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Name of church
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What's the worship music like? (Contemporary, hymns, long, fast, loud etc?)
What's the speaking like? (Old school Bible, culturally relevant, by video etc?)
What's the childcare like?
What's your favorite thing?
What would you change?
Can I wear jeans?
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June
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39 comments:
Name of church: Kirby Woods
City: Memphis
Website: kwbc.org
What's the worship music like? hymns
What's the speaking like? old school Bible
What's the childcare like? People in the church volunteer for the nursery and there's a good security system.
What's your favorite thing? youth group.
What would you change? it's kinda stuffy and traditional
Can I wear jeans? Nope.
Name of church: New River Fellowship
City: Nashville
Website: http://www.newriverfellowship.com/
What's the worship music like?: Mostly contemporary with some old hymns thrown in every once in awhile for good measure.
What's the speaking like?: We just got a new pastor, Steve Garrett, who is a younger guy with a contemporary way of preaching and is working to set New River on fire!
What's the childcare like?: Childcare provided throughout the service by an exceptional team.
What's your favorite thing? This church operates like a big family. We are constantly encouraged to "love on one another" and the worship band changes a lot to give everyone a chance to serve.
What would you change? The church body doesn't vote on issues in the church, like in past churches i've been too, but they do always want your opinion before making major changes.
Can I wear jeans? Yes!!
*The Village Chapel
*Nashville
*www.thevillagechapel.org
*(amplified) acoustic, about 50/50 hymns and contemporary stuff
*esoteric expository, with some corny jokes thrown in. The pastor is really bright, and his sermons (expositions of the Bible, not forced, thematic ones) are excellent about 75-80% of the time, and the rest are mostly very good.
*I don't have kids, but the childcare seems outstanding, and really well organized.
*I love the community and the pastor. And my small group. That's 3. But the people at the evening service are young and artsy, the pastor is a goofball intellectual, and my small group is a deeply caring and very close group of twenty-somethings who spend a lot of non-small group time together.
*The crowd at the evening service sometimes seems a little detached from worship. It probably has something to do with all being artists and musicians, and not wanting to be heard and judged by others. Anyway, it makes worship more flat than at the morning services.
*Absolutely.
Thompson's Station Baptist Church
Thompson's Station (South of Nashville, North of Columbia)
wwww.thompsonstationchurch.org
What's the worship music like? Very contemporary, the only hymns we include are revamped.
What's the speaking like? Well-organized, the sermons are outlined and our preacher is not afraid to make a point by yelling.
What's the childcare like? Organized, also. "Worship care" is divided into every little step of life from newborn to crawlers to ones to kindergarten.
What's your favorite thing? I like the sense of community, Thompson's Station isn't a big town, but the church itself can get up to 2000 on a good Sunday. More importantly, everything is so authentic. It's not like attending a church where everything is so routine that we get bored.
What would you change? I wish the pastor(s), including head pastor and youth ministers, could find better ways to hold the crowd's attention. But that could just be me and my short attention span.
Can I wear jeans? Of course.
Central Church
Collierville, TN (Memphis)
www.centralchurch.com
Worship music falls into two categories because there are two services (9:25/11:00). Early service is 'traditional' meaning there is a 60 voice choir and a 30 piece orchestra. No organ but we do have a harp. No hymnals. All the words are on video screens. Second service is 'contemporary' meaning that there is a 5 piece band and a five voice praise team. As you can imagine, there is a pretty significant generation gap between the two services.
The speaking is the same both services. 42 year old senior pastor who is on fire for The Lord and preaches from his heart. Culturally relevant, convicting and compelling. Firmly grounded in The Word. Get a sample from the website and you'll see what I mean.
Childcare is AWESOME! Over 500 children each Sunday (mega-church) with different classes for every age. Really cool 3rd and 4th grade worship service "252" with cool music, drama and passion.
What I love the most is that it is a big church made up of lots of small groups. It's easy to get plugged in and there is no limit to service opportunities.
If I could change any one thing it would be to allow women to present the sacraments of Baptism & Communion. I'd phrase this as 'a little less Baptist.'
