On a stretch of Brainerd Road in Chattanooga, Brainerd United Methodist Church has anchored its corner since the early twentieth century with a brick sanctuary that seats a thousand. Today the congregation gathers every Sunday morning for a liturgy drawn from the long history of Christian worship, supported by a celebrated four-manual Moller pipe organ and a volunteer Chancel Choir. Around that weekly rhythm the church runs Sunday School classes, weekday Bible studies, a women’s fellowship, and a neighborhood food pantry that opens twice a month.
A Heritage on Brainerd Road
The congregation traces its roots to the 1840s, when small Methodist groups began gathering in the Brainerd area of Chattanooga. In 1895, a congregation that had been worshiping in a local schoolhouse purchased land for its own building, dedicating a wood-frame church known as McFerrin Chapel. As the neighborhood grew, a new brick building was completed in 1925. By 1955 the church had built a larger sanctuary with seating for 1,000 to serve its expanding membership, and the campus continued to evolve in stages between 1923 and 1961.
Through the years the church has been known by several names, including McFerrin Chapel, Belvoir Park Methodist Episcopal Church South, and Brainerd Methodist Church. The present name, Brainerd United Methodist Church, was adopted when the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren and added "United" to its title. The congregation’s mission today is to demonstrate the love of Jesus by welcoming neighbors, growing disciples, and serving those in need.
Sunday Worship at Ten
Sunday morning worship runs from 10:00 to 11:00 AM. The service is liturgical, rooted in the historic patterns of Christian worship that reach back to the early church. Scripture, congregational song, preaching of the Word, and the Lord’s Supper once a month carry the congregation through the hour. Brainerd describes itself as a liturgical but not "stuffy" church: people laugh, cry, and say amen, and dress ranges from suits and dresses to jeans and capris.
The Chancel Choir sings each week during the service, warming up in the sanctuary at 9:15 AM under the direction of Music Director Carmen Swigart. Services are also livestreamed so that members and friends can worship from home.
The Moller Organ and Music Ministry
One of the defining features of the sanctuary is its pipe organ. Built by M. P. Moller of Hagerstown, Maryland, the organ was first used on Easter Sunday 1965. It has four manuals and 4,224 pipes, and it has been carefully expanded over the decades. In 1965 the original installation was accompanied by a new stained-glass window; in 1987 and 1991 the organ system was enhanced with the addition of the State Trumpet and the III Cymbale; in 1994 a new console was installed and the action was converted to a solid-state system. The Chancel Choir was given stepped seating and expanded musicians’ space during a 2003 chancel renovation.
Music is central to worship at Brainerd. The Chancel Choir rehearses on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 PM in the Ron Starnes Choir Suite and again on Sunday mornings in the sanctuary. A handbell program rounds out the musical offerings. The music staff includes Director of Music Ministry Carmen Swigart, Organist Jeff Scofield, Piano and Bass Section Leader Terry Sanford, and Alto Section Leader Margaret Abernathy.
Sunday School at 11:15
Sunday School meets each week at 11:15 AM and is described as the lifeblood of the church. Classes serve as a place to learn the scriptures, discover spiritual gifts, and put those gifts to work in service. The current classes include:
- Cornerstone Class - Founded in 1982, this class is composed of enthusiastic adults ranging in age from the early 40s up, with some high-school through post-college children. Lessons draw on Biblical and current events, with lively open discussion and a full calendar of service projects.
- The Open Door - An intergenerational class of singles and couples with a rich mix of ages, offering Bible-centered lessons and spirited group discussion.
- The Upper Room - A discussion class for singles and couples that uses the Upper Room Daily Devotional Guide as its starting point for tackling questions of faith in daily life, with regular social activities.
- The Kingsbury/McFerrin Class - A class for couples and singles in their 70s through 90s that meets in members’ homes on the second Friday of each month and uses a variety of study materials and teachers.
Weekday Bible Studies
Two weekly Bible studies supplement Sunday worship. A Monday Discussion Group meets at 10:30 AM for short-term study on topics and questions of faith and the works that come from faith. A Thursday Bible Study gathers at 12 noon for prayer, fellowship, and discussion of a book of the Bible, and is open to longtime learners as well as those new to faith and study.
Women of Faith
Women of Faith at Brainerd is the local expression of United Methodist Women, and is open to all women of the church. Members gather in small Circles, some meeting during the day and others in the evening, at the church or in homes. Their work is organized around five mission initiatives: providing opportunities to grow spiritually, equipping women and girls to be leaders, providing transformative educational experiences, organizing for growth and flexibility, and working for justice through service and advocacy.
The Circles sponsor youth for mission trips, host a back-to-school breakfast for children at Family Way and donate backpacks and school supplies, collect books for local elementary schools, serve meals to people experiencing homelessness, and run ongoing fundraisers and mission seminars. The group’s stated purpose is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ, to develop a creative and supportive fellowship, and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.
Missions and Outreach
The congregation takes seriously the call of Acts 1:8 to be witnesses at home, in the region, across the country, and around the world. As a United Methodist congregation, Brainerd is connected to the wider work of the Holston Conference, which supports mission projects both within the conference and abroad. The church also supports Camp Lookout, a United Methodist camp on Lookout Mountain owned by the Holston Conference.
Locally, Brainerd is a host site for the Chattanooga Food Bank, distributing food on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month and welcoming volunteers. The church shares its building with Girls Inc., offering space for their after-school programs, spring break activities, and summer camps. Each Christmas Eve, members assemble thank-you bags that people take to gas stations, fire stations, police stations, and other businesses that remain open through the holiday. The church also supports Chambliss Children’s Home and runs a Ministry Team that takes on additional projects as needs arise.
Community Life in the Building
The Brainerd Road campus is more than a place to worship on Sundays. The church gym hosts pickleball and other recreational activities, and the building offers event space for group gatherings with a kitchen and dining facilities. Weddings are held at the church and are scheduled at least three months in advance; the congregation does not distinguish between members and non-members, and welcomes anyone who wishes to be married there. To schedule an event on the church calendar, an event planning sheet is submitted to the office at least two weeks before the requested date.
What the Church Believes
Brainerd United Methodist Church teaches that there is one true God who exists eternally in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who lived, died on the cross, and rose again, and who will come again to make all things new. The Holy Spirit is given by the Father so that believers may have power to live the Christian life, unify the church, and make disciples of all nations.
The Bible is God’s word and the authority for Christian belief. Human beings are created in God’s image - male and female - and are of sacred worth, though all stand in need of God’s grace because of the self-centeredness the Bible calls sin. Salvation is a free gift and can never be earned. Baptism is God’s initiation of a person into the church and a means of grace, with infant baptism regarded as equally valid with believer’s baptism because baptism is the work of God, though each person must still choose to receive God’s free gift. Holy Communion is celebrated each time the church gathers at Christ’s table, and everyone is welcome at that table.
In the Wesleyan tradition, Christians are called to devote themselves to worship, prayer, and the reading of the scriptures, and also to do good works, loving neighbors as they love themselves - not to earn heaven, but out of gratitude for God’s love. Grace itself is God’s free gift to every human being so that all may know God, respond to God’s offer of salvation, and live the life of Jesus in the world.
Visiting Brainerd
Sunday worship begins at 10:00 AM and ends at 11:00 AM, with Sunday School following at 11:15 AM. The address is 4315 Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37411. Those wishing to join the church are invited to speak with the pastor or to fill out the card in the pew pads and drop it in the offering plate. Baptisms can be scheduled by calling the church office. Giving is available online through Realm and by text message by sending a donation amount with the keyword "bumc" to 732-56. A weekly bulletin and newsletter are available in print and online.