Sunday on East Main Street
The Gallatin Church of Christ meets on the east end of Gallatin's Main Street, in a brick building whose front corner still carries the engraving "Church of Christ A.D. 1914." Visitors who arrive a little before 9:30 in the morning find the doors open for Morning Bible Study, a one-hour gathering in which adults and children meet in separate classes to pray and study Scripture together. Worship follows at 10:30. The hour is shaped around the acts of Christian worship as this congregation understands them: a cappella singing, prayers, the Lord's Supper, Scripture reading with exposition, and a sermon. Members are invited to linger after the service rather than hurry off - "this hour of worship and fellowship is just the beginning of our life together," the church writes.
The day closes back at the building with Prayer Warriors at 5:00 PM. A light snack and a few hymns ease the group into an extended time of intercession, lifting up physical needs, the church, the community and nation, and the nations of the world. The weekly rhythm is unhurried: study, worship, pray.
Wednesday Nights and the Last Wednesday Table
Midweek worship centers on the Adult Bible Class at 5:30 PM. Members describe the evening as a pause in the middle of a busy week to "recharge spiritual batteries," beginning with a brief devotional of songs and prayers before settling into Bible study. The teaching style is varied - not bound to any one method - and storytelling, including audio-visual presentations, is a longtime favorite.
On the last Wednesday of every month, the format shifts. Fellowship, Food, and Faith Inspirations takes over at 5:30 PM in the CEC, the church's Christian Education Center. Eating together, a devotional, and a changing slate of activities fill the hour, drawing a wider cross-section of the congregation and providing one of the church's main monthly fellowship touchpoints.
Ministries for Every Stage
The congregation's ministry lineup is built around the three-part mission statement used to describe the church: "Know Him. Follow Him. Share Him." Five ministry areas carry the day-to-day work.
Adult Ministry gathers the Sunday School classes that meet at 9:30 AM. These classes exist to pray and study the Bible together, "where our relationships with Jesus Christ and each other are strengthened and encouraged," with separate classes for adults and children.
Women's Ministry centers on the Ladies Precept Class that meets during the Sunday School hour at 9:30 AM, with various ladies' Bible studies and activities planned throughout the year.
Children's Ministry focuses on the church's younger members. The aim is to encourage them to study God's Word, learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and strengthen themselves and their families through teaching, learning, and friendship.
Missions keeps the church connected to a portfolio of works abroad (see below).
Prayer Ministry pairs the Sunday evening Prayer Warriors gathering with the Prayer Quilt Ministry, a long-running outreach that produces handcrafted quilts given to people in need of prayer. Each quilt is prayed over before it is delivered and carries a cross of a specific color tied to a stage in the Christian story: black for sin, red for Christ's blood, white for repentance and cleansing, blue for water and spirit baptism, gold for eternal life, and purple for the royal priesthood. The quilts are never sold - they are a free gift, given in the hope that each recipient will find the peace and comfort that only Christ can bring.
A Century on Main Street
The brick building on East Main Street opened its doors for worship on Sunday, October 11, 1914. The first sermon in the new sanctuary was preached by Harold L. Olmstead, who had just become the church's minister and would go on to serve the congregation for more than thirty years as a preacher and another eight as an elder, until his death in 1958. The corner engraving - "Church of Christ A.D. 1914" - marks the year the building went up, though the congregation itself is older. An earlier meeting place from 1870 was eventually sold and used for other purposes before being torn down.
Throughout the twentieth century, the church's leaders and members pursued a clear and consistent vision: to ground faith and practice in the Bible as the written Word of God. That commitment shaped distinctive convictions, including a long-standing, though not dogmatic, belief in the importance of the Jewish people to God's plans - past, present, and future. In the early- to mid-twentieth century, this was an uncommon position among Middle Tennessee Churches of Christ. Similar-minded congregations in Louisville, Kentucky, and Indiana provided fellowship during those years, even as the church also found fellowship with other Gallatin churches of different denominations.
Growth required more space. Church leaders and members initiated and completed the construction of Christian Towers on Franklin Street and later The Manor on Prince Street behind the Towers. Together with other denominations, some of the church's members helped start Gallatin C.A.R.E.S., a local Christian benevolence agency. Other members and leaders were instrumental in founding the Cumberland Crisis Pregnancy Center. The church also began a kindergarten and daycare that has grown into a full-time child care operation serving about 170 children.
Not every chapter was one of growth. Since the 1950s the church has also seen periods of difference that resulted in the forming of two other Churches of Christ in Gallatin - "though years apart and for different reasons" - one of which later reunited with the Gallatin Church of Christ.
