serve together. Parents were able to lead their children by example and teach their kids what it looks like to love their neighbors.

Deaf Church: Engaging the Deaf Community with the Gospel

In 2024, the Deaf Church focused on “Engaging the whole Deaf person with the whole Gospel” through various events and programs. With support from Brentwood Baptist, Deaf Camp shared the Gospel in ASL with Deaf children, resulting in two youth committing their lives to Jesus. Around thirty members served at Deaf Camp throughout the summer, sharing the Gospel 410 times over two months. Recognized as a one-of-a-kind program, Deaf Camp expanded to Honolulu, reaching twenty-two Deaf children and their families and engaging the community with a Tennessee BBQ.

Looking ahead, the Deaf Church will host a Deaf Young Adult Conference, a community BBQ, and a “Parents with Deaf Children” conference, with plans to expand Deaf Camp to new locations like Hawaii, California, Texas, Oklahoma, and North Carolina. This is a snapshot of how the Deaf Church is actively reaching and strengthening ASL communities.

This year at Harpeth Heights, we’ve seen God’s faithfulness over and over as He’s gone before us in ministry.

Gospel Conversations

God brought two women, a mother and daughter with Catholic backgrounds, to our campus to put their trust in Jesus alone for salvation and to be baptized. The daughter was the first to give her life to Jesus, which led her mother to join her at church, where she, too, heard the gospel, believed, and was baptized. When they sat down to discuss what it means to follow Jesus, both were filled with eagerness and excitement, finally understanding the good news of salvation through Christ.

Vacation Bible School

Harpeth Heights hosted its first full-scale Vacation Bible School on campus this summer in several years. We hosted over 50 kids on campus this week with 50 volunteers, allowing us to serve our neighbors and new families while engaging in Gospel Conversations in our community.

VBS has been a doorway for families to experience community. After attending VBS, a family told us that all their daughter wanted to do for her birthday was come to the church, where she went to VBS together. Now, this family has gotten involved in weekly events at Harpeth Heights. Another family was able to rekindle a connection after entering the foster care system when their kids were put in the same VBS class. God has been faithful to using VBS as a vessel for our church to engage with our community and continue to create gospel-centered connections.

Moldova Mission Journey

A Harpeth Heights, Station Hill, and Avenue South team traveled to Moldova to conduct summer camps for over 300 Ukrainian refugee children with Mission Eurasia. Our group ministered to families that were broken, displaced, and hopeless because of the war in Ukraine. These children had the chance to have fun and be kids again, and we were able to share the Gospel with them in a safe and fun environment.

Growing Leaders

A year and a half ago, a young man in his early 30s started to attend the Harpeth Heights campus. When he first started attending, he was barely connected to the church, hesitant about joining a small group but willing to give it a try. Over time, his involvement deepened—he joined two small groups, was discipled, and began serving in various ways on campus. This led him to the student ministry, where he confidently led his first small group of middle school students after six months of serving. Praise God for how he worked in this young man’s life, allowing him to make a gospel impact on the next generation of leaders.

Student Ministry: A Life Changed at Beach Camp

In August, a student gave his life to Christ and was baptized at Student Beach Camp. He began attending church about a year ago, joining Wednesday night gatherings with a friend. At Beach Camp, the student expressed a desire to be baptized. Before discussing baptism, he talked about the gospel, trusting in Jesus, and the importance of following Him first, with baptism as a response to that faith. That night, the student committed his life to Jesus! A few weeks after camp, he shared how much the experience had impacted his life.

At Lockeland Springs this year, we’ve seen the Lord work in amazing ways! We’ve seen spiritual growth in our church family. As of this August, we’ve already celebrated more baptisms this year than in all of 2023!

Ministry Partnership: Day Camp

In partnership with The Church at Woodbine, we hosted a Summer Day Camp that brought together over 50 kids from our neighborhoods, creating a space where they could learn about Jesus and build lasting friendships.

Deep Discipleship: New Groups

We launched three new Bible study groups, including a Sunday morning Focus Study that explores essential topics such as hermeneutics, the church and culture, and spiritual disciplines, providing deeper learning and spiritual growth opportunities for our church family.

We’ve seen God’s hand so clearly at The Church at Nolensville this year, especially as we’ve expanded our Groups ministry. This year, we’ve created opportunities for people to connect, grow, and discover God’s calling in their lives.

New Work in Smyrna & Murfreesboro

The growth we’ve experienced at The Church at Nolensville is just beginning, with several church members stepping up to serve in our Connect Smyrna/Murfreesboro initiative. One couple, Justin and Olivia Tardiff, began attending a Smyrna Group and soon stepped up to host. Their commitment deepened as they volunteered in our Next Steps room, and most recently, they took on the leadership role for their Group, allowing the previous leader to step out and start a new Group. We’re thankful for the Tardiffs and many families like theirs who have stepped up to help us multiply in the Smyrna/Murfreesboro area.

