Beaver Baptist Church sits along Holly Grove Road in Brighton, Tennessee, where it has gathered as a local fellowship of believers who covenant together to affirm the Word of God and to live out in practice what the Bible teaches in doctrine. The church describes itself as family-friendly, and its life revolves around three rhythms that appear throughout its teaching: Gather, Grow, and Go.
Sunday Mornings, Sunday Nights, and Wednesday Nights
The weekly schedule at Beaver Baptist has a clear shape. On Sunday mornings, small group classes for every age meet at 9:30, and the worship service begins at 10:30 with biblical teaching and warm fellowship. That Sunday service is livestreamed on YouTube for those who cannot be in the room. Sunday evenings at 5:00 bring the small groups back together, with the understanding that actual start times vary by group.
Wednesday nights anchor the church's midweek life. At 6:00 PM, BeaverKids begins for children, and at 6:30 PM adults share a meal before the 7:00 PM Bible study, where the church works through Scripture verse by verse.
BeaverKids: Infants through Fifth Grade
The children's ministry, called BeaverKids, ministers to children from newborn through fifth grade. Its leadership team describes a fivefold mission: to equip, support, and encourage parents and guardians, recognizing that what happens at home matters more than what happens at church; to pray and intercede for children and families; to teach for response, aiming for God-loving and God-fearing hearts and lives more than just head knowledge; to offer God-centered curricula; and to model God's truths and character.
Classes are offered on both Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, organized by age: Nursery (newborn to two years), PreK-Kindergarten, first and second grade, and third through fifth grade.
Student Ministry: Sixth through Twelfth Grade
The student ministry serves sixth through twelfth graders with the same conviction that transformation happens through grace and that what happens at home is more important than what happens at church. The Beaver Student Ministry aims to equip, support, and encourage parents and guardians; to pray and intercede for students and families; to teach for God-loving and God-fearing hearts and lives; to offer God-centered curricula; and to model God's truths and character.
Classes for grades six through twelve meet on Sunday mornings at 9:30. On Wednesday nights, student-led worship and Bible study are offered for grades seven through twelve. The ministry roots itself in Psalm 71:17: "O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds."
Men's Ministry
Beaver Baptist's men's ministry gathers men of all ages to grow in faith, build genuine friendships, and encourage one another in the gospel. Three recurring events shape the rhythm of the year for the men.
The Wildlife Supper, held the first Saturday in March, has been a Beaver Baptist tradition for more than forty years. The dinner features various types of wild game cooked many different ways, paired with a gospel-centered message that encourages men to live submitted lives for God's glory.
On the first Sunday of every month, the men gather for a breakfast of southern home cooking, fellowship, and a Bible study focused on men's topics, taught by men to help them grow as men of God.
Once a year, the men retreat to Chickasaw State Park for a weekend of fellowship, accountability, truth, and great food.
Women's Ministry
The women's ministry team organizes Bible study fellowships and discussions throughout the year. On the first Tuesday of every month, women of all ages meet for a time of prayer and sharing, eating together, fellowshipping, lifting up prayer needs, and praying for one another.
Senior Adults
Senior adults have their own small group classes at 9:30 on Sunday mornings. Jane Thornton leads the Senior Adult Women in Room 101 beside the sanctuary, and Bobby Dodson leads the Senior Adult Men in Room 102. The senior adults join the rest of the adults on Wednesday nights for dinner and Bible study.
Small Groups: The Backbone of the Church
Beaver Baptist calls small groups the backbone of its church structure. This is where individuals are equipped for the work of the ministry, each one participating in Bible study, fellowship, and prayer time.
Sunday morning small groups include the senior adult groups described above, and several small groups meet in homes on Sunday evenings at 5:00 PM:
- Hunter and Adrianna Short lead a Young Adult Small Group
- Bo and Melanie Gross lead an Adult Small Group
- Brian and Amanda Billings lead an Adult Small Group
- Morgan and Kayla Moody lead a Young Adult Small Group
Gather, Grow, Go
The church organizes its purpose around three words that appear throughout its teaching.
Gather. Beaver Baptist comes together weekly in small groups, mid-week Bible studies, and worship services. Small groups serve as the backbone of this structure, the place where individuals are equipped to participate in Bible study, fellowship, and prayer.
Grow. As believers gather and use the gifts the Father has given them, they grow into His likeness. The church points to Colossians 1:28 as its aim: "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
Go. The result of gathering and growing is going. Every New Testament command to love and serve, the church teaches, can be preceded with "Go." The Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you," shapes the leadership team's name and the church's outward focus.
What Beaver Baptist Believes
Beaver Baptist describes itself as a creedal people and holds the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as its statement of faith. The church walks through the articles of that confession.
God. One God, creator and sustainer of all things, to whom is owed the highest love, reverence, and obedience. He is infinitely perfect in love, justice, and holiness, and exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes but without division of nature, essence, or being.
The Bible. Written by men divinely inspired, the Bible is God's revelation of Himself to man, a perfect treasure of divine instruction that is totally true and trustworthy. It is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried, and all Scripture testifies to Christ.
Man. Made in God's image as male and female, man was created innocent and endowed with freedom of choice. By that free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
Salvation. Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification, and there is no salvation apart from repentance of sin and personal faith in Jesus Christ.
God's Purpose of Grace. Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. True believers endure to the end; those God has accepted in Christ will never fall away from the state of grace but shall persevere to the end.
Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's death to sin and resurrection to walk in newness of life. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.
The Family. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime, God's unique gift that reveals the union between Christ and His church. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.
The Christian in Society. Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in their own lives and in human society. They are to oppose racism, greed, selfishness, and every form of sexual immorality, and to work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick.
Pastor and Staff
Pastor Shane Harchfield and his wife Jennie lead Beaver Baptist Church. Morgan Moody serves as pastoral intern alongside his wife Kayla, who leads one of the young adult small groups.
The church offices are open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM at 9344 Holly Grove Road in Brighton. Online giving is available, and sermons and services are shared on YouTube for those who want to follow along from home.