You can wear whatever you want, really, but please be modest. I don't need the distraction. Every week I see jeans, shorts, flip-flops, suits, dresses, the whole gamut.
Midtown Fellowship
Nashville
www.midtownfellowship.org
The worship music is led by a small band of great musicians, we have rotating musicians and leaders. The music is contemporary and often hymn-based, and a good amount of the music is written by song-writers in our congregation. We just came out with a worship CD featuring some of these originals, you can check it out at: www.themidtownproject.com
The speaking is very culturally relevant and solidly anchored in the word. There is childcare for our only service Sunday mornings at 10:30am. My favorite thing about Midtown is how they strive to not "play church", but present the word as LIFE, and the way to an amazing walk with Christ!
You can absolutely wear jeans...the pastors do!
First - great idea for a site! I would have loved something similar when I moved to Nashville 2 years ago! I hope that instead of keeping the site on a blog with comments, you make a nice searchable, organized site backed by a database or something. :)
Name of church: Brentwood Baptist Church
City: Brentwood, TN (Just south of Nashville)
Website: http://www.brentwoodbaptist.com
What's the worship music like? Mixed traditional and contemporary, leaning towards traditional. The choir sings most weeks, often accompanied by a worship team. We have an orchestra and a band that both play. We sing both hymns and more modern songs.
What's the speaking like? (Old school Bible, culturally relevant, by video etc?) Very culturally relevant, NIV translation typically, frequent use of media and technology.
What's the childcare like? I don't have much experience with the childcare, but it seems great. We're in the process of constructing a new building to handle all of the kids.
What's your favorite thing? The church is huge, but you can easily find your place, no matter what you're looking for. When I was single, I was involved with the Single Focus group (ages 20-30), and met some amazing people. Now that I'm married, my husband and I thoroughly enjoy a newlywed class, learning great things and getting to know other couples really well. Kairos is on Tuesday nights, and is a much more casual, contemporary service for young adults (http://www.kairosnashville.com).
What would you change? I wish it was slightly closer to me - I drive 15-20 mins to attend.
Can I wear jeans? Definitely! Or you can dress up as much as you'd like - you'll fit in either way.
Name of church: Rolling Hills Community Church
City: Nashville, TN
Website: www.rollinghillscommunity.org
What's the worship music like? (Contemporary, hymns, long, fast, loud etc?) Contemporary. We have a full band and sing Passion, Hillsong, and other stuff of that style. Great worship.
What's the speaking like? (Old school Bible, culturally relevant, by video etc?) Jeff (pastor) never wears a tie. We meet in a movie theater and he stands down on the floor and is projected up on the big screen. Messages are always about 33 minutes long and really good. Good mix of Bible and stories and strong preaching.
What's the childcare like? Well, considering I don't have kids, I don't know. But everyone says it's amazing.
What's your favorite thing? The whole church is amazing. Everything about it. I haven't liked a church this much ever.
What would you change?
Nothing other than getting more people there to enjoy this church. You should come.
Can I wear jeans? You can even wear shorts and flip flops. We meet in a movie theater. How do you make that formal?
Name of church
Green Hills Church
City
Nashville, TN
Website
http://greenhillschurch.org
What's the worship music like?
Contemporary/modern worship. Sometimes more acoustic, sometimes more rock.
What's the speaking like?
Mostly topical so far, but mixing in expository. The co-pastors really try to emphasize the "life-application" of the teaching.
What's the childcare like?
Small and simple but good.
What's your favorite thing?
It's a small church plant. That means that there is a small number of people there each week. Those that regularly attend can get plugged in very easily and there are tons of opportunities to serve. The worship is still a little "rough around the edges" compared to most Nashville churches who have worship services down to a science (or show). The people are real and want to figure out how to have a meaningful church community instead of just growing the next mega-church in Nashville.
What would you change?
I would probably petition someone like Rob Bell to move down out of the cold of Michigan and help teach a little. The teaching is good here, but it (like every other aspect) has room to grow. Also, the small crowd sometimes makes it awkward to really sing out and lose yourself in the worship music.
Can I wear jeans?