Historic VBS Attendance at Station Hill

We witnessed God move powerfully at Station Hill with the largest Vacation Bible School in our history, welcoming over 1,300 participants and celebrating 27 professions of faith!

In 2019, 163 adults and 63 students volunteered to serve at Vacation Bible School. Fast forward to 2024, and God provided 400 adult volunteers and 150 student volunteers. In just five years, the number of student volunteers has grown to match our adult volunteer count from 2019!

Incredible Growth in Our 8:00 AM Service

Our 8:00 a.m. service at Station Hill has seen remarkable growth, increasing from 130 attendees to over 300 within just two weeks. With the addition of preschool care, we are on track to reach our goal of 400 attendees!

Record-Breaking Mission Participation in July

July was a month of significant impact for Station Hill as we sent out 86 members on mission journeys to places like New Orleans, Montana, Alaska, Moldova, Poland, and Jackson, TN—the most we have ever sent at one time! This is a testament to the power of the gospel working through our church family. So far in 2024, we’ve sent 155 members on mission, and by year-end, we aim to send 170, Lord willing. We love because He first loved us. We go because He first came to us. All glory to God!

Connecting Cultures: ESL Program Growth

Our ESL registration for the 2024-25 year is underway, and we are thrilled to see God’s work in bringing together a diverse group of students. So far, we have welcomed 50 students from 16 countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Russia, South Korea, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Vietnam. We look forward to seeing how God continues to use this ministry to build connections and share His love.

At The Church at West End, we’ve seen God on the move as we’ve entered ministry in this area. God has been faithful in allowing our church to get involved in our community, and we’re excited to see how he continues to work in Columbia.

Community Missions: The Family Center

In partnership with The Family Center, a Columbia non-profit addressing food insecurity, we discovered an overgrown community garden near our campus. Jacquelyne Moses, one of our members, revitalized the garden, recruiting friends and neighbors to join the effort. This initiative gained local attention, including a feature by News5, sharing how our church is impacting our community.

Miracles & Growing Families

Recently, Bereket and Becka Weimer, a young family from West End Columbia, welcomed their second child. Rick Elsey, our Congregational Care Minister and former West End Baptist Church pastor, was with the Weimers at the hospital on the night of their baby’s birth. In his 15 years as pastor, Rick officiated dozens of funerals, but this was the first time he had ever been invited to the hospital to celebrate the birth of a church member’s child.

Step of Faith: Rhonda’s Serve Story

Rhonda Howell, a legacy member from West End Baptist, has been one of the most supportive and active members of our church. She even served on our transition team at launch after the loss of her husband.

When West End first launched, one of the initial groups offered was a Grief Share group, and Rhonda felt God calling her to lead it. Though taking on that role was challenging, she leaned on her faith, trusting that God was guiding her through this difficult season. Through leading the group, she has seen how God is working in her life, bringing healing and renewal and deepening her faith.

Sending: Eliannah

Eliannah Moses, an 18-year-old member of West End, responded to God’s call to the mission field this spring. She began her journey in Japan with YWAM and now serves in the Philippines. She is facing challenges but remains steadfast in her mission. Eliannah is one of four global workers from West End, joining others in making a global impact through their faith.

New Life Across Generations

West Franklin is experiencing a beautiful blend of life stages on campus. Currently, 13 new babies have joined our community, while our Senior Adult Ministry is thriving, with 80 to 100 attendees at each event. The gospel is not limited to age. Praise God that he is bringing people of every age and stage to worship with us!

Oak Cottage for Women Ministry

West Franklin has become a spiritual home for the women of Oak Cottage, a halfway house for formerly incarcerated women. Both of their houses now attend our worship services on Sunday mornings, and we regularly host their graduation ceremonies, celebrating their steps toward a new beginning.

Building Relationships in Westhaven

Our Christmas Eve and Easter Sunrise services at Westhaven were met with tremendous turnout, drawing numerous residents to our campus. These events have opened doors for many to connect with our church community.

Growing GriefShare Ministry

West Franklin’s GriefShare ministry continues to grow each semester. Through this ministry, many are finding a place to worship and experience God’s healing presence. It offers care, support, and the hope of the Gospel to men and women who have lost loved ones.

This year, The Church at Woodbine experienced a season of faithful prayer and preparation during a leadership transition. In July, we welcomed Hunter Melton as our new Campus & Teaching Pastor.

This summer, we partnered with The Church at Lockeland Springs to host a Day Camp for the families in our community. Through this week, we got to share the gospel and serve our neighbors through Bible stories, games, crafts, music, and meaningful gospel conversations. We were able to see dozens of new families walk through the doors of our church and strengthen our relationships within our community.

