At 830 New Byhalia Road in Collierville, Tennessee, Collierville First Baptist Church is known for its stated commitment: glorifying God by totally committing itself to Jesus Christ and the explosive growth of His Kingdom. Sunday life follows a clear rhythm, with Connect Groups at 9:15 AM and worship at 10:45 AM. Around those gatherings are ministries for preschool children through seniors, a welcome for people with special needs, Bible-centered worship arts, an active prayer life, and mission work reaching from Collierville to international partners.
Sunday Begins at 9:15 With Connect Groups
Connect Groups meet weekly to cultivate Christ-centered friendships that encourage, challenge, and focus lives toward a growing relationship with Jesus. Adults gather at 9:15 AM, while age-specific groups for preschool children, elementary students, middle and high school students, college students, and the S.H.I.N.E. community meet across the same morning. Their activities are designed to encourage biblical maturity through study, shared life, worship, and relationships.
Sunday worship begins at 10:45 AM. The service is live interpreted for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and the congregation can also join through the church's worship livestream. Preschool Worship Hour runs during the service with worship, crafts, snacks, recreation, and Bible teaching. Children in first through fifth grades remain with their parents during worship, while older students and adults have their own groups or gathering options. The sermon archive provides past messages, audio, and notes.
Chuck Herring and a Kingdom-Focused Team
Dr. Chuck Herring has led CFBC since 2003. Before entering ministry, he spent eight seasons as a high school football coach and teacher. He earned a B.S. and M.Ed. from Mississippi State University, then received his M.Div. and D.Min. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Before joining CFBC, he served as pastor of New Hope Baptist Church, Mullins Station Baptist Church, and First Baptist Church in Richland, Mississippi. He says his chief focus is knowing Jesus and making Him known. Executive Pastor Sam Nichols and a team of pastors and ministry directors carry the work through NextGen, worship, discipleship, missions, families, special-needs care, communications, and other areas of church life.
Preschool to Students: Growing Up at CFBC
CFBC's NextGen ministries place parents alongside the church as primary disciple-makers. Leaders seek to equip parents for the faith formation happening at home, then offer age-specific ways for children and students to learn about Jesus, worship, serve, and belong with their peers.
Preschool: Babies Through Kindergarten
Preschool serves babies through kindergarten. At Connect Groups at 9:15 AM, teachers follow a chronological Bible curriculum and use age-appropriate activities to help children understand the big picture of God's redemption. During Worship Hour at 10:45 AM, preschoolers rotate through worship, crafts, snacks, and recreation in ways that reinforce the lesson. Music and Missions meets Wednesdays at 6:30 PM for singing, movement, instruments, and learning about missionaries in the United States and around the world.
Weekday Early Education, or WEE, meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM. The preschool program supports spiritual, emotional, physical, and academic growth in a safe, structured, loving, God-centered environment. Registration continues throughout the year and depends on class availability.
Kids: First Through Fifth Grade
Children in first through fifth grades gather in Room 2250 at 9:15 AM. They begin with announcements and a lesson overview, then move into classrooms for a creative video, Bible stories, games, crafts, and activities using the Gospel Project curriculum on a three-year rotation. During the 10:45 AM service, children stay with their parents so they can observe worship and see a parent respond to God. Engage: Kids meets Wednesdays at 6:30 PM for games, worship, teaching, an activity or craft, and monthly missions and church-planting lessons.
Students: Sixth Through Twelfth Grade
The Kingdom Collective serves students in grades six through twelve. At 9:15 AM, students gather in the Student Area before splitting into groups by gender and grade for relationships, pursuing Jesus, and Bible study. MidWeek meets every Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:30 PM on the second floor for worship, games, snacks, and a preached word. Service projects and retreats extend student fellowship and faith into experiences beyond the church.