Yes you can. I sometimes wear shorts, others wear slacks, most are in jeans.
Name of church
City: Hendersonville (19 Miles NE of downtown Nashville.
Website: firstbaptisthendersonville.com
What's the worship music like? (Contemporary, hymns, long, fast, loud etc?)Full band and it's not oo loud. Last Sunday they closed out the service by playing Pride (In The Name of Love) by U2...and not in a hokie way, either.
What's the speaking like? (Old school Bible, culturally relevant, by video etc?)We have 5 Services that can be attended on Sunday Morning. 3 of them are traditional with full orchestra providing worship, and there are 2 services called "The Living Room" which fully contemporary with culturally relevant teaching and full praise and worship band.
What's the childcare like? Provided through all services.
What's your favorite thing? I love the teaching. I am a pop-culture loving person, and The speaker weaves that perfectly into his sermons. It's not in a contrived way, either.
What would you change? We need more room, as we're about to bust out of our current worship area.
Can I wear jeans? Yes, or shorts, or whatever you want...keeping in mind that it IS a house of Worship, of course.
Name of church: Lifehouse (not the band, before you ask.)
City: Brentwood/Franklin. The building sits on top of the border. Mapquest is evil, don't trust it. They don't want you to go to Lifehouse.
Website: http://www.lifehousetn.org
What's the worship music like?: It's new music, but basic and stripped down. The worship team allows for moments where the Holy Spirit might lead them in another direction. Also, the body is encouraged to contribute a word, prayer, scripture, or whatever during the worship time.
What's the speaking like?: The teaching is remarkably balanced. John puts a lot of focus on learning the Bible, but he'll also invite people to receive Jesus or more of the Holy Spirit.
What's the childcare like?: There's a nursery, child care, and youth group. I love all the people who work there.
What's your favorite thing?: It isn't just a church with members who attend. Lifehouse honestly feels like the body of Christ. They'll invite you in with open arms. And it's very grace-centered. I thought I'd tack that on the end.
What would you change?: I don't know. I'm sure there's something.
Can I wear jeans?: Most people wear jeans.
Name of church: The Resting Place
City: Nashville
Website: Coming soon...for now, visit www.bridgeministry.org
What's the worship music like? (Contemporary, hymns, long, fast, loud etc?) Blended, but mostly contemporary worship songs
What's the speaking like? (Old school Bible, culturally relevant, by video etc?) Old School Bible
What's the childcare like? Since we have very few kids at the church right now, we have a nursery worker that is paid to come in on Sunday mornings. So, there is childcare available.
What's your favorite thing? Being able to worship freely w/o feeling weird about it.
What would you change? The media delivery...but we're working on that. :)
Can I wear jeans? Yes, you may.
Name of church: Rock Springs Church
City: Smyrna/La Vergne (near Nashville)
Website: www.rockspringschurch.com
What's the worship music like?: about half an hour of modern songs (Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Lincoln Brewster for instance)
What's the speaking like?: culturally relevant and relating it to the Bible verses being discussed; pastor is very honest about own life and struggles; usually a "motto" of some sort you can remember each week that makes the sermon easy to remember and apply to life
What's the childcare like?: awesome volunteers with usually 5-10 kids per age group; kids have small group and then meet for large group (story and songs)
What's your favorite thing?: The people I have met have not only brought me back to church and being a Christian, but they truly are friends who I see 2-3 timers per week. I was very anti-church when I started attending and now I volunteer nd enjoy small group, plus the pastor is good at keeping me motivated to read the Bible and pray.
What would you change?: We currently meet at a high school until we break ground on our building (next year), so I wish for more comfy chairs and predictable cooling/heating.
Can I wear jeans?: yuppers!
Name of church: First Baptist Dickson
City: Dickson
Website: fbcdickson.org
What's the worship music like? blended - praise & worship + hymns (no hymnals) live band
What's the speaking like? The whole gospel with no punches pulled. Life application.
What's the childcare like? Well organized with volunteer staff and security. Children's worship service is available
What's your favorite thing? Music & Worship Ministry - very eclectic
What would you change? Not a lot. There are some things we could do better, but who couldn't?
