Looking For A Good Church!! (Memphis, Franklin: how much, movie theater, gated)

[jlamarev]

Hey Guys,

My wife, 9 month old son,and I are planning on moving to the Nashville area around May from Memphis. We are looking to attend a multicultural church that is either non-denominational or church of Christ. We are probably going to stay in Gallatin or Hendersonville. Currently we go to a non-denominational church that values serving others,diversity and the next generation and we are looking for something similar. So far we have visited Belmont Church on music row and Madison Church of Christ. We liked both but wanted to know are there more churches we should visit? I realize from experience that having a church and church family that you love can make the difference when transitioning to a new city.Thanks!

[Anony-Momma]

Originally Posted by jlamarev

Hey Guys,

My wife, 9 month old son,and I are planning on moving to the Nashville area around May from Memphis. We are looking to attend a multicultural church that is either non-denominational or church of Christ. We are probably going to stay in Gallatin or Hendersonville. Currently we go to a non-denominational church that values serving others,diversity and the next generation and we are looking for something similar. So far we have visited Belmont Church on music row and Madison Church of Christ. We liked both but wanted to know are there more churches we should visit? I realize from experience that having a church and church family that you love can make the difference when transitioning to a new city.Thanks!

I was going to recommend Madison Church of Christ.

[DonCorleone]

If you're coming out of the church of Christ tradition, I can think of 2 churches immediately in Sumner County that would be solid places to explore: Station Camp Church in Gallatin and Community Church in Hendersonville. Both come out of the church of Christ tradition but are open-minded/progressive toward tradition and focused on service. Community has been non-denominational for about 15 years now. It is a moderately large church...probably around 500 members I would guess. Station Camp dropped the "church of Christ" name recently but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's non-denominational in the wider sense of the word. They have about 200 members there but the membership is very involved, especially in small groups. Both are very welcoming and loving congregations and I'm sure you and your family would fit right in.

You mentioned diversity as being important. I guess it depends on what kind of diversity you're looking for. Station Camp and Community both are very economic and socially diverse, but not necessarily racially diverse. Like most of the nation, churches in Nashville are still the "most segregated places on Sunday morning" from a racial perspective (to borrow a phrase attributed to Martin Luther King Jr.). Its not a deliberate thing, obviously, but traditionally most churches are racially homogenous, even the most liberal. Both of these churches (and really any that I mention) would be very welcoming and open to people of different races, but there isn't really a large % of minorities who worship there. True multicultural churches are hard to come by in this area.

Madison CoC could be an option. As you've seen, it is a very large congregation and that can be a benefit or a challenge depending on how much you want to serve and be involved. Madison tends to be slightly left of center on the CoC conservative/progressive scale but not too far. Its also a little bit of a drive considering how many churches you would pass on the way from Sumner County. Hendersonville CoC is another good congregation, but a little more traditional CoC theologically speaking. It is also a fairly large church, but not as big as Madison. There are several sizeable CoCs in Gallatin (Hartsville Pike, Nashville Road) but they tend to be more on the traditional/conservative side as well.

Other nondenominational churches I'd look into are (I've never visited these, just going on reputation and friends who go there):

- Long Hollow Baptist:while technically Baptist, the members I know who go there consider themselves not really tied to the SBC and are nondenominational. A very large church, but a very vibrant youth group, dynamic minister.
- Grace Church: meets at the Indian Lake movie theater and also started a second church in Gallatin. Don't know a lot about them but have heard good things.
- Lifechurch.tv: meets at a the old converted movie theater in Indian Lake. I have a friend of a friend from a CoC tradition who goes there and loves it.
- Freedom Church: is in Gallatin and is a very active and growing congregation.

Let me know if you've got any questions about the CoCs in the area or anything else. As you can probably tell, I've got a pretty long history/tradition within the CoC. Some might call it "baggage". Best wishes and let us know how we can help.

[butterfinger2004]

Thanks so much for the reply guys. Since my original post I have moved to Gallatin. Our family has visited CrossPoint Church in Nashville and Otter Creek COC in Brentwood. So far CrossPoint and Madison COC are my favorites but we still want to see what else is out there. We were looking at Oasis Church but it is around a 40 min. drive from my house Are there any more churches similar to Cross Point that you guys think I would like??? Keep in mind we are looking for either a non-denominational or Church of Christ that is vibrant, diverse, and has a heart for serving the community. Thanks!!

[brentwoodgirl]

I would try Belmont Church. It's a non-denominational church that started out as a Church of Christ church. We saw their old pastor speak once, and it was amazing.

Our History | Belmont Church

It's in Nashville too, so you wouldn't have to drive through Nashville to the southern suburbs.

Cornerstone might be worth a visit. It's a mega church in Madison.

I would be amazed if you could get to Oasis in 40 minutes from Gallatin. I live with closer to I65 than Lenox Village and it takes me about an hour to get to Gallatin. Maybe there is a faster route I need to find.

[DonCorleone]

I'd still stand by my recommendations above. Belmont Church would also be worth a look, as brentwoodgirl mentioned.

What did you like most about Cross Point and Madison CoC that you're hoping to find elsewhere?

[bluemarlin08]

I have attended Community Church for 17 years and have never been happier. Belmont is great but the distance may become an obstacle. Wherever you end up, you will get out of a church as much as you commit, attending SS, get involved with small groups etc. I would be glad to meet you if you would like to visit.

[KWGregSpackman]

My suggestion is you try a few different ones.

[number1coltsfan]

There's an Oasis campus in Hendersonville.

There's nothing really like Crosspoint in Sumner County. They used to have a campus here, but moved it 2 years ago to Franklin. I would say Long Hollow or Community are your best bets for a non-denom feel. We go to Crosspoint whenever we feel like driving to Nashville, otherwise we go to Community. The music is kinda dated and sermons are not near as relevant as Crosspoint or even LH, but for Hendersonville it's ok.

None of the churches are overly friendly. We have never been spoken to at Community (been going for 5 months), LH (went a year) or Grace Church (9 months) by a single person. We like Crosspoint because several people introduce themselves and we've met some great people.

[DonCorleone]

Originally Posted by number1coltsfan

None of the churches are overly friendly. We have never been spoken to at Community (been going for 5 months), LH (went a year) or Grace Church (9 months) by a single person. We like Crosspoint because several people introduce themselves and we've met some great people.

That is sad to hear.