A Baptist Church on Hill Road in Kingsport

Indian Springs Baptist Church sits on Hill Road in the Indian Springs community of Kingsport, Tennessee, in the rolling foothills of Sullivan County. The congregation gathers across two connected buildings - the Worship Center at 214 Hill Road, and the offices, Student Center, and Christian Life Center at 325 Hill Road - and describes itself as "a fellowship of believers committed to helping you grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ."

ISBC's tagline is "We Live to Praise Him." The church's stated purpose is to "give the Lord God glory, in the name of Jesus, and through the power of the Holy Spirit." Three rhythms shape that purpose: Life in Christ, Life Together, and Life on Purpose - growing in faith, building community, and using gifts to serve. Members and visitors are welcomed warmly; the church emphasizes that "it does not matter how you are dressed or who you voted for," and that no one is met with shame, guilt, or condemnation.

Sunday Mornings at ISBC

The weekly Sunday schedule begins at 9:00 AM with Bible Study for all ages. Classes are organized so that preschoolers through senior adults can study Scripture together. At 10:30 AM, the congregation gathers in the Worship Center for the main worship service, a blended gathering that combines a praise band, choir, and orchestra with a steady diet of expository preaching from the pastoral team. A children's worship experience called Worship in the Hive runs at the same hour, giving younger kids an age-appropriate version of the service.

Visitors will find marked guest parking near the Welcome Center entrance. Greeters direct drivers in and answer questions at the door. Inside, the Welcome Desk, just to the right of the Welcome Center doors, has volunteers ready to answer questions, hand out a first-time guest gift, and help direct children to the right rooms. A digital Connect Card helps the staff prepare for first-time families and speeds up children's check-in.

ISBC Kids: Preschool Through Elementary

Children's ministry at ISBC is built around the idea of helping kids "bee-lieve, bee-come, and bee-long." Children from birth through fifth grade have a dedicated space called The Hive. Sunday morning Bible Study for kids runs from 9:00 to 10:00 AM, with classrooms organized by age. Kids in kindergarten through second grade also have a special Kid's Worship hour on the first and second Sundays of the month, gathering with preschoolers for music, games, and teaching that builds on the morning's Bible study.

Safety is taken seriously. Every ISBC Kids volunteer goes through a background check and regular training, and the church uses a secure check-in and check-out system. Preschool Morning Kids Worship for ages 2 through 4 runs on Sunday mornings, and on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, Journey Kids welcomes children ages 3 through fifth grade for Scripture memory, music, and Christ-centered teaching in the Christian Life Center, August through May.

Students in Grades 6 Through 12

The student ministry partners with parents to disciple teenagers into lifelong faith. On Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM, students meet in age-based groups in the Worship & Education Building - middle schoolers work through The Gospel Project, while high schoolers study books of the Bible. Sunday evenings at 5:30 PM bring students and their families together in the Student Center for a Bible-study-and-fellowship hour called EQUIP. Wednesday Student Nights run from 6:00 to 8:00 PM and start with a free meal at 6:00, followed by worship and gospel-centered teaching.

Elijah Cox, who grew up in the Indian Springs community and has attended ISBC since birth, leads the student ministry as Associate Pastor of Students. He began serving in that role in October 2023 and is completing his Master of Divinity in Pastoral Ministry and Preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Nakayla live in the Indian Springs community with their three boys.

Wednesday Evenings for the Whole Church

Wednesday nights are one of the busiest times on the Hill Road campus. AWANA, the church's midweek children's program, kicks off with a meal at 6:00 PM and runs from 6:30 to 7:30. Students gather for their own Student Nights at the same hour. At 6:30 PM, Journey Kids begins in the Christian Life Center and Adult Discipleship Classes meet across the campus. At 8:00 PM, the Student Center hosts a College Bible Study. Choir and Orchestra rehearsal begins at 7:00 PM, with the orchestra rehearsing separately at 7:45 and the praise band at 8:00.

What ISBC Believes

ISBC identifies as a Southern Baptist congregation, and its beliefs are organized as an eighteen-article Statement of Faith. The articles cover the Scriptures, God, man, salvation, God's purpose of grace, the church, baptism and the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Day, the kingdom, last things, evangelism and missions, education, stewardship, cooperation, the Christian and the social order, peace and war, religious liberty, and the family.

The church teaches that the Bible is "totally true and trustworthy," the written revelation of God, and the supreme authority for faith and practice. God is one triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - who created all things and rules over history. Salvation is offered freely to all who repent and place faith in Jesus Christ; regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification describe the journey. ISBC practices believer's baptism by immersion as a public symbol of faith and a prerequisite for church membership, and observes the Lord's Supper as a memorial of Christ's death.

The church teaches that a New Testament church is "an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel," and that the scriptural offices are pastor, elder, and overseer and deacon. Members are expected to participate in cooperative missions and to give cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally. ISBC affirms marriage as the union of one man and one woman, the dignity of every human life from conception to natural death, the separation of church and state, and the call to oppose racism, greed, and sexual immorality while caring for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. The article on the church was amended June 14, 2023, by action of the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention.

