Taylors First Baptist Church sits at 200 West Main Street in the heart of Taylors, a community in northern Greenville County, South Carolina. The congregation traces its beginnings to 1864, when a group of families met during the Civil War as Chick Springs Church. Twenty-one years later the body followed the railroad south to Taylors Station and took the name it still carries. Today the church fills a sizable campus with three Sunday morning worship services, a Wednesday night program that runs almost the length of a Sunday, a recreation center, a pre-academy, a theology institute, an Arabic church plant, and an established network that trains church planters and missionaries.
Three Sunday Mornings, Three Worship Styles
Visitors can pick the service that fits them. At 8:30 am the Band Led Worship gathers in the Fellowship Hall with a small band and two or three vocalists. The service moves through scripture, modern worship songs, and fresh settings of older hymns.
At 9:40 am the Traditional Worship fills the Worship Center. A choir, an orchestra, and an organ lead the congregation through hymns and familiar choruses, with scripture woven through the liturgy.
At 11:00 am the Taylors Worship service brings together a vocal team, a choir, and a band for new arrangements of both modern worship songs and treasured hymns. All three services center on the same fivefold shape: singing the Word, reading the Word, praying the Word, preaching the Word, and responding to God.
Life Groups for every age meet during each of those hours. On the first Sunday of every month, called Family First Sunday, elementary-aged children sit with their parents at the 8:30 or 11:00 am services instead of going to their Life Groups. The first-time guest form and a Plan Your Visit form are both available online for those who want to register ahead of time.
What to Know Before You Come
The Welcome Center sits across the street from the main parking lot. Guests are encouraged to park in a guest space, cross at the crosswalk, and come through the double glass doors, where the Guest Services Desk will hand them off to a Life Group or a service. Dress is as you are. The church describes itself as Southern Baptist, partnering with Southern Baptists for missions and cooperative work while operating independently of any denominational control.
Children are a top priority. Preschoolers from birth through K5 have their own classes at every service. First through third graders have Kids Worship at all three hours except the first Sunday, when they worship with their families. Fourth and fifth graders and sixth through twelfth graders attend Life Groups at 9:40 am and worship with parents at 8:30 or 11:00 am. Each child wears a printed name tag that matches a security-coded tag for the parent, and that tag is required for pickup. New families can pre-register children online to speed up the first visit.
Taylors 101, a brief class that introduces new members to the church's identity, beliefs, and pathways to serve, is offered periodically for those who want to join.
Wednesdays at Taylors
Wednesday nights are built around Bible study and community. The evening opens with a Family Dinner from 5:15 to 6:10 pm in the Fellowship Hall, where the menu alternates between a home-cooked meal and Chick-fil-A, with a family discount.
At 6:30 pm Pastor Josh Powell leads a verse-by-verse Pastor's Bible Study in the Fellowship Hall. Rehearsals fill the same evening: the Taylors Worship Choir at 6:15 pm, the Orchestra at 6:30 pm, and the Traditional Choir at 7:20 pm.
Children's programming, called Konnect, runs from 6:15 to 7:30 pm for nursery through fifth grade. Middle School Midweek meets at 6:15 pm. The Gathering, the college and young adult fellowship, meets at 7:00 pm at the Taylors Ministry Center across the street. The Equip Institute holds its weekly lesson from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Moms and Work meets at 6:30 pm on the first Wednesday of each month for a study of Proverbs 31. Rotating breakouts include Grief Support for Spouses, Engaging the Biblical Narrative, Marriage: When Sinners Say I Do, and a Share Jesus series on selected Wednesdays.
A History Rooted in Upstate South Carolina
The church was born as Chick Springs Church in 1864, when Chick Springs was a summer resort drawing visitors from across the region. In 1873 the Southern Railway arrived, and the economic center of the community shifted south to Taylors Station. The congregation followed in 1885 and became Taylors First Baptist Church. The 2014 sesquicentennial closed a week-long celebration in September, and the church now looks toward its next century and a half. A timeline draws from the writings of local historian Jean Martin Flynn, the church archives, Taylors Mill Properties, the Academy of Arts, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the Chick Springs Historical Society. The original octagonal meetinghouse at Chick Springs was later reassembled and used until the current Chapel went up in 1922.