Can I wear jeans? Absolutely, but your welcome in a suit, too.
Smyrna First Baptist Church
Smyrna (not far from Nashville)
www.fbcsmyrna.org
We have two worship services that run at the same time. One is more contemporary and the other more traditional.
The pastor isn't afraid of sharing himself and will tell stories about his life or any other kind of story to connect to you. His messages are flooded with biblical facts and references and I always walk away learning something and wanting to read more of the word.
Our childcare is really nice. The people serving there care so much for their children and really bond with the kids. We do have the number system so if there is a problem with your child you can come a take care of it. But out of the thousands of people in the service, only three or four numbers ever come up on the screen.
My favorite thing I guess would be the sense that we are the body of Christ. We love each other and love our community and we don't let the fact that we are nowhere near perfect get in the way of the Kingdom.
What would I change? I honestly have no clue. I think our faults help us to overcome and further God's live and Kingdom.
Most definitely!
Name of church: Brainerd Baptist Church
City: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Website: http://www.brainerdbaptist.org
What's the Worship Music like? There are three separate worship services; The Gathering which is a more laid back worship with rock type hip music, The Celebration Service with hymns and the older members go to this service which is held in the regular church building, and there is also a Spanish Service.
What's the speaking like? It is just an old school preacher.
What's the childcare like? The childcare is amazing and is held in an amazing building with great teachers and wonderful lessons.
Whats your favorite thing? I really love the Gathering service because it is a very advanced and different way of worship with young members and upbeat atmosphere. I also love the wonderful youth group.
What would you change? Nothing.
Can I wear jeans? Definitely! You can wear a t-shirt and shorts if you want.
Name of church: City Church of East Nashville
City: Nashville
Website: http://www.citychurcheast.org
What's the worship music like?:
It's different every week! But the common trend each week is to play a hymn or two in an updated way, but not a gross contemporary techno way. And if they play contemporary songs, it's in a beautiful, soulful way.
What's the speaking like?:
The Pastor reads the entire passage he's speaking from, and then discusses it.
What's the childcare like?:
It goes through the entire service. And the teachers are trained.
What's your favorite thing?:
I've lived in Nashville for 6 years, and this is the first church I've looked forward to going to on Sundays. It's a crowd of people really in tune with the culture, but not so much that love of studying the Bible and being taught directly from it takes a backseat to being "hip."
What would you change?
...nothing off the top of my head.
Can I wear jeans?
Yes. BONUS: It's on Sunday NIGHT, so you can sleep in on Sunday mornings...just saying.
Calvary Community Church
Louisville (Maryville)
http://ccctn.org
What's the worship music like? Hymns (for now)
What's the speaking like? Informal/Conversational, Culturally Relevant, Exegetical
What's the childcare like? The lady who takes care of the kids is super friendly.
What's your favorite thing? Awesome fellowship; I always leave encouraged and challenged.
What would you change? Everything seems to be progressing in the right direction, I wouldn't change anything.
Can I wear jeans? Most definitely
Name of church: Christ Church Nashville
City: Nashville
Website: www.christchurchnashville.org
What's the worship like? contemporary with one hymn and lots of upbeat choir music
What's the speaking like? Pastor Dan is excellent! He really thinks through his sermons and sends them out to a few hundred people before Sunday to get their comments and suggestions
What's the childcare like? Great! We have a gigantic indoor playground and wonderful teachers
What's your favorite thing? the unique blend of traditional and contemporary worship that makes most people feel comfortable
What would you change? parking can be complicated and a long walk
Can I wear jeans? Absolutely. Come casual or dress up and you'll be fine.
Name of church: St. Bartholomew's Episcopal
City: Nashville, TN
Website: http://www.stbs.net
What's the worship music like? (Contemporary, hymns, long, fast, loud etc?): mix of contemporary & hymns. Initial burst at beginning of service of worship (say 3 songs), and then communion time is filled with song.
What's the speaking like? (Old school Bible, culturally relevant, by video etc?): Culturally relevant. The current rector is a really fantastic preacher, as is the associate & the youth minister. A triumvirate of interesting and engaging preachers who use the Gospel to get us listening.
