Lincoya Hills Baptist Church, led by Pastor George Ibock, found itself at a crossroads. With an average age of 83 and a diminishing presence in their community, they knew that change was essential. Pastor Ibock shares, “I’ve been sharing with the deacons and the congregation that we needed to pray about merging or partnering with another church.” Little did they know that their prayers would lead them to Brentwood Baptist Church.

Fady and Stephen from Brentwood Baptist Church reached out to Lincoya Hills. Through a series of conversations, prayers, and a collective sense of purpose, a partnership began to take shape.

At the same time, another partnership was formed between Pastor David Lane of The Rising Church and Brentwood Baptist. David shared, “Really, the relationship that we’ve kind of developed with Brentwood was, honestly, it was random. We didn’t see it coming.”

Despite differences in ages, backgrounds, and traditions, the churches embraced a shared vision of making disciples and advancing God’s Kingdom. This unity demonstrates that it’s not about Lincoya Hills people versus Rising Church people; it’s about becoming a cohesive family with a shared mission to see lives transformed through Christ.

God is at work in Middle Tennessee, building His Kingdom. What a privilege it is for us, Brentwood Baptist, to be a small part of this story. As Pastor Lane said, “It’s just an exciting time to be a part of God’s story.”