Following Jesus on Mountcastle Drive
First Christian Church has called the east side of Johnson City home for a hundred and fifty years. The church's address is still 200 East Mountcastle Drive, and its mission has stayed simple through all those decades: follow Jesus, love everyone, make disciples, and tell the story. FCC describes itself as "an imperfect group of people who have plenty of differences - and we love it that way," and the same phrase - "Just Jesus, for everyone" - hangs over the church's welcome materials and current sermon series alike.
The church is led by Senior Minister Ethan Magness and a Lead Team that includes Janet Galante (Groups), Nathan Hall (Worship), Nikki Hunt (Multiplication and Mission), Betsy Magness (Worship and Communications), Peter Nelson (Creative), and