Beliefs and Values
Taylors FBC subscribes to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as its doctrinal summary. The church teaches that the Bible is God's Holy Word and the authority for everything it says and does. Christian baptism is reserved for believers and symbolizes death to sin and resurrection to walk in new life. The Lord's Supper is observed once a quarter as a vivid reminder of Christ's sacrifice and a moment to re-commit to Him.
Seven core values shape the church's life: Biblical Authority, Christ-Centered Worship, Gospel Urgency, Life Transformation, Generous Living, Everybody Serves, and Prayerful Dependence. The church's mission is Matthew 28:16-20, going to make disciples of all nations, and its rallying cry is Change the World for Jesus, organized around four pillars: Encounter, Equip, Engage, and Establish.
Taylors Children
Taylors Children exists to come alongside parents in raising children in the Lord. The ministry is designed for babies through fifth grade and aims to create environments where children encounter God through Christ-exalting worship, are equipped to know and engage the Word, and engage and love others by sharing the gospel.
Weekly rhythms include the Taylors Nursery on Sundays at all three hours and Wednesdays at 6:15 pm, Large Group for first through third graders at 8:30 and 11:00 am with preschool for two-year-olds through K5 at 9:40 am, and Life Groups at every service for preschoolers K3 through K5 and elementary first through fifth grade. Konnect, the Wednesday program, gathers preschoolers K3 through K5 and elementary children at 6:15 pm.
Cornerstone events include Vacation Bible School, a Move Up Celebration for rising first graders, a Move Up Sunday, a Rising Sixth Grade Send-off Breakfast, bi-annual Parent and Child Dedication services in March and October, and quarterly Dad/Daughter, Mom/Son, Mom/Daughter, and Dad/Son events.
The staff includes Lea Hardy (Minister of Children), Amy Bryant (Children's Ministry Assistant), Anna Duncan (Childcare Coordinator), Diann Greer (Worship Assistant and Coordinator for Student and Children's Music), and Faith Keefe (Children's Ministry Coordinator).
Taylors Students
Taylors Students equips middle and high schoolers to change the world for Jesus. The ministry values Scripture Engagement, Prayerful Dependence, Fellowship Commitment, and Gospel Understanding.
On Sunday mornings students meet in Life Groups at 9:40 am. The Regeneration Student Choir rehearses at 5:00 pm on Sundays during the school year, sings in worship services, and takes a Music/Mission Trip each summer. High School Sunday Nights meet at 6:00 pm during the school year for worship, teaching, and small groups.
On Wednesdays the Student Café opens at 6:00 pm, and Middle School Midweek begins at 6:15 pm. Time in the Harvest events send students into the community to share their faith in everyday settings, from prayer walks around Greer City Park to conversations over a table.
The student ministry team includes Matthew Kilgore (Minister of Students), Diann Greer (Worship Assistant and Coordinator for Student and Children's Music), Amanda McKenna (Student Ministry Assistant), and Cameron Phillips (Worship and Communications Associate).
College and Young Adults
Taylors College describes its vision with the phrase Deep Roots, Strong Limbs. Year-round College Life Groups meet at 9:40 am on Sundays at 1 West Main Street in the Taylors Ministry Center. During the school year, The Gathering meets on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm at the Ministry Center for a night of fellowship, worship, and preaching. During the summer, Ultimate Frisbee and other games take over the Taylors Rec Complex on Tuesday nights at 7:30 pm.
Young Adults, including graduate students and young professionals, gather for a Life Group at 9:40 am on Sundays designed for those in their twenties.
Alex Smith serves as Minister of College and Young Adults, supported by Morgan Hester (College Ministry Assistant) and Cameron Phillips (Worship and Communications Associate).
Marriage Mentoring
Taylors Married exists to build Christ-centered marriages that reflect God's glory. Premarital mentoring pairs engaged couples with a mentor couple for at least six sessions. For couples already married, the mentoring ministry offers a way to deepen the relationship or navigate crisis. Marriage counseling and referrals are coordinated through Counseling Coordinator Kathy Dority. Weddings at Taylors are reserved for members; inquiries go through Diann Greer.
Recommended resources include Just About Married by Travis Agnew, Marriage: 6 Gospel Commitments Every Couple Needs to Make by Paul David Tripp, What Did You Expect by Paul David Tripp, Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs, and The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller.