This year, we have been blessed by the incredible generosity of our congregation, with nearly 4,000 families giving to support the mission of Brentwood Baptist. Our total giving has increased year over year across almost all of our campuses, reflecting the strong commitment of our church family. The participation in our Pursue campaign has been especially encouraging, showing that our vision for the future is shared by many. Each month, about 75 families choose to give at one of our campuses for the first time, joining us in the work God is doing in and through our church.

A Gift of Blessing: The Family Car

This summer, a congregation member reached out with an incredible offer—a car her family no longer needed. She wanted to donate it to the church so we could give it to someone in need who couldn’t afford a car. Recognizing the impact this gift could have, our benevolence team went to work. Through their efforts and with the help of another member who knew of a family in need, we matched this generous gift with a family who truly needed it. When you give through Brentwood Baptist Church, you extend blessings to others—but the greatest blessing is the joy and fulfillment that comes from giving (Acts 20:35).

We are committed to joining God’s work in multiplying His kingdom across Middle Tennessee and beyond. This year, we’ve equipped and commissioned leaders, supported new and existing church partners, and faithfully prayed for the churches we’ve helped to launch. Here are some of the ways God has moved through our efforts:

Gerald Cook: A Journey from the Marketplace to Ministry

After hearing Mike Glenn’s message, Gerald Cook felt a clear calling to ministry and pursued seminary, leading to a remarkable revitalization at College Grove Baptist. What was once a dwindling congregation now thrives with new members, active discipleship, and a renewed passion for the gospel, reflecting Brentwood Baptist Church’s mission to put the gospel first in everything we do.

Church Multiplication: Grove Hill

“God is moving in a powerful, powerful way, and it’s been a joy and a delight to see what He’s up to.” In 2017, while he was serving as the campus pastor at The Church at Station Hill, Pastor Jay Strother had a vision to launch a church in College Grove, TN. He approached Ridley Barron, and Grove Hill Church was planted soon after. The first service in May 2018 had just 50 people in a skating rink. Fast forward almost six years, and Grove Hill Church has grown to over 500 people, meeting in the same 5,000-square-foot former skating rink. They’ve seen continuous growth every year. At the beginning of this year, they welcomed 20 new members and celebrated ten baptisms.

This year, we continued our strong investment in developing future leaders by welcoming a new class of full-time ministry residents, launching a bi-vocational residency program, and expanding our seminary offerings to include a full Master’s Degree. We are committed to equipping and empowering leaders for ministry locally and beyond.

Bi-Vocational Residency

Our Bi-Vocational Residency program has helped equip leaders with the skills and knowledge needed to serve within the church effectively. These leaders have gained valuable experience in areas such as biblical interpretation, preaching, and church administration. The program has fostered a community of support and accountability for those exploring bi-vocational ministry.

Seminary Classes with Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

We’ve partnered with Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to offer two classes for the spring semester. Paul Wilkinson will teach Christian ethics on Wednesday nights, and Matt Purdom will teach Personal Discipleship and Disciple-Making on Monday nights.

Members on Mission

We love seeing members of our church family grow in their faith, community, and leadership. Leah Henry, who has attended The Church at Ave South but is now transitioning to leading and serving at The Church at Woodbine, is one of many whom the leadership development opportunities at our church have impacted. Not only has she taken seminary classes through our partnership with Southeastern, but she’s also been able to get plugged into our residency program and is a member of our Theology Training course, TNT.

Brentwood Baptist Church supported 43 Global Worker units this year, serving around the world. God is at work in the nations! Here are a few highlights from some of our Global Workers:

Developing Leaders in Kenya

Our Global Workers, Micah and Britney Grayson Wilfong, serve in Kenya, training the next generation of African pediatric surgeons and community leaders. This year, they have a graduate leaving to work in a new hospital where he will be one of the first pediatric surgeons in the community where he will serve. They are prayerfully working towards a partnership with a government hospital that would allow them to minister specifically to the patients in their care.

Spiritual Growth in Vancouver

Mac and Grace Johnson, Global Workers in Vancouver, have seen tremendous spiritual growth in their ministry this year. One of their students, Rhea, came to Vancouver from Zambia to study environmental science, and she began attending their church and ministry. This summer, she had the chance to be mentored and discipled and decided to be baptized following her decision to follow Christ.

Baptisms in Myanmar

We’ve seen stories of God’s faithfulness in bringing the lost back to him in every nation. Our Global Worker, Andre, with Free Burma Rangers, saw a leader in their ministry get baptized this year in Karenni. When they shared stories, this leader shared about the faithfulness and mercy of God, who had saved him from multiple life-and-death situations.

Men of Valor

Our community ministry partner, Men of Valor, has seen God work through prison ministry and mentoring in Middle Tennessee. This year, they had the chance to minister to a man named Mark, who was in and out of prison for many years. While in prison, their team shared the gospel with Mark. While in a prison cell, Mark came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and is now passionate about studying the Word and improving his prayer life.