A Church That Has Picked Up and Moved
Woodland Park's story begins not on Standifer Gap Road but on Main Street in 1901. That year, Tabernacle Church in downtown Chattanooga launched what it called the Avenue Mission, gathering a small group of seven people - including Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Miller and Miss Dollie Clouse - in the old Grand View Hotel. The neighborhood lacked a church, and the fledgling mission was an effort to bring the gospel into it.
Thirteen years later, on April 26, 1914, the mission was formally organized as Woodland Park Baptist Church with twenty-six charter members. George W. McClure became its first pastor and saw the congregation grow to 350 members. Successive pastors guided Woodland Park through the Great Depression, World War II, and the rest of the twentieth century.
Under pastor E. L. Williams, the church grew enough by the early 1940s to replace its original building with a stone auditorium in 1942. By 1946, membership had reached 2,392, and the church began planting mission churches and outreach efforts across the region. That stone building still stands and now houses the Chattanooga Rescue Mission.
In 1978, under Charles Hyder, the church relocated to 7501 Standifer Gap Road. Wayne Barber succeeded him in 1981 and is credited with building Woodland Park's reputation as a sending church. When financial pressures forced another move, the congregation made what leadership has described as a miraculous relocation in June 2007 to its present home at 6735 Standifer Gap Road. Barber continued to lead the church until his death in 2016; Brian Kinlaw became senior pastor in December 2017.
Today the church describes itself as a beacon of hope, a sanctuary for seekers, and a family for believers, and still calls itself expectant for what comes next.
Sundays at Woodland Park
Two Sunday morning services meet at 9:15 and 10:45 AM at 6735 Standifer Gap Road. Each runs about seventy-five minutes and includes Christ-centered singing, expositional preaching, and time for connection afterward. Senior Pastor Brian Kinlaw and the teaching team share the preaching responsibilities, working through books of the Bible or sections of Scripture one verse at a time.
A Spanish-language service, Woodland Park Iglesia, also meets at 10:45 AM and offers the same worship, teaching, and community in Spanish for Chattanooga's Hispanic neighbors. Services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those unable to attend in person.
The Sunday morning experience is built around newcomers. Greeters are stationed at every entrance, a coffee hall serves complimentary drinks, and information centers throughout the building hold materials about upcoming events, groups, and ways to get involved. Visitors are encouraged to come as they are - the church's guidance is to dress comfortably and casually. Ample parking is available, and anyone can fill out a Say Hello form to have the church follow up after their first visit.
Equipping Every Generation
Woodland Park's stated mission is to Equip Every Generation to Find Belonging and Purpose through surrender to Jesus, and the generational ministries are where that mission plays out most visibly.
Kids
Family Ministries Pastor Tyler Christian oversees children's ministry, with Jennifer Chastain serving as Assistant Elementary Director. Programming is divided into three age groups, all meeting on Sunday mornings at 9:15 and 10:45 AM:
- Nursery (birth through age 2): A safe, loving environment staffed by team members who pray over the babies, sing with them, and begin introducing simple biblical truths. The nursery is also available during a 6:00 PM Sunday evening hour during the fall and spring semesters.
- Preschool and Kindergarten: Children move through age-appropriate stations including Bible teaching, worship, prayer, hands-on activities, and play. The same hour is offered on Sunday evenings during the fall and spring semesters.
- Elementary (1st through 5th grade): Kids meet in age-based small groups at 9:15 AM and gather together for The Grove, a large-group experience at 10:45 AM with worship, prayer, biblical teaching, and activities.
Beyond Sunday mornings, two recurring weekly programs run during the fall and spring semesters. On Sunday evenings at 6:00 PM, Katacheo helps elementary-age children build a foundation for following Jesus through Scripture memory, catechism, Bible skills, missions, prayer, play, and small groups. On Wednesday evenings at 6:00 PM, The Way offers an interactive night of games, challenges, object lessons, Scripture, and prayer designed to help kids live out their faith at home, at school, and with their friends. A secure check-in system, background checks for all volunteers, and a strict allergy policy help ensure safety, and a private parent Facebook group and monthly newsletter keep families connected.
Students
Middle school and high school students meet three times a week: Sunday mornings at 9:15 AM, Sunday evenings at 6:00 PM, and Wednesday evenings at 6:00 PM. Garrett Moore leads the high school ministry as High School Director, and Jesse Estes leads middle school as Middle School Director. The focus is spiritual formation and family, expressed through large group worship, teaching, events, and meaningful small group involvement. A dedicated Instagram account and text thread keep students in the loop on events.
Young Adults
Nathan Daugherty serves as Young Adult Pastor and oversees three distinct communities for adults in their late teens through thirties:
- College & Grads (ages 18-25, in or out of college) meets on Sundays at 10:45 AM and in weekly small groups.
- Young Professionals (post-college adults) meets on Sundays at 10:45 AM and Tuesdays at 6:00 PM.
- Newlyweds meets on Sundays at 10:45 AM.
Each community is designed to offer a welcoming place for sharing meals, worship, biblical teaching, and honest conversation about life and faith.
Groups, Bible Studies, and SALT
Woodland Park frames its small group ministry in Acts 2 terms: the early church devoted itself to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. The Groups ministry exists to turn acquaintances and friends into a spiritual family, with two kinds of groups offered.
Long-Term Groups focus on building relationships and encouraging one another in following Jesus. Seasonal Groups offer shorter-term opportunities to learn and grow together - things like parenting classes, finance courses, Bible studies, and care or support groups. Groups meet on Sunday mornings and throughout the week, both on campus and in homes.
Bible Studies at Woodland Park work through entire books of the Bible, line by line, in a way the church says yields transformation. Equipping Courses take a shorter-term approach and offer a biblical perspective on practical areas of life - parenting, marriage, finances, and similar topics.
