A Southern Baptist Congregation on Chapman Highway
Seymour First Baptist Church sits along Chapman Highway in Seymour, Tennessee, at the eastern edge of the greater Knoxville area. The church describes itself as a multi-generational body of believers striving to love God, love others, and make disciples, and it pours that mission into a packed weekly calendar that runs from Sunday morning through Wednesday evening and into specialized ministries for every stage of life. SFBC is a Southern Baptist church dually affiliated at the local level with the Sevier County Baptist Association and the Knox County Association of Baptists, and it is also a member of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention.
The pastoral team is led by Corey Cain, who joined SFBC as Lead Pastor in 2020 after earning his Master of Divinity from Southern Seminary and his Doctor of Ministry from Midwestern Seminary. The rest of the team includes Austin Clark (Worship Pastor, since January 2021), Jason Vineyard (Family Pastor, who has been on staff since 2016), Tiger Brooks (Discipleship Pastor), Sean Trollinger (Student Minister), Korey Ayers (Missions Minister), Ben Paddock (College Minister), and Bob Schultz (Senior Adult Pastor, on staff since 2014 and a member of the church since 1961).
Sundays in the Sanctuary
SFBC holds two Sunday morning worship services at 9:00 and 10:30 AM, and Sunday School classes meet during both hours for every age group, from nursery through senior adults. The 10:30 service is interpreted for the hearing impaired. Worship is livestreamed online, and an audio version is available through the SFBC podcast. Families are encouraged to attend one of the two church-wide services together, and worship activity sheets are available in the foyer to help younger children engage during the service. Childcare is provided through kindergarten during the morning hours.
Wednesday Night Merge
Wednesday nights are built around a church-wide program called Merge that pulls every generation together under one roof. The evening opens at 4:45 PM with a family meal in the gym, priced at $5 per person with a $20 maximum per family. At 5:15 PM, children in 2nd through 6th grade gather for Kids Choir, and from 6:00 to 7:15 PM the entire church splits into age-appropriate discipleship opportunities, with children's programs for preschool through 6th grade, a student worship service and teaching for 7th-12th graders, and adult Bible studies and electives. The Band and Orchestra also rehearse Wednesday evenings at 7:20 PM and play in worship regularly.
Discipleship, D-Groups, and Sunday School
Discipleship is treated as a central value rather than a program. SFBC defines a D-Group (Discipleship Group) as a gender-specific, closed group of three to seven believers who meet weekly for Scripture reading and memorization, journaling, prayer, and relational accountability, with the goal of multiplying faithful followers of Christ. D-Groups are available for men, women, students, children, college-age adults, and senior adults. The Breathe Journal, written by SFBC, serves as the recommended companion to the Bible within a D-Group, with electronic versions available for free download and printed copies sold at the church for $10.
Sunday School classes meet during both the 9:00 and 10:30 hours, and Wednesday night Merge electives run as full-semester studies on topics ranging from a survey of the Old Testament (taught by Pastor Corey in the sanctuary) to the spiritual disciplines, the books of the Bible, and other electives held in rooms 302 and 312.
Worship Through Choir, Band, and Orchestra
Worship Pastor Austin Clark oversees a layered music ministry that includes a Band and Orchestra for youth and adults with several years of instrument experience, a Worship Choir for adults that rehearses weekly and leads in worship every week, a seasonal Student Choir for 7th-12th graders that rehearses in six-week Sunday blocks and joins the Worship Choir for special services, and a Children's Choir for 2nd-6th graders that rehearses on Wednesdays at 5:15 and sings in worship throughout the year. A Spotify worship playlist is available online. Behind the scenes, an Audio/Video Media team handles production for services and special events.
Children From Preschool Through Sixth Grade
Children's ministry is led by Jason Vineyard (Family Pastor) and Rebecca Satterfield (Kids Ministry Director). On Sundays at 9:00 and 10:30 AM, preschool through 6th grade kids dig into the Bible through age-appropriate activities, Christ-centered discussion, and hands-on crafts. Childcare is provided through kindergarten. On Wednesday nights, Merge runs from 6:00 to 7:15 PM with a large group Bible story and worship time followed by age-specific small groups. Through the year, kids can participate in VBS, local outings, and CentriKid camp, and a separate Kids Event Calendar keeps families posted.