A long line of preaching ministers has shaped the congregation: Harold Olmstead (1913/1914 - 1921), T.B. Clark, W.W. Sikes, E.L. Crystal, Harold Olmstead again (1929 - 1950), Hall Crowder (1950 - 1960), Neal Phillips (1960 - 1965), Hall Crowder again (1965 - 1974), Julius Hovan (1975 - 2002), Jason Duncan (2003 - 2006), Noel Quinn (2007 - 2012), Daniel Gordon (2012 - 2014), Tim Brown (2014 - 2020), and Eric Whelchel (2021 - 2024). Associate and youth ministers who have served include David Schreiner (1967 - 1975), Jim Schreiner (1982 - 1986), Barry Fowler (1990 - 1995), Bill Hunter (1997 - 1999), Curt Cathcart (2000 - 2005), Daniel Gordon (2006 - 2012), and Byron Gibbs (2011 - 2021).
An in-house newsletter titled Congregational History shared research into the church's past through twenty-one issues between November 2011 and December 2013, all archived as downloadable PDFs.
Hands and Feet: The Mission Network
The Missions ministry supports a wide portfolio of works - some by Gallatin members directly, others through partner organizations.
In Japan, Tomoko and Michiya Nakahara continue work started by his parents more than sixty years ago. In Senegal - a Muslim-majority country - Mark and Candy Garrett served until the COVID epidemic limited their travel; they now serve from the United States using computers and other electronic means. In Zimbabwe, the work was started many years ago by Robert Garrett's parents; he and his wife Joy served there until both reached their nineties, and he still returns regularly to help. In the southern Philippines, Brother Cyrus Gesulga coordinates a ministry that spreads the Word of God in the region.
Wycliffe Bible Translators is supported through James and Karen Ashley, who continue their work in Bible translation. Goin' Fishing Ministries manages funds and arranges trips for workers visiting countries including Ukraine and Zimbabwe. World Christian Broadcasting operates an international facility that spreads the gospel worldwide, especially in places where missionaries are not permitted to enter. Lamb and Lion Ministries was established to proclaim the soon return of Jesus.
The Preschool and Childcare on East Main
The Gallatin Church of Christ operates a Preschool and Elementary Afterschool program that has grown out of a kindergarten and daycare the church began decades ago. Today the program serves about 170 children across three tracks: Infant/Toddler Care, Preschool, and Afterschool.
The Preschool accepts children from six weeks through age five (pre-K), and the Afterschool program serves children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 6:30 AM to 5:30 PM. The program is licensed through the Tennessee Department of Human Services and is led by a Child Care Board that includes church members.
The mission of the program is to provide quality early childhood education while laying a foundation of biblical principles. Children of all backgrounds are welcomed. The staff work to encourage emotional, social, physical, and mental development through age-appropriate activities; teach basic Christian values of love, kindness, tolerance, and sharing; strengthen family life through parent conferences, educational programs, and church resources; and provide quality and affordable childcare to families.
Across the program, children are encouraged to progress in group cooperation, motor skills, independence and self-confidence, social skills, simple math and science, language and literature, music and art, and an appreciation for home, school, church, and community.
Families can check on openings by calling the preschool and afterschool office at 615-452-0818. Openings come and go, and a waiting list is common.
Leadership and Pastoral Heritage
The congregation is served by a group of elders and deacons selected by the members. The current elders are John Cox, Ed Mayberry, and Joel Harrison. The current deacons are Lucian Borders and Jerry Conyer. Together they shepherd the flock, exercise oversight of ministries and facilities, and serve in the day-to-day life of the church.
Church secretary Kathy Walters - who also serves as chair of the Child Care Board - keeps the office running. She and her husband David are members who came to Gallatin in 1999 and have been part of the church ever since.
Beliefs in Their Own Words
The Gallatin Church of Christ describes itself as independent of other churches and denominations, using the Bible as the written standard of faith and believing in the ongoing, living action of the Holy Spirit. Members worship a cappella - that is, they sing without the use of instruments. The Lord's Supper is observed every Sunday, and Communion is open. Baptism is taught and practiced by immersion for people who confess their desire to be a disciple of Jesus.
The congregation is self-described as "Christians only, not the only Christians." Members believe in the need for Christian unity and hold that the church of Jesus Christ on earth is not defined by names on church signs. "The Lord knows those who are his," the church writes, citing 2 Timothy 2:19, "and is active in many people in this community."
The church's broader statement of faith - which has guided the congregation for many years - declares members to be "a congregation of believers in Christ, saved by the grace of God," committed to "the proclamation and practice of New Testament Christianity." The Bible alone is the guide in matters of faith, and the church is "ready to embrace and to preach the whole counsel of God." In matters of opinion, members apply the principle of individual Christian liberty. The church refuses to make a "test of fellowship" of anything the Holy Spirit has not made a condition of salvation, and it does not seek to build up any party, sect, division, or denomination.
The congregation traces its heritage to the Restoration Movement and sees itself as part of "the church of Christ" in the fullest sense of that term.
Finding the Building
The church stands at 150 East Main Street, Gallatin, Tennessee. Parking is available in a parking garage behind the church, and visitors enter through the back door of the building, which faces the garage. The main phone line is (615) 452-0271, and the childcare office can be reached at 615-452-0818. The full calendar of recurring events is published online and can be added through Google Calendar, Outlook 365, or Outlook Live, or exported as an .ics file.