For those wanting more intensive training, SALT (Servant Approach Leadership Training) is a nine-month program running fall through spring that prepares men and women to become spiritual leaders inside and outside the church. The program covers how to communicate God's Word, facilitate engaging group discussions, and deliver faithful messages.
Care for Hard Seasons
A dedicated Care ministry exists for those walking through difficult seasons. Anyone can submit a Care Request online, and a leader will follow up to provide a confidential sounding board, guidance toward professional help, and prayer. The ministry also points people to four ongoing programs:
- Four:One Journey - a sixteen-week group experience that walks participants through a deeper understanding of God's design for relationships, with sessions offered in the fall and spring.
- GriefShare - a thirteen-week support group for those navigating the grief of losing a loved one.
- DivorceCare - a thirteen-week video-based support group offering compassionate guidance and practical tools for those healing from separation or divorce.
- Round-the-Clock Prayer - a prayer request network where team members follow up to pray for submitted needs.
Across the Street and Around the World
Missions and local outreach are organized under two funds and two parallel emphases.
The Around The World fund supports national workers serving in their home countries, Christian organizations such as Lifesong, Bible in the Schools, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Choices, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Hope and Help International, Lazio Mission League, and the Tennessee Baptist Children's Home, special projects and pastoral mission trips, and short-term trips led by church members. Woodland Park supports roughly two dozen missionary families serving with agencies including AMG International, Cru, Ethnos 360, Biblical Ministries Worldwide, ABWE, Caribbean Ministries Association, Trans World Radio, Christar, Camino Global, Entrusting the Word of Grace International, Training Leaders International, Josiah Venture, the IMB, Operation Mobilization, Parable, Peace & Hope International, and the Jesus Film Project - across places as varied as Albania, Asia, Colombia, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and a number of U.S. cities. AMG International and Caribbean Ministries Association also lead short-term trips church members can join.
The Across The Street fund supports local outreach in three main areas:
- Food Pantry: Open every Wednesday from 10:00 to 11:30 AM, providing nourishment to neighbors experiencing temporary or ongoing hardship. Volunteers serve as shoppers, stockers, and friendly faces who share the gospel with guests. A concentrated food drive happens each March, though donations are received year-round.
- Street Ministry: On Sunday afternoons, teams head to downtown Chattanooga to serve a hot meal to people experiencing homelessness, distribute non-perishable food items, share a short Bible message, and pray with those they meet.
- Tyner Schools: Throughout the year, Woodland Park supports Tyner Middle School, Tyner High School, and Bess T. Shepherd Elementary through classroom cleaning before the school year, gift card collections for teacher supplies, graduations, sports team dinners, and teacher in-service training days.
The church also partners with several local organizations including Choices (free pregnancy services), Child Evangelism Fellowship, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Forgiven Much Ministries (addiction recovery), the Gideons International, and Hope Unlimited Ministries (supporting single mothers).
What Woodland Park Believes
Woodland Park Baptist Church is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention, and its beliefs page lays out a detailed statement of faith. The church affirms belief in one God eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each fully God. It teaches that Jesus Christ is God the Son who became flesh through the virgin birth, lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a substitute for sinners, rose bodily from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return personally and visibly to consummate history. The Holy Spirit is described as the one who convicts and draws sinners, indwells believers from the moment of salvation, and seals them until the day of redemption.
The Bible is held to be the verbally inspired, inerrant Word of God in the original manuscripts and the supreme authority for faith and life. Humanity is described as totally depraved apart from God's grace, and salvation as a gift received by faith alone in Christ alone, wholly the work of God's grace and not of human effort. Distinctives include believer's baptism by immersion (the church does not practice infant baptism), eternal security of the believer, unconditional election, irresistible grace, unlimited atonement, and a pre-millennial, pre-tribulation understanding of the end times.
Church government is elder-directed: biblically qualified men serve as elders, with deacons serving in supporting roles rather than as a decision-making body. Preaching is expositional, working through books of the Bible verse by verse. The church also identifies views it considers divergent from Scripture, including Christian Reconstructionism, certain deliverance practices, the health-and-wealth prosperity gospel, contemporary psychology that displaces Scripture, New Age mysticism, and the practice of tongues as a prayer language.
Getting Connected
Woodland Park's Next Steps pathway is designed to help newcomers move from a first visit into deeper involvement. The steps include:
- Follow Jesus - a conversation starter for anyone exploring what it means to surrender to Christ.
- First Steps - a casual introduction to the church with a meal, pastors, and an overview of mission and values.
- Discover Membership - a one-time class covering church history, beliefs, and values, with membership available to those 18 and older.
- Baptism - the public next step for those who have decided to follow Jesus.
Beyond Next Steps, the Serve ministry offers more than thirty opportunities to use gifts in everything from greeting and parking to band and production, classroom teaching, small group leadership, food pantry service, street ministry, and special needs buddies. The church asks members to consider themselves owners rather than volunteers.
Staff and Elders
The pastoral team includes Brian Kinlaw (Senior Pastor and Moderator), Bruce Daugherty (Care Pastor), Eddie Rasnake (Global & Local Outreach Pastor), Nathan Daugherty (Young Adult Pastor), and Tyler Christian (Family Ministries Pastor), all of whom also serve as elders. Lay elders include Trevor Overcash, Bill Passons, and Chris Crow. Supporting ministry directors include Garrett Moore (High School) and Jesse Estes (Middle School).
A newcomer arriving at 6735 Standifer Gap Road on a Sunday morning will find a church that has, in various forms, been pointing the people of east Chattanooga toward Jesus for more than a century - and that has organized almost every part of its life around helping every generation take another step in that direction.