Students in Grades 7-12
Student Minister Sean Trollinger leads the 7th-12th grade ministry, which is designed around gospel-centered teaching, sincere relationships, and serving the community and beyond with the good news of Christ. Students meet on Sundays at 9:00 for Bible study (with church-wide worship following at 10:15) and again on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:15 PM for Student MERGE, where they have student-led worship and teaching each week. Other offerings include the Strength to Stand conference every January, seasonal Student Choir rehearsals, student-focused D-Groups, and service opportunities alongside the rest of the church.
College and Young Adults
College Minister Ben Paddock, who also serves with BLOC Ministries in the Vestal community of South Knoxville, leads the college ministry and the College and Career Class. The class meets Sundays at 9:00 AM for deeper Bible study and joins church-wide worship at 10:15, while Wednesday nights offer student worship, adult electives, or chances to serve in kids' ministry. Cross Con, a college conference held every January, gives young adults an annual gathering of their own. D-Groups for college-age students provide an ongoing rhythm of accountability and Bible reading.
Senior Adults
Senior Adult Pastor Bob Schultz oversees a ministry built around the conviction that discipleship does not stop at retirement. Senior adults serve throughout the church body, and the Uplift Choir - a ministry choir for seniors - rehearses every Wednesday morning at 10:00 AM in the Choir Room. Senior adults also participate in age-tailored D-Groups and meet up through the church-wide Merge program on Wednesday nights and Sunday School on Sunday mornings.
Men's and Women's Ministry
Men's and women's ministries exist to help believers of each gender grow deeper in their relationships with God and with one another through discipleship, friendship, prayer, and service to families, the church, and the community. Both ministries use Church Center to publicize the year's events and plug men and women into D-Groups, adult Bible studies on Wednesday nights, worship choir, and the family meal that opens Merge at 4:45 PM.
Missions Locally, Nationally, and Around the World
SFBC intends to be involved in missions locally, across Tennessee, nationally, and internationally. The church has ongoing relationships with La Iglesia Bautista La Hermosa in Guatemala, Life Church in Monroe, Ohio, a ministry in the Cincinnati area, Manor Community Church in Arlington, Tennessee, and a church plant in India. On the home front, members serve the Seymour community through outreach efforts and through the student partnership with BLOC Ministries in South Knoxville. Missions Minister Korey Ayers, whose background includes three years overseas with the IMB in Poland, coordinates the church's sending and supporting work.
MVP Soccer and the Fine Arts Academy
Two community-facing ministries round out the SFBC footprint. The MVP Soccer league shares the love of Christ with children ages 4 through 13 through a co-ed fall and spring soccer season that includes weekly team devotions. Registration is $55 (with a $10 late fee), uniforms cost about $50 and are reused across seasons, and all volunteers must pass a background check. The Fine Arts Academy uses music, art, and dance to develop students and point them toward worship of God. Offerings include a cartoon character drawing class for ages 8 and up taught by a former Disney Television Animation artist, ballet and tap levels for kindergarten through sixth grade, piano and voice lessons, guitar, woodwinds, percussion, and a Performing Arts program that has produced full-scale musicals such as Encanto: Live and an upcoming Lion King production.
Beliefs and Affiliations
SFBC subscribes to the Baptist Faith and Message as the outline of its theological convictions and partners with like-minded congregations for cooperative mission work. Locally, that cooperation shows up through the Sevier County Baptist Association and the Knox County Association of Baptists; statewide, through the Tennessee Baptist Convention; and nationally, through the Southern Baptist Convention. Giving is processed online through Church Center, with a separate Vision Fund supporting a master plan for the facility, and SFBC gear sales also direct proceeds to the Vision Fund.