A Church on the Square Since 1843
First Baptist Church sits at the corner where East Main, Spring, and Vine Streets meet in downtown Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Established on June 9, 1843, the congregation has been part of the Rutherford County story for more than 180 years. Over that span the church has helped plant other congregations in the region, supported refugees and unhoused neighbors near and far, and at one point hosted an ecumenical prayer vigil in the town square the evening before a white supremacist rally was scheduled.
The motto that runs through everything is short and four-worded: We LIVE. We LOVE. We SERVE. Like JESUS. The Bible verse the church returns to again and again is Micah 6:8 - Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God - and a framed line from that verse hangs in the church's own materials.
Sunday Morning at East Main
Sunday morning at First Baptist has a familiar shape. Doors open at 8:30 a.m., Bible Study meets across the campus at 9:15 a.m., and the worship service begins at 10:30 a.m. Both adults and youth have Bible Study options at the 9:15 hour, and children's Sunday School runs alongside the adult classes.
Worship is held in the sanctuary at 200 East Main Street, and the same service is livestreamed through the church's Vimeo channel for those joining from home. The archived recordings live in a permanent service archive, so the previous Sunday's service can be replayed at any time. Online attenders are considered full members of the gathered body.
Sermons are preached by Senior Pastor Dr. Glen Money, who describes his style as storytelling. The preaching is described as accessible and conversational, working through scripture as understood through the lens of Jesus, with attention to what that means in a modern context. Lay people from the congregation regularly contribute musical offerings, visual art, poems and meditations, prayer, and scripture readings, and the pastoral staff opens and closes each service.
Music from Bluegrass to Gospel
If a single Sunday only hinted at the music ministry, no two services would sound alike. Music Director and Worship Pastor Bryan Anderson leads a program that draws on the gifts of the congregation - on a given Sunday you might hear hymns and praise songs, a bluegrass ensemble, soloists and congregational singing, piano, organ, marimba, and electric guitar. The Chancel Choir sings in the 10:30 service every week and draws on gospel, spiritual, classical, and contemporary styles, and presents seasonal programs throughout the year.
Children's choirs offer age-appropriate training for kids from preschool through fifth grade, with weekly rehearsals that teach music fundamentals alongside biblical truths through songs, games, and activities. The Handbell Choir rehearses on a five-octave set of Schulmerich handbells and rings in occasional services, joining other area bell choirs for the annual Epiphany Ring each January. A church orchestra made up of band and orchestral musicians with at least two years of experience plays for occasional services and accompanies hymns, anthems, preludes, and offertories.
Lyrics are projected on screens and printed in the church's hymnals. The Chancel Choir rehearses on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.
Children, Youth, and College
Children's ministry at First Baptist is led by Associate Pastor Rev. Heather Burke and follows a contemplative, hands-on, Montessori-style approach called Godly Play. Rather than the entertainment-centered models that have become common in many churches, the Sunday morning children's program uses hands-on manipulatives to explore Bible stories and encourages children to wonder, ask questions, and engage their faith in a deep and meaningful way. After the story, children are given time to respond through art, Bible story kits, and other activities they choose.
Wednesday evening programming emphasizes music, missions, and Bible literacy for kids. Family Fun Days, holiday celebrations, summer activities like camp and Vacation Bible School, and missions activities round out the year.
Children of all ages are welcomed to lead in worship through music, scripture reading, and prayer. Worship Bags are available for children in fifth grade and under in the area next to the sanctuary, with children's sermon note-taking workbooks, white boards and dry erase crayons, and sensory items. Quiet sensory toys are also available in the sanctuary. For infants through PreK, Worship Care is offered during the service.
Youth ministry, led by Student Pastor Rev. David Cates, draws middle and high school students from across Murfreesboro. The youth meet in the church's Crossmain building, which sits across Main and Spring Streets from the main campus - high school students on the ground floor and middle schoolers in the basement. The youth program gathers for Sunday morning Bible Study, Sunday night youth, a Midweek fellowship, and a steady stream of missions projects and trips. Youth serve on church committees and lead in worship through music, scripture reading, and prayer.
College students meet on Tuesday nights for fellowship and a dynamic, interactive Bible Study, and stay active in missions and service through the year.
Senior Adults, Small Groups, and Bible Study
Adults of all ages participate in Bible Study classes and Small Groups each week, both in person and digitally. Groups meet for fellowship, study, and missions projects.
The Senior Adult Ministry, long shepherded by Pam Pilote, offers a wide variety of community opportunities. There are several Bible Study classes in different formats, the Young At Heart luncheon with programs ranging from musical variety to topics of local interest, and day trips along with occasional week-long trips. The ministry also stays in touch with members who live in care facilities and those at home who are unable to attend.
Coldest Nights, Benevolence, and Community Partners
Missions sit at the heart of the church's identity. Members often describe the congregation as one that lives out its faith by following the example of Jesus and finding practical ways to love neighbors near and far.
Each winter, First Baptist opens its facilities on the coldest nights of the year as an emergency shelter for unhoused men, while women are hosted at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The Coldest Nights Program is run in partnership with The Journey Home, Murfreesboro Cold Patrol, Murfreesboro Rescue Mission, Central Christian Church, Murfreesboro Muslim Youth, and other volunteers. A hot meal and a warm place to sleep is the immediate gift; the longer work of breaking the cycle of homelessness is led by The Journey Home, founded in 2006, which works to rehouse and provide resources and relationships that encourage faith, economic stability, and reintegration into community life.
On Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to noon, the church's Benevolence Ministry opens its doors to meet material needs within the community. With the help of faithful volunteers, members of the pastoral staff help participants navigate the often unfamiliar process of seeking help, and the church offers financial support for various utilities through the generous donations of the congregation.
First Baptist supports Community Helpers with regular financial contributions. Community Helpers has assisted Rutherford County residents with emergency rent, utility, and medicinal needs since 1981, while making referrals and connecting clients to local resources. The church also has a long history of affiliation with Greenhouse Ministries, which meets physical needs through food, clothing, furniture, toiletries, bicycles, and other basic necessities while offering adult education classes in computers, GED tutoring, budgeting, sewing, and literacy.
First Baptist hosts the Murfreesboro offices of Insight Counseling Centers in its own facility and supports the work financially. Insight offers in-person and telehealth counseling for anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, and relationship issues, with therapists available to help process rapidly unfolding current events as well.
Two newer missions partners have moved into the building. Isaiah 117 House provides a comforting home for children awaiting foster placement in Rutherford County - children who would otherwise wait at the Department of Children's Services offices, often for several hours to nearly a full day. Possibility Place uses space in the FBC facility to serve adults with exceptional needs through job training, independent living skills, basic reading, math, and computer skills, healthy lifestyle habits, and opportunities for friendship and social growth.
The church is also partnering with Rutherford County Area Habitat for Humanity, along with First Baptist on East Castle Street, to provide housing for a family in need - an initiative called First Baptist Builds.
Regionally, the church partners with Olive Branch Ministries in Kentucky, part of Together for Hope, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's rural poverty initiative, providing Shoeboxes for Appalachia each Christmas season. A faithful and passionate group of congregants also travels every summer to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where the community suffers some of the most desperate poverty in America. Mission teams do construction projects, provide meals, and enjoy Bible Study, arts and crafts, and fellowship with the Lakota people there.
Internationally, First Baptist supports Amani Sasa, a nonprofit organization that serves and empowers vulnerable populations in Kampala, Uganda. Amani Sasa ministers to refugees and their families who are traumatized, abused, trafficked, or vulnerable to exploitation, with emergency services, counseling, group therapy and support groups, and trauma-healing programs for young mothers, women, men, and children at risk.
The Fine Arts Academy
Established in 1995, the Fine Arts Academy provides quality music education in a Christian environment, with the goal of enabling each individual for ministry, personal enjoyment, and musical enjoyment. Academy lessons are open to anyone of any age, and the program runs concurrently with the school year from September through May, with summer sessions available in June and July.
Lessons are taught weekly in afternoon and early evening hours, Monday through Friday, at times agreed upon by teacher and student. Lessons are not provided on holidays or when Rutherford County Schools are closed. The academy offers instruction in bass, fiddle, viola, violin, flute, guitar, mandolin, piano, trumpet, ukulele, and voice. A non-refundable registration fee of $30 for the first student in a family and $23 for each additional student is required, with lesson fees of $23 per 30-minute lesson.
Beliefs and Identity
First Baptist is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's rural poverty initiative comes up in the church's regional missions work, and Associate Pastor Heather Burke previously served as the Age Level Assembly Director for the national conference of the CBF before joining the FBC staff.
The congregation is unified by faith in Jesus Christ, understood as Savior and example, and gathers weekly for worship and Bible Study. Members and leaders describe their shared commitment to following the words and example of Jesus by loving neighbors. The church has welcomed individuals and families of all kinds into service, leadership, and community, and has made a public stand against racism and white supremacy. The congregation is open about affirming that those who join online are equally valuable and just as much a part of the church as those present in the building.
Practical Information for Visitors
First Baptist's main entrance is the Welcome Center on Spring Street, across from the Bank of America parking lot. Visitor and accessible parking are available on Spring Street near the Welcome Center. Members and visitors may also park in the Bank of America lot across Spring Street, in the FBC parking lot on Vine Street, or in street parking on East Main in front of the church steps. The Vine Street entrance includes a drive-through drop-off area under an awning, useful for those with mobility needs. Greeters and deacons welcome visitors at the door, and a worship bulletin includes information about the church, the morning's order of worship, and announcements.
On dress, the church is straightforward: come as you are comfortable. Some members dress up while others wear jeans, T-shirts, khakis, dresses, or suits.
The church is committed to accessibility. Wheelchair-accessible ramps lead into the sanctuary through the Welcome Center, and additional ramps provide access to the stage at the front of the sanctuary. An elevator serves the upper floors of the building, and accessible restrooms are available on every floor. Large Print worship bulletins are available from greeters upon request. The area of the sanctuary closest to Main Street, beneath the balcony, is equipped with additional speakers for those who would benefit from amplified sound during worship. Quiet sensory toys are available for children in the sanctuary.
Office hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The church office number is (615) 893-2514. The general email address is FBCEastMain@fbcmboro.org, and a new care@fbcmboro.org address has been set up so that members and friends can easily notify the pastoral staff of illness, transitions, losses, or concerns.
Sunday nights often include a fellowship meal in the Fellowship Hall with a suggested donation of $7 per person, and the church also offers a Dene McCullough Scholarship for members and children of members pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate studies at four-year colleges and universities.
Giving can be done online through the church's Realm portal, by texting GOFBC and an amount to 73256, by check in the offering plates on Sunday, by dropping a contribution at the Welcome Center during office hours, or by leaving a gift in the secure mailbox opposite the Welcome Center doors. eCheck gifts incur the lowest processing fee, and recurring giving is supported.
First Baptist's facility is also available for use by outside groups, with a Facilities Use Policy and application available on request.