Baptism and Church Membership

Baptism at ISBC is reserved for believers. The church teaches that baptism is not required for salvation - faith in Christ alone saves - but it is required for membership at ISBC. Infant sprinkling or christening is respected as a meaningful dedication, but ISBC follows the New Testament example of baptism by immersion after a personal decision to follow Jesus. The word "baptize" means to immerse, and going under the water pictures death to sin while rising out pictures new life in Christ. Those who have trusted Christ and want to be baptized are encouraged to sign up through the church office.

Becoming a member follows a clear path: believe in Jesus, be baptized, attend the Discovery Class (offered quarterly, covering why ISBC exists, what it believes, who leads it, what it gives, and what it expects of members), sign the membership covenant, connect with a group, and begin serving. The New Members Class, a 90-minute introduction to the church's history, mission, and vision, meets during the Sunday School hour throughout the year as interest requires. The Statement of Faith and church bylaws are available for review.

Discipleship Beyond Sunday Morning

Sunday Morning Bible Study groups are the hub of small-group life at ISBC, with classes for every age and stage. On Wednesday afternoons and Sundays, the church also runs Discipleship Seminars that walk through specific books and topics. Recent examples include studies by John Eldredge, Elizabeth Woodson, Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, Paul David Tripp, Jen Wilkin, Alister Begg, Risen Motherhood, and the One Year Bible.

A community Bible reading plan called Worship + Wisdom invites the whole congregation to read through Scripture together. Reading schedules are available on bookmarks at the Welcome Center, through the Church Center App, and online. The church also recommends the One Year Bible as a personal resource.

Men, Women, and Senior Adults

Men's Ministry at ISBC gathers around Proverbs 27:17, "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another," with fellowship times, training days, prayer breakfasts, service projects, and Bible study. The Women's Ministry welcomes women of every age and stage with Bible studies, small groups, and special events, and also serves the church and community through practical projects. The Women's Missionary Union meets on the third Thursday of each month at 1:30 PM in the Christian Life Center; the group prays for missionaries, supports the Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong, and Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions emphases, packs Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, supports the BCM at ETSU, and partners with local ministries like Hope House, Isaiah 117 House, and Gibsontown.

The Senior Adults Ministry is for adults age 55 and older, offering monthly gatherings, special events, and fellowship times. The group stays active in study and service and is shepherded by Pastoral Care Pastor Tom Schoeneck, who joined the ISBC staff in April 2021 and holds a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary.

A House of Prayer

The pastors describe ISBC as "a church where prayer is emphasized." Each year they call the congregation into a prayer emphasis - sometimes a week, sometimes a much longer season. The congregation has walked through 31-day prayer guides by Tiece King for three years running. Prayer Cover, a prayer luncheon held on the first Monday of each month, brings people together for a Chick-fil-A lunch at 11:45 AM followed by an hour of prayer for the church, its leaders, and the nation. Anyone can submit a prayer request through the church's prayer page, and the pastors incorporate special times of prayer into worship services and gatherings.

Praise Band, Choir, and Orchestra

Music at ISBC is deliberately blended. A contemporary Praise Band leads heartfelt worship with vocalists and instrumentalists, while the Choir and Orchestra add a fuller sound - mixing modern worship songs, gospel favorites, and carefully arranged traditional hymns. The orchestra performs classical and modern pieces alongside the choir and band. Rehearsals happen on Wednesday evenings: choir and orchestra together at 7:00 PM, orchestra alone at 7:45, and praise band at 8:00. Musicians of all skill levels are invited to join.

Local and Global Outreach

Local Share is ISBC's local outreach arm. The church partners with Engage TriCities, Gibsontown/Freeway Ministries, Hope House, Isaiah 117 House, local schools, and the Tennessee Baptist Children's Home, and hosts regular outreach events like a Sugarwood Halloween Block Party in October, Be The Church Day each spring, Appalachian Trail Days in May, and a Montana Indian Ministries mission trip in August.

International Share focuses on taking the gospel globally. ISBC currently partners with Crosspoint International Ministries to serve in Central America, often through building projects, medical care, and time spent with children while parents receive ministry and support.

The Pastoral Team

Brian Hensley, a Campbellsville University graduate in Christian Ministries with nearly thirty years of ministry experience, serves as Discipleship Director. Lyndy Davison joined ISBC as Kids Ministry Coordinator in 2024 after earning her associate's degree from Caldwell Community College and studying Early Childhood Education at East Tennessee State University. Tom Schoeneck, the Pastoral Care Pastor, joined the staff in April 2021 and has been married to his wife Carol for fifty-five years. The staff can be reached through the church office at (423) 323-2187 or staff@isbc.org.

What to Expect on Your First Visit

Indian Springs Baptist Church meets at 214 Hill Road (Worship Center) and 325 Hill Road (Offices, Student Center, Christian Life Center), Kingsport, Tennessee 37664. Sunday morning Bible Study is at 9:00 AM and worship is at 10:30 AM. Wednesday evenings include AWANA, Student Nights, Journey Kids, Adult Discipleship Classes, and College Bible Study. Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and a sermon archive is available for catching up on past messages. Giving is accepted in offering boxes in the lobbies and stairwell, through online giving, by stock gift, or via the Church Center App.

Guests are invited to fill out the digital Connect Card so the staff can prepare for their arrival. There is no dress code, and the church encourages anyone who is curious to come as they are. The congregation gathers in the rolling hills of northeast Tennessee to study Scripture, worship in song, pray together, and serve their neighbors in Kingsport and beyond.