What's the childcare like? Incredible. They are the kindest, most loving people. Pagers for parents of the non-potty trained set. Catechesis for older kids.
What's your favorite thing? the pastors. and this was my childhood church, but it has grown in some really lovely ways.
My dad coordinates a pig roast every fall.
Our rector has a facebook page!
What would you change? Not much! My husband would prefer less singing. I would like closer friends.
Can I wear jeans? Yes. Or you can get fancy. Sometimes people wear shorts.
Name of church:Sparta First United Methodist
City: Sparta
Website: http://spartafumcyouth.blogspot.com (ok, not a website but the closest we have)
What's the worship music like? Mostly hymns with a few contemporary songs thrown in from time to time
What's the speaking like? Relevant
What's the childcare like? Volunteers from the congregation, great people...
What's your favorite thing? The Youth Group
What would you change? More energy from the congregation!
Can I wear jeans? YES
Cross Point Community Church
Nasvhille
www.crosspoint.tv
Contemporary
Culturally relevant, some video to begin the message
KidzWorld! Volunteers during all services, plus a Kids Stuff service where kids bring their parents to service.
The people!, always accessible messages, welcoming, try to *be* the church
This is simple, but I would like to have communion more often.
Yes! The pastor does...
Name of church: World Outreach Church
City: Murfreesboro TN
Website: www.wochurch.org
What's the worship music like? (Contemporary, hymns, long, fast, loud etc?): mainly contemporary, with some hymns added in on an occasion; songs are both fast and slow, not too loud
What's the speaking like? (Old school Bible, culturally relevant, by video etc?): completely by the Bible, lots of scripture given, Pastor is a dynamic speaker on a personal level; sermons are always incredible and usable
What's the childcare like? GREAT childcare, very safe; the children are taught and loved so well
What's your favorite thing? the people are WONDERFUL
What would you change? to have a little more freedom in worship...bu t our church is HUGE...with 3 sanctuaries running at the same time for 4 services (2 on Sat night and 2 on Sun morning).
Can I wear jeans? Absolutely...you can wear what you want. I always wear jeans.
This is a wonderful church that I highly recommend. The size can be intimidating but there are many small groups to take advantage of as well!
Name of the church - The Journey @ Ecclesia
City - Franklin
Website - http://www.journeyecclesia.com/
What's the worship music like? A step or two ahead of contemporary
What's the speaking like? Guiding people to good introspective questions rather than spoon-feeding simplistic answers.
What's the childcare like? My kids (5 and 2) love it!
What's your favorite thing? My Village (small group)
What would you change? Personally, I'm burned out on the style of music, but I wouldn't change it because it resonates with lots of our people.
Can I wear jeans? Yes - dress as metro as possible. Seriously. I really mean it.
Man, there are some really great churches listed on here. I have good friends at several of these places. Here's the info on my house of worship:
First Baptist Church Nashville
Downtown Nashville -- the corner of 7th and Broadway
www.firstbaptistnashville.org
The worship music is on the traditional side (we have a choir and an organ), but we blend it as much as possible (it's actually something we are working on more and more, and we are continually talking about and shaping this part of worship). Our pastor said the following in last week's sermon: "I don't want to be the pastor of a church that sings from a hymnal..... I don't want to be the pastor of a church that sings from a screen. I want to pastor a church that sings from the heart." That's our goal. You can download his sermons into podcasts on the website (that sermon was 6/29/08).
We focus on learning from the Bible and applying it to our everyday life. We keep it relevant, but not trendy. We don't call it "Sunday School," but "Bible study" (OK, if you come to visit we will call it Sunday School so you won't be confused, but we print it as Bible study).
Good childcare -- beepers, good people volunteer in that department (they wear scrubs and love kids). It's not weird if you visit...they will show you where to go.
My favorite thing is the age diversity and the focus on ministering to those both in our downtown community and on our own street. We just want to find ways to show Christ's love to those around us, and we're always trying to find new ways to build bridges to others. We are always trying & doing something new -- we had an art festival this year, we're giving out water and other things to people coming downtown for the 4th of July, etc.
