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Our History

Grace Covenant Baptist Church was founded in January 1993 with the vision of establishing a Bible-believing church and Christian school that would provide an affordable Christian education for interested families.

Rev. Dr. Alan Smith has served as Administrative Pastor since its beginning, with his wife, Deborah, directing early childhood and elementary programs. They cater to Ball Camp, Cedar Bluff, and Hardin Valley Schools, and oversee Grace Covenant Baptist Academy for grades K-6. The Smiths, both from Knoxville and children of Southern Baptist ministers, have three children and three grandchildren. They both attended West High School. Dr. Smith is the son of Rev. Taylor Smith, while Deborah is Rev. James R. Stroud’s daughter.

Our Affiliations

Grace Covenant Baptist Church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention located in Augusta, Georgia. Since its beginning in 1945, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has grown to a membership of over 16 million members that worship weekly in more than 45,000 Southern Baptist churches across the United States. We are proud to be a Southern Baptist Convention affiliate church because of its vision of missions across the United States and around the world.

The SBC supports approximately 5,000 missionaries across the United States and its territories, including Canada and the Caribbean. In addition to these mission endeavors, the Southern Baptist Convention has over 5,000 missionaries serving in 153 nations around the world.

Sunday Mornings

9:30 am – Adult Small-Group Bible Study
10:45 am – The Gathering (A blended worship experience)

People from various church backgrounds attend Grace Covenant Baptist Church, a conservative Bible-believing Baptist church in Knoxville, TN. Therefore, the church seeks to present the teachings of the Bible in our small groups and Christian school in Knoxville TN in a manner that all who attend may understand the important truths of the Bible, and through that understanding, apply those truths in a practical application for daily living.

At Grace Covenant Baptist Church, you will find the Sunday worship services somewhat informal, yet orderly and reverent. Our focus in worship is not upon religion, but rather upon one’s personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Therefore, when the church gathers in celebrative worship, those attending enter into worship recognizing the presence of God, bringing to Him their offerings of praise, desiring to know Him more deeply and intimately, quietly listening to His voice through the message from God’s Word, and then departing with a spirit of encouragement and determination to victoriously live out that personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Student Ministry

Children and students today face numerous challenges, from broken families to bullying. We believe these challenges can be overcome through God’s Word and the power of Christ, offering weekday Bible studies and a Christian school to help children and students realize their potential for Jesus. The church aims to nurture students into educated and devoted followers of Jesus Christ, prepared to embrace their divine purpose in life.

Adult Ministries

Grace Covenant Baptist Church offers diverse ministries catering to adults at every life stage. They host Sunday morning and Wednesday evening Bible Study groups, along with several adult groups for fellowship and support, including Singles, Men’s Fellowship, Prayer, Women’s, and Senior Adult Ministries. For more details on these ministries, the church office can be contacted.

Worship Ministry

Grace Covenant Baptist Church provides a mix of contemporary and traditional music to cater to diverse preferences. Alongside classic hymns, the church features modern Christian music, performances from various group sizes, and an instrumental band. Special musical and drama events are also showcased during holidays to highlight seasonal messages.

Latest Sermons

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Watch Live on Sunday Morning

Church Service – September 8, 2024

September 8, 2024

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What We Believe

At the heart of our congregation lies a set of deeply-held beliefs that guide our spiritual journey and shape our relationship with God. Explore the foundational tenets of our faith that unite and inspire us in our collective pursuit of divine understanding and purpose.

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible and inerrant Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:20, 21). We approach the teachings of Scripture using the literal or historical-grammatical method, following the rules of grammar, history, literature and culture, believing that the words recorded in the Bible are an accurate accounting of the writerâs meaning and intent.

We believe that mankind was created by God without sin, created in Godâs likeness out of His desire for fellowship with man (Genesis 1:26, 27). Although having been created in a perfect environment, we believe that sin entered into the world through Adam, and through him sin was brought upon all mankind resulting in both physical and spiritual death (Romans 5:12-21). As a result of Adam’s sin, man is a sinner, both by nature and by choice, and is eternally separated from God apart from salvation through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-8).

We believe that salvation is a gift of God and can only be received through oneâs personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Salvation cannot be earned through any means of human achievement, works or ceremony (Ephesians 2:8-10). We believe that nothing can separate any believer from Jesus Christ and that true believers will demonstrate in daily living a life that has truly been transformed by the power of Christ (John 10:27-30; Romans 8:33-39).

We believe the two ordinances of the church are believer’s baptism (by immersion), which is an outward expression of an inward faith (Matthew 28:19); and the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion, a memorial of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ upon the cross, of which Christians are encouraged to practice until Christ returns (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

We believe the Church of Jesus Christ is an organism, not an organization, comprised of those who have professed a personal faith in Jesus Christ as both Savior and Lord (Acts 2:47). History reveals that the Church began on the day of Pentecost and has continued throughout the ages as persons are brought into the Church by the work of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4, 41-47; 1 Corinthians 12:13). We believe the local church is a gathering of persons who have professed faith in Jesus Christ, who gather for the purpose of worship, Bible study, Christian fellowship, and preparation for Christian service (Acts 2:41-47). We believe the local church has the privilege, under the authority of Christ, to govern its own affairs. We believe that it is God’s intention for all believers to participate and serve through the local church.

We believe the Bible teaches that the first day of the week is the Lordâs Day (Acts 20:7, 8). It is a day to be regularly observed (Exodus 20:8-11; Hebrews 10:23). It is a day set aside to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ through worship and spiritual devotion, and should be a day of resting from labor, except those works of necessity and mercy.

We believe in the future, bodily return of the Jesus Christ wherein He will reign over the earth and will establish righteousness and peace (Isaiah 9:6, 7; 11:2-5; Matthew 24:30; Acts 1:11). We believe that the church will be raptured before a tribulation period and that Christ will reign for a literal 1,000 years until, after the Great White Throne Judgment, a new heaven and new earth will be brought into existence (Matthew 24:30, 31; 25:31, 32; 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17; Revelation 21:1).

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