About Us
Who We Are
It has been said the church is a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints. That is certainly the case with Meridian. We really are a bunch of troubled, touchy, broken, self-centered people who God has brought together to be His church. The Apostle Peter calls us "living stones" that are being built into a spiritual house. Just as a stone mason selects each individual stone out of the pile, chipping off the rough edges so that it will fit into just the right place, so the Lord has selected each member of Meridian, and He is chipping away at each one of us by His Word and Spirit, sanctifying us, and fitting us together as a spiritual house for His glory.
Our purpose is simple; we want to glorify God by loving Him, loving people, and living out the gospel. Through God's grace in Jesus Christ we are His people, and He is our God. He calls the church to glorify Him by preaching the Scriptures in corporate worship, by making Him known through evangelism and missions, by incorporating people into the body of the church, and by building up believers to maturity so that they know God's Word and lovingly obey Him.
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We invite you to visit Meridian, and our prayer is that you truly experience God's presence. We love you so much that we are delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.
Our Story
PAST: No doubt the twenty-seven charter members who met to form and establish Meridian Baptist Church were mindful of Ephesians 3:20-21: “Now to Him that is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory . . . throughout all generations forever and ever!” The founding members met to establish Meridian Baptist Church on April 12, 1874 in a one-room log schoolhouse on Old Sevierville Pike (approximately four miles south of Knoxville). Members were faithful and a church building was erected on Old Sevierville Pike by October of that year. Even though the following years were marked with poverty and struggle, the church continued to prosper and grow. In May of 1945, land was purchased for a new church building on Chapman Highway where the church now stands. The building opened in 1953 with 403 church members enrolled. The church continued to grow with approximately 700 attending services in 1964. This growth led to many new renovations to the building including a large educational wing with four floors and major renovations to the sanctuary, office, choir lofts, library, classrooms, and the fellowship hall.
PRESENT: The church currently exists to glorify God by loving Him, loving people, and living out the gospel. Through God’s grace in Jesus Christ, we are His people, and He is our God. We glorify Him by teaching the gospel, making Him known through evangelism and missions, and embracing and building up believers to maturity so that they know God’s Word and lovingly obey Him.
FUTURE: The church celebrated its 150th Anniversary on April 12, 2024 with our prayer for the future being continued prosperity and spiritual growth. We are the fruit of His labor and may we continue to be used to fulfill His glory now and in the future. May our church continue to radiate the love of Jesus Christ to the world and attract lost souls to the word of God. “Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful. May the fire of our devotion light their way. May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe; and the lives we live inspire them to obey. Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful. (Steve Green, “Find Us Faithful.”)