Things I would change? Sometimes in a large church, it's hard to make change happen because you have to go through the "proper channels." I went to a committee meeting with some other members to share the idea of starting a recycling program. It's kind of silly it had to go through committee, but it was also kind of fun to see people "get it" and work with them on a project they had never thought about before. It's not a big deal, but it can be annoying to have to take that extra step.
You can wear jeans, but you will be in the minority. I mean, you won't be the only one; some folks still get really dressed up for church, but others don't. Pastor Frank will always be in a suit.
- Maryville Vineyard Church
- Friendsville, TN (Blount County)
- MaryvilleVineyard.com
- Music is Vineyard... so contemporary
- Speaking is relevant, articulate, practical
- Kids birth through 5th grade enjoy age-specific classes, priority on fun and safety
- I love the community! LifeGroups are awesome!
- I'd wish it was closer to my house.
- You can wear jeans or shorts, or dress up if you want... nobody cares.
Name of church: Bellevue Baptist
City: Memphis
Website:bellevue.org
What's the worship music like? (Contemporary, hymns, long, fast, loud etc?): not quite contemporary- we still have hymns, but we "mix it up" with some newer stuff too. We do have drums, but we don't have a "worship band" or whatever. The idea is that grandparents and grandkids should be able to enjoy the same service.
What's the speaking like? (Old school Bible, culturally relevant, by video etc?):
Pretty traditional but not hellfire and brimstone traditional.
What's the childcare like?: fantastic. We have graham crackers, we have an indoor playground, we have beepers for your babies.
What's your favorite thing?:That we are still pretty traditional, but not so old school that young people won't come.
What would you change?: I don't know- it is a big enough church you can kinda ignore the things that don't really fit for you.
Can I wear jeans?:Sure. You won't be in the majority, but you won't be the only one in jeans either.
Name of church:Forest Hills Baptist Church
City:Nashville
Website:fhbc.org
What's the worship music like?:traditional/hyms in worship;Youth=praise songs
What's the speaking like? We recently got a new pastor: Dr. Sam Boyd. He is enthusiastic, preaches out of the Bible, loves singing too. He is always checking in on classes during Sunday School.
What's the childcare like?We have volunteers on Sunday mornings for different hours. The security system has recently been improved and will soon be even better improved with the help of newer technology. There is also a Mother's Day Out program during the school year. Childcare is provided for almost every event.
What's your favorite thing?I love the fact that our church is growing as we speak.We have had quit a few different positions refilled within the last five years. We are striveing to become more involved in more missions-locally and global.
What would you change? As a youth I would add a couple praise songs into the service.(It can be a little traditional with the hymns in the service on Sunday's
Can I wear jeans? You can (especially as a youth or child) but it is more a little dressier.which I like because when you think about it anyone would dress up for a date to impress someone-so why should we not want to look good for God -i mean seriously give Him some kind of thank you but we really don't care if you wear jeans
Name of church: Cokesbury
City: Knoxville, TN
Website: cclive.org
What's the worship music like? (Contemporary, hymns, long, fast, loud etc?): We have services with a worship band that does a hymn every once in a while and we have services with organ and choir that sing a contemporary song every once in a while.
What's the speaking like? (Old school Bible, culturally relevant, by video etc?): The speaking is culturally relevant, but uses scripture to teach from the culture
What's the childcare like?: We have a large children's area with a large staff of both youth and adults.
What's your favorite thing?: The Youth Department
What would you change?: Make services a little longer.
Can I wear jeans?: I wear them every week.
Name of church: Harpeth Community Church
City: Franklin
Website: www.harpethcc.com
What's the worship like: contemporary with occasional updated hymns
What's the speaking like?: Bobby Harrington is a great Bible teacher. He loves the learning process and you can tell that through his speaking. It is steeped in Biblical history and scripture, but very applicable and challenging for today.
What's the childcare like?: They call it "Harpeth Heroes." It is terrific. We're actually starting a "family service" in late August that will run simultaneously with the regular service, where in the first 30 minutes, the worship and learning time is geared toward families with younger kids. Then when it is time for the speaking, the kids will go off with their teacher to their own classes.