S.H.I.N.E. Welcomes Babies Through Adults
The S.H.I.N.E. Ministry, meaning Seeing Him IN Everyone, serves babies through adults and affirms that every person with a disability exists to glorify God and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. At 9:15 AM, younger children join age-level classes, school-age students may join their grade groups or the sensory room, special buddies can provide one-to-one attention, and adults have a Connect Group designed for them. During 10:45 AM worship, families stay together, while children who need a smaller setting can remain in the sensory room for Bible teaching, worship, and activities. On Wednesdays at 6:30 PM, children participate with peers and a buddy when needed. Sunday interpreters serve people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and those friends also gather socially outside church hours.
Discipleship Through Every Stage of Adult Life
College and Adult Connect Groups
For college-aged adults ages 18 to 25, a Connect Group meets at 9:15 AM in Room 2354 for fellowship and study of God's Word. A Sunday PM gathering at 7:30 PM in the gym includes games, relationships, Bible study, and food. Weekend getaways, late-night meals, movies, and service opportunities extend the college community through the year.
All adults are strongly encouraged to join a Connect Group, which is intended to connect people to God through His Word, to one another, and to the community with the church. Equip Classes address real-life issues through in-depth Bible studies offered at different times during the week.
Men and Women
Men's discipleship groups gather in groups of three to five for Bible study, friendship, and accountability. Additional men's Bible studies take place during the week and on Wednesday nights, helping men become the spiritual leaders God calls them to be at home and at work. Recurring men's gatherings include father-and-son retreats, conferences, and a range night with fellowship and a shared meal.
Women's Bible studies meet for different stages of life, supported by a church writing team that has produced studies on Malachi, Galatians, Hosea, Philippians, Esther, and more. Women on Mission is a discipleship group that puts faith into practice through mission projects, ministry, prayer, giving, and Bible study. Free Connect Meals and other recurring gatherings create places for women to build community.
Mature and Senior Adults
Mature adults remain active through Sunday morning classes with fellowship, accountability, Bible teaching, and lasting friendships. Gatherings include shared meals, music, and laughter, while day trips, overnight trips, and a senior retreat add fellowship and teaching. Service networks let seniors contribute as well. Teams provide labor for home repairs for widows, homebound couples, and single mothers, with the homeowner supplying materials; drive people to appointments or errands; and deliver hot Agape Meals each week. Prayer and Pancakes serves recreation teams with a free breakfast, while other recurring ministries include service at Ridgecrest Conference Center and processing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.
Substance Over Style: Choir, Orchestra and NextGen
CFBC's first core value is Authentic Worship: worship is God-centered and focuses on substance rather than style. The adult-and-teen Collierville First Baptist Choir rehearses weekly at 6:00 PM and centers on proclaiming biblical truth through music rather than performance for its own sake. The orchestra welcomes instrumentalists of all ages and also rehearses at 6:00 PM, adding depth to congregational singing. A weekly media team supports the message and music through audio, video, lighting, and other technical work, both in the room and through livestream.
NextGen worship begins with Hearts of Praise for preschoolers, CREW 82 for grades one through five, and a Student Worship Choir for grades six through twelve. CREW 82 rehearses at 5:45 PM and the student choir at 5:15 PM; both are equipped to lead select Sunday services and other events. The Collierville Performing Arts Studio provides private voice, piano, guitar, drum, brass, string, and woodwind lessons in a Christian environment where students can learn all styles of music.
Dr. Joshua McClain leads worship ministry, Bob Rice directs the orchestra, James Nelson leads technical ministry, and Hannah McClain coordinates NextGen worship. Choir members, instrumentalists, singers, and technical teams serve the congregation throughout the week.
Bible, Baptism and a Prayerful People
CFBC says it exists to glorify God through total commitment to Jesus Christ and the growth of His Kingdom. The Bible governs its faith and practice, and seven core values shape its shared life:
- Authentic Worship: Worship is God-centered and focuses on substance rather than style.
- Bible Based: The Bible governs faith and practice.
- Caring Community: The body of Christ loves others sacrificially.
- Disciple Making: Believers are helped to take next steps toward spiritual maturity.
- Empowered Prayer: The church seeks to know and follow God's will.
- Family Focused: The church partners with homes to develop Christ-centered families.