Taylors Women
Taylors Women disciples women to love God more by knowing Him better. The ministry runs three structured groups. Women's Bible Study meets Wednesdays at 9:00 am for a ten-week study. Moms Mentoring Moms meets Wednesdays at 9:00 am for a twenty-week mentoring experience designed for younger mothers. Moms and Work meets the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm in the Building C Welcome Area, with childcare through Konnect offered in the same hour.
The ministry encourages daily Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship as habits of grace, offers annual reading plans through the Bible Recap and Pivotal reading plans, and hosts a Scripture memorization challenge. Taylors Women Coordinator Mallory Gilmore leads the team.
Taylors Men
Taylors Men equips men to honor God in their personal life, home life, workplace, and church. The framework rests on three pillars: Biblical Manhood, Biblical Husband, and Biblical Fatherhood. Quarterly events are designed to stir men to action, with the ministry open to students, college students, young professionals, newly married men, fathers, empty nesters, divorcees, widowers, and retirees. Alex Smith, Minister of College and Young Adults, oversees the ministry.
Taylors Seniors
Taylors Seniors creates a spiritual environment founded and grounded in the Word of God, where senior adults are discipled and equipped to make disciples. XYZ Fellowship, Extra Years of Zest, gathers adults 55 and older on the second Monday of each month for fellowship, entertainment, lunch, and trips of varying lengths. The Legacy Choir rehearses on Tuesdays at 1:00 pm during the school year and sings in worship services, retirement homes, nursing facilities, and other church groups. The Mercy Team ministers to homebound members and those in assisted living through cards, visits, transportation, and companionship.
Worship Ministry
The Worship Ministry provides opportunities to encounter God weekly in scripture-guided services, to learn to be a worshiper, and to serve on one of several teams. Adult ensembles include the Taylors Worship Choir, which rehearses Wednesdays at 6:15 pm for the 11:00 am service, and the Traditional Choir, which rehearses Wednesdays at 7:20 pm for the 9:40 am service. The Worship Band and the Vocal Team, auditioned groups directed by Scott Norman, lead the 8:30 am and 11:00 am services. The Orchestra, directed by Tad Riddle, rehearses Wednesdays at 6:30 pm.
The Regeneration Student Choir serves middle and high schoolers, with rehearsals on Sundays at 5:00 pm during the school year. Kids' Music choirs for preschoolers and for first through fifth graders meet on Wednesdays at 6:15 pm as part of Konnect, with elementary students presenting musicals in December and May. The Legacy Choir gathers senior adults on Mondays at 10:00 am.
Worship staff includes Kevin Batson (Worship Pastor), Scott Norman (Minister of Worship), Diann Greer (Worship Assistant and Coordinator for Student and Children's Music), Jeff Hensley (Pianist), Ira McCoy (Production Director), Cameron Phillips (Worship and Communications Associate), and Tad Riddle (Orchestra Director).
Pastoral Care
Pastoral Care shepherds and ministers to the flock through hospital visits during weekdays, help with funerals and memorial services at the church or local funeral homes, support during personal and family crises, an on-call minister for emergencies, and ongoing ministerial conversations about personal walks with God.
Additional care ministries include the Mercy Team for homebound members, Grief Support for Spouses, Cancer Support, Marriage Support, Mental Health Support, a Parish Nurse resource, Benevolence Ministry for financial needs, and a Prayer Ministry that sends daily and weekly prayer emails and recruits volunteers for the Intercessory Prayer Room. Wes Henderson serves as Minister of Pastoral Care and Adult Ministries.
The Equip Institute
The Equip Institute exists to equip members to think rightly about God and His Word in order to live rightly before God in His world. The Institute is a multi-semester discipleship program covering Christian Story, Christian Belief, Christian Formation, Christian Witness, and Baptist Beliefs. Lessons are taught by Dr. Nathan Finn and posted online. Recent semesters have included a seminar on The Origins of the New Testament Canon and a series on Baptist beliefs drawn directly from the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 pm serve as the regular gathering time for current students.
The Establish Network
The Establish Network exists to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to strengthen churches and fulfill the Great Commission. The Internship offers college-age and young adults the chance to serve alongside Taylors FBC ministers to grow in ministry skills, character, and call.