What's your favorite thing? That the church is about digging deep in the word, whether in small groups or even asking the pastor something you don't get, and about serving the community.
What would you change?: We have small groups, but in having 2 services it is easy to slide in and out and not connect. You have to be willing to work at it.
Can I wear jeans? Yes, and shorts, too.
Name of Church: Two Rivers Church
City: Knoxville
Website: www.tworiverschurch.org
What's the worship music like: We have praise and worship with a mix of the great older hymns (Holy, Holy, Holy). The music is definitely contemporary with a worship leader singing lead and playing acoustic guitar, 2-4 back up singers, a bass, electric guitar, and a drum kit. We have two huge projector screens on either side of the sanctuary that the songs, sermon points, and children pagers are displayed on.
What's the speaking like: Our Pastor is Brad Brinson. He is awesome. He often takes common lessons and tweaks them a bit to incorporate a more "how it applies to me and my life" lesson. He is a blessing to 2RC as he is devoted to Christ and then to our church. Jon Teague is the Pastor of Worship and Programs and is a truly amazing addition to the Pastoral Staff. He is hilarious and dedicated to Christ and his call. We have three other Pastors on our staff, but I don't know much about them (I'm sure they are awesome).
What's the childcare like: The Riverbank is for infants through five graders. The church has a pager system for the parents in case something happens with their child and they need to come to the nursery/Riverbank. The projectors will display your child's ID number on the screen at the same time so you are doubly alerted. Also, the "volunteers" and teachers go through an application process so as to make sure that only the competent people are caring for your little ones. I love that part! Finally, all the kids have their own small groups that are made up of kids their own age, but every Sunday the small groups come together for a short time. I love this too. The kids are learning about Jesus at their own rate in small group and then in large group, they are learning how the praise and worship Him.
What's your favorite thing: I can't say what my favorite thing is, but Two Rivers is incredibly welcoming. When my husband and I first attended, tons of people came up and talked to us. The following week we got a hand written note from the Pastor asking us to come introduce ourselves to him so he can put a name and face together. We had never experienced that before. The entire service is geared toward preparing you for your week in a very "apply to your own life" kind of way.
What would you change: Sometimes it gets a little too "YoungLife" based for me. Not that there is anything wrong with YoungLife. I used to do YoungLife and even did Summer Staff at Saranac. I hope you know what I mean. That's the only way I know to describe it.
Can I wear jeans: YES
Name of church: First Presbyterian Church
City: Nashville, TN
Website: http://www.fpcnashville.org
What's the worship music like?: Hymns and choral anthems from the classical tradition
What's the speaking like? expository and very, very good
What's the childcare like? from what I heard, excellent
What's your favorite thing? the preaching
What would you change? not a whole lot of outlets for young married couples.
Can I wear jeans? Probably not. I did, but I was in the choir and had a robe on. :)
Name of church=New Vision Baptist
City=Murfreesboro(a little outside of Nashville)
Website=www.newvisiononline.net
What's the worship music like? Contemporary, loud, relevant, awsome. Russ Lee is worship leader(lots about him if you google)
What's the speaking like? Culturally relevant, biblical, straightforward
What's the childcare like? phenomenal
What's your favorite thing? it's a body of believers seeking the heart of Christ and trying to impact their community and the world by being His hands and feet
What would you change? time and space is limiting, so we have to have 4 worship services, i'd like for the whole congregation to be able to fit somewhere together.
Can I wear jeans? Heck yeah...or short, or a suit, it's your choice
Name of Church: Strong Tower Bible Church
City: Franklin, TN (just south of Nashville)
Website: www.stbch.org
What's the worship like? It's a combination of black gospel choir and contemporary CCM worship. It depends on who is leading and the season of the church.
What's the speaking like? There are two dynamic speakers in the church. Senior Pastor Chris Williamson is a strong, strong preacher. Very sound Biblically, rather funny, sprinkle of street smart and always engaging. The Women's Director, Krisit McLelland is great. Deep Biblical knowledge and very exacting in her style.
