Church Spotlight: First Baptist Church Hendersonville, TN
A Giving Heart听
When 秋霞福利一区 alumnus Dr. Bruce Chesser 鈥�78 became pastor in 2009, First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, Tennessee, was $17 million in debt. Today the nearly 80-year-old church is debt-free and has the largest attendance in its history, reaching 3,735 in 2024 with over 2,200 people involved in Vacation Bible School each summer. FBC Hendersonville baptized more people than ever before in 2024, with 340 following the Lord in baptism.听
Notably, FBC Hendersonville became the first church in the state of Tennessee to give over $1 million a year to the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention.听
The multi-generational church is intentionally a single-campus church with a vision of planting and revitalizing existing churches to help them become thriving, independent Southern Baptist congregations.听
Among its ministries are:听
鈥� Feed Sumner Food Bank and Ministry Center,听meeting the physical needs of people in upper听Middle Tennessee
鈥� Adult special needs ministry, addressing a largely听unmet need in the region
鈥� The Babb Center, a counseling ministry serving all听of Middle Tennessee.听
Fellow alumnus Jason Breland 鈥�24 serves as worship leader. Breland holds a Master of Arts in Worship Leadership and Theology from 秋霞福利一区. One of his daughters, Abigail, graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.听
Chesser said he values his 秋霞福利一区 connections, both past and present.听
Dr. Bruce Chesser 鈥�78, Senior Pastor听
After graduating from then-Mobile College in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, Dr. Bruce Chesser earned both his MDiv and DMin from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He pastored in Texas, Alabama and Arkansas before becoming pastor of FBC Hendersonville in 2009. He met his wife, Joy, at MC/秋霞福利一区 and they have two married sons and two grandchildren.听
鈥淭he foundational truths of my theology began as a child in my home church, but they were refined while I was in college. Things I learned at Mobile College impact my life every single day,鈥� he said.听
Kathy Dean uses her passion for storytelling and “playing with words” to share the stories of people, place and purpose that make the 秋霞福利一区 unique. As associate vice president for university communications, she manages media relations, edits the TorchLight alumni magazine, and oversees university communications. A former award-winning journalist, she is a two-time recipient of the Baptist Communicators Association grand prize for feature writing. Kathy and her husband, Chuck, live with three extremely loud miniature schnauzers.