The Residency is a two- or three-year sending ministry that places residents alongside Taylors FBC ministers as they complete a Master of Christian Ministry through Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Through partnerships with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, the North American Mission Board, and the International Mission Board, residents are sent as church planters to the least reached places and peoples.
Through an Equip Center partnership with Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Taylors FBC also offers an MA in Christian Ministry for church leaders in the area.
Engage: Missions and Time in the Harvest
The Engage ministry mobilizes, equips, and sends members to make disciples of their neighbors and among all nations. The church supports church planting partners in Myrtle Beach, the Triad region of North Carolina (with a focus on South Asian refugees), South Asia, New Hampshire, and Los Angeles.
Engage Sunday is an annual Sunday set aside for the missions vision of the church. The Month of Impact rallies every member to be on mission, and Time in the Harvest equips ordinary believers to share their faith in everyday settings. Forms are available online so that members can report how they are praying and sharing.
Steven C serves as Missions Pastor, with Joseph Eskridge (Minister of Sports Outreach), Tatiana Dolan (Missions Ministry Assistant), and Blake Faulkner (Engage Ministry Coordinator) on the team.
Love Taylors: Local Outreach
Love Taylors exists to make God known among neighbors through relationships, acts of service, and kingdom partnerships. Outreach opportunities include Band of Brothers, Greer Community Ministries, Homework Club, Good News Clubs at Woodland Elementary, Taylors Elementary, and Brook Glenn Elementary, Greer Christian Learning Center, Piedmont Women's Center, Taylors Free Medical Clinic, Employment Coaching, Home Repair, Just For Today, Mission 1:27, and Village Wrench.
The vision is to identify and deploy spiritual gifts, equip people for specific areas of ministry, build relationships in order to love neighbors and share the gospel, and be used by God to minister to broken people with the love of Christ.
The Arabic Church Plant
Taylors FBC serves as the host church for an Arabic Baptist congregation reaching Arabic-speaking individuals and families in the Greenville area. The plant provides a welcoming spiritual home for Arab-speaking believers and seekers, including those from Muslim and Orthodox backgrounds.
The ministry is built around biblical teaching in Arabic, cultural bridge-building, community outreach through shared meals and service opportunities, and evangelism and discipleship. Daily devotions, weekly worship services, and monthly home gatherings form the rhythm of the work, with traditional foods and music as part of the experience. The vision is to bring the message of Jesus Christ to every tongue and nation, beginning in the Greenville area.
Taylors Rec Center
Taylors Rec, the church's recreation center, opens its doors to the community as a fitness and sports ministry. Rec Center hours run six days a week, with Mondays through Fridays from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm (closing at 6:00 pm on Wednesdays) and Saturdays from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. The facility is closed on Sundays.
Members have access to group fitness classes including Cardio-Line Dance, Group Training, Low Impact Conditioning, Sculpt and Stretch, Zumba, Beginner Line Dance, Intro to Step, Pilates, Gentle Yoga, Stretch and Balance, and Step and Sculpt. Facilities include a gym, a cardio and weight room, a game room, an indoor walking track, classrooms, a café, and a group fitness room.
Taylors Rec partners with Upward Sports to run a K5 through fifth-grade basketball league with evaluation in October and games beginning in mid-November. The center hosts a church league for middle school through adults, with men's, women's, and high school divisions. The gym accommodates basketball, volleyball, and pickleball, and ball fields are available for rental. Joseph Eskridge serves as Minister of Sports Outreach.
Taylors First Pre-Academy
Taylors First Pre-Academy shares the church's 200 West Main Street campus. The Pre-Academy offers a Kindergarten program for K3 through K5, led by Director of Kindergarten Kay Lumpkin, and a Parent's Day Out program, led by Director of Parent's Day Out Lisa McGill. The school is open weekdays from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm. The mascot, Spiffy the Sparrow, reflects the ministry's heart to value children the way Jesus did.
Registration for the next school year opens annually and is handled online.
The Taylors FBC Foundation
The Taylors FBC Foundation is a 509(a)(3) support organization designed for biblical stewardship through planned giving. The Foundation receives outright gifts and estate gifts, places them into endowment funds, and uses the income to meet needs not covered by the operating budget, including scholarships, missions work, debt reduction, facilities maintenance, and qualified projects.
The Foundation also awards scholarships to Southern Baptist seminaries. Fall semester applications are due June 30, and spring semester applications are due November 30.