What's the childcare like? Always improving, safe, caring and well trained volunteers, sound doctrine. It can be a little crowded so arrive early to make sure your child is able to attend class.
What is your favorite thing? Listening to Pastor Williamson's teaching. The diverse church body... racial, socio-economic, cultural, educational... it truly is a melting pot.
What would you change? Shorten the length of the service. It is a solid 2 hours long.
Can I wear jeans? Yes. However, most of the black folks dress up. The white people are always very casual.
Name of church: Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church
City: Knoxville, TN
Website: www.cspc.net
What's the worship music like?: Recently the music has been trending toward contemporary music, songs repeated endlessly, words up on screens (even though they are also in the bulletin and sometimes the hymnal), incredibly talented music minister and worship team
What's the speaking like?: Expect to learn! John Wood preaches solid, Biblical, exegetical sermons that will compel you to take many notes and want to talk about the sermon over lunch, possibly dinner too!
What's the childcare like: Pretty extensive, with a well-reasoned theology of teaching and loving children
What's your favorite thing?: Either the preaching or communion
What would you change?: The music- I'm more a traditionalist by preference
Can I wear jeans?: You might feel weird, but there are plenty in the church who would like to see it be a little more casual and welcoming. Polo shirts/buttondowns and khakis are standard for guys, skirts/casual dresses/dress pants for girls.
Name of church: Woodlawn Church of the Nazarene
City: Woodlawn/Clarksville
Website: wcnazarene.org
What's the worship music like: Mostly contemporary, some hymns
What's the speaking like: bible based life application
What's the childcare like: Awesome! Incredible child/youth programs
What's your favorite thing?: We've just started a small group program that encourages community/church outreach. We're also equipping parents to teach their kids about God in the home environment through family devotions. Love our pastor & his wife - fun & personable.
What would you change?: More people stepping up to be the leaders/disciples God intends them to be.
Can I wear jeans?: definately
The Life Church of Memphis
2 Campuses - Cordova(main) & Collierville(@YMCA)
www.thelifechurch.com
Contemporary worship (e.g. Hillsong/Hillsong United)
Speaking is culturally relevant (Collierville is sometimes by video)
Children's ministry is awesome! Great, age appropriate sessions during all services.
Favorite things-there are two very important things-First there is a great, truly multi-cultural environment. A very diverse church family (and it really is a family) that is reflection of cultural make-up of te community. This is very refreshing, especially in a town like Memphis. The second is a strong commitment to the next generation. There are youth serving in just about every area of church life. NextGen is treated like the integral part of the church family that they are.
Only thing that I'd change would be to accelerate expansion so we can make room for more people.
Can definitely wear jeans (pastors usually do).
Name of church: Brainerd Hills Baptist Church
City: Chattanooga, TN
Website: www.brainerdhills.com
What's the worship music like? (Contemporary, hymns, long, fast, loud etc?) I would equate it with Hymns that are sung with an Adult Contemporary style. Almost all traditional Hymns are sung a tad bit faster hipping them up for the young folks.
What's the speaking like? (Old school Bible, culturally relevant, by video etc?) Pastor is old school bible (NIV) but the Associate Pastor Sunday Nights is Hardcore relevant.
What's the childcare like? Superb. Offer tons of programs and there is always child care
What's your favorite thing? Small groups (Sunday School Class) I have been to two adult and the college and youth. They were all enlightening.
What would you change? I would Have the pastor give more meaty passages with more visual illustrations and not just an outline on the projector.
Can I wear jeans? and flip flops. Most people don't but no one gives you the evil eye if you do, and I do.
Name of church: New Union Baptist
City: Manchester (between Nashville and Chattanooga)
What's the worship like? Eclectic. Hymns and worship songs. Some contemporary. Not in a box.
What's the speaking? By the book, line upon line, precept upon precept. Not really a baptist church, but that's what the sign says. Seems to attract a lot of PCA people. ADD pastor keeps us entertained.
Childcare? nothing to get excited about
Favorite thing? It's a family. You will be loved here.
What would I change? Provide something stronger for the youth.
Jeans? Wear whatever you want.
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