- Gospel Driven: The church shares Jesus intentionally through relationships with neighbors and nations.
Christian baptism is defined as the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience that symbolizes faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ.
Prayer is both a core value and a practiced ministry. CFBC prays for requests submitted through its prayer ministry and celebrates reports of answered prayer. Guides and teaching videos address practical prayer, fasting, righteousness, and the difference prayer makes. In 24Pray, participants reserve 30-minute portions of a 24-hour prayer period that begins Tuesday at 7:00 AM and ends Wednesday at 7:00 AM. The focus includes CFBC ministry, revival, spiritual awakening, government leaders and judges, and other needs. Fasting is encouraged but not required, with spring and fall sessions and a summer pause.
From Collierville's Front Door to the Nations
CFBC's Gospel Driven value is lived through relationships with neighbors and nations. Its local ministry addresses clothing needs, homelessness, unplanned pregnancy, orphan care, athlete mentorship, and newcomer resettlement, always with an intention to share Jesus.
- A clothing closet seeks to meet basic needs and create opportunities to share the gospel.
- Teams serve people experiencing homelessness at Memphis Union Mission by sharing meals and the gospel of Jesus.
- The Fellowship of Christian Athletes partnership mentors and ministers to high school athletes.
- Volunteers serve women facing unplanned pregnancies through Life Choices.
- A Tennessee Baptist Children's Home partnership mobilizes the church to care for orphans through Christian-family involvement, teaching, mentoring, resources, and service.
- An International Peoples Team helps newcomers learn culture and build a new life while sharing the good news of the gospel.
Each summer, neighborhood-based Backyard Kids Clubs use stories, crafts, and activities to share the gospel. Churches and families can serve as hosts or volunteers. Other local relationships include One by One Ministries, Refugee Memphis, Brinkley Heights Urban Academy, Send Relief Memphis Ministry Center, and English-language learning.
Internationally, CFBC partners with the International Mission Board, New Day Orphanage, Casa Para Ninos Aleluya, and Send Relief. The church cites orphan work in Guatemala and engagement with an unreached people group in India as examples of its wider mission. Its church-plant partnerships include Fellowship Pickering, Fellowship Church Rouge Park, and Fellowship Bowmanville in Toronto; New Thing Church in Las Vegas; Redeemer Fellowship in Indiana; Renaissance Church in Pittsburgh; and churches in Memphis including Unashamed, Christ Fellowship, The Dwelling Place, Hope Fellowship, Risen Savior, The Power Spot, and Transform.
CFBC funds mission work through its regular budget and annual World Mission Offering. That offering supports the International Mission Board, North American Mission Board, Send Relief, local missions, church plants, unengaged people group missions, and Tennessee Baptist Children's Homes. Mission giving is also available through online giving.
Discover CFBC and Find a Place to Serve
Discover CFBC is a recurring introduction for people who want to understand the church. Pastor and staff discuss who CFBC is and where it is going, and guests can ask questions. The gathering includes childcare and a free meal for the family. It is offered about once each month.
The church outlines a progression from Discover to baptism, a Connect Group, Equip Classes, and service. Baptism is treated as an act of obedience and witness, while Connect Groups provide relationships and Equip Classes use in-depth Bible study for real-life issues.
Recreation adds another setting for fellowship. CrossWay Sports is a cooperative ministry with Central Church, Collierville United Methodist Church, Covenant Baptist Church, and Emmanuel Baptist Church. It offers spring baseball, fall soccer, basketball, and cheerleading in a positive environment centered on Jesus Christ. Adult basketball, fitness classes for different ages and levels, a walking track, fitness rooms, golf tournaments, picnics, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes broaden the recreation rhythm.
Volunteer roles range from children's and student ministry to camera operation and CrossWay Sports. CFBC teaches that every person has spiritual gifts meant to serve the church and others. Collierville First Baptist's life thus moves from Sunday teaching and worship into homes, classrooms, workplaces, recreation, care networks, and mission partnerships, all centered on commitment to Jesus Christ and the growth of His Kingdom.