Giving and Records of the Church's Life
Tithes and offerings can be given online through the Church Center portal, given in memory of a loved one, given to the Foundation, dropped off at the Church Office Monday through Thursday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm or Friday from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm, placed in the after-hours dropbox on the side entrance to the office, or dropped into one of the Giving Boxes in the Welcome Center or Worship Center foyers.
Sermons are posted for the full service and sermon-only viewing, with archives of past series and speakers including Josh Powell, Nathan Finn, Jeremy Thompson, Blake Faulkner, Alex Smith, Michael Bryant, Matthew Kilgore, Steven C, Thom Schreiner, Jerry Long, Josh Duncan, and Nathan Shank. Sermon audio is available through the Taylors FBC podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, and sermons are also shared as a SoundCloud playlist.
The Voices of Taylors gathers articles, devotionals, event updates, and ministry spotlights, including a Monthly Prayer for Unengaged Unreached People Groups post, Ministry Home updates that welcome missionary families to the church's ministry homes, student ministry reflections, and women's ministry highlights. The monthly newsletter is shared as a downloadable flipbook.
Facilities are available to ministry partners and church members. The Fellowship Hall, Taylors Ministry Center, and Worship Center are reserved for personal use by those connected to the church. Taylors Rec facilities, including classrooms, the café and game room, gym courts, ball fields, and the picnic shelter, are available for rent at published hourly rates.
The Lead Team and Pastoral Staff
Josh Powell has served as Lead Pastor since February 2021. A graduate of North Greenville University and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, he previously pastored in South Carolina and Kentucky, has served as President of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and has chaired the boards of Southern Seminary and North Greenville University. He and his wife Allison have four children.
Kevin Batson, Worship Pastor, holds a Bachelor of Music from Furman University and a Master of Music in Conducting from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served churches in Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, and Missouri, and has led worship at Taylors FBC since 2008.
Steven C, Missions Pastor, is a graduate of Charleston Southern University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Debbie served seventeen years as missionaries with the International Mission Board in Asia before joining the staff.
Chris DeWease, Executive Pastor of Operations, is a graduate of North Greenville University and a former student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has planted Spanish language churches in Marietta, South Carolina, and Louisville, Kentucky, served as Senior Pastor of Blue Ridge Baptist Church in Greer, and most recently served as Executive Pastor at Lake Murray Baptist in Lexington.
Dr. Jeremy Thompson, Executive Pastor for Ministries, holds an MDiv in International Church Planting from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a DMin in 21st Century Ministry from Anderson University. He served twelve years with the International Mission Board and has been on the Taylors FBC staff since 2012.
Dr. Nathan Finn, Teaching Pastor, directs the Equip Institute, preaches periodically, and teaches courses for the Establish Network Residency. He also serves full-time as Kalos Professor of Intellectual Discipleship at North Greenville University, where he directs the Institute for Faith and Culture. He holds degrees from Brewton-Parker College and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and has authored or edited more than a dozen books.
Lea Hardy, Minister of Children, is a graduate of Clemson University and has served more than fifteen years in children's ministry and ten years in the public school system.
Wes Henderson, Minister of Pastoral Care and Adult Ministries, holds degrees from Liberty University and Luther Rice College and Seminary. He and his wife Tania have six children.
Matthew Kilgore, Minister of Students, is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Scott Norman, Minister of Worship, holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Florida and a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served at Taylors FBC since 2009.
Alex Smith, Minister of College and Young Adults, graduated from North Greenville University and also serves part-time with the South Carolina Baptist Convention as a Collegiate Ministry Specialist.
Joseph Eskridge, Minister of Sports Outreach, graduated from Liberty University and formerly served as the Children's Minister for fourth and fifth grade at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, before moving into sports outreach in 2024.
How to Pray and How to Study
Two long-standing resources teach members how to pray and how to study the Bible. The prayer guide walks through the basics of prayer, why and how to pray, the A.C.T.S. pattern of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication, and guidelines for prayer drawn from Scripture. The Bible study resource offers the E3 method, with bookmarks, training guides, study guides for books like Colossians, Ephesians, 1 John, Jonah, Mark, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Philippians, and recommended commentaries.
Both resources are designed for personal use, for Life Groups, and for families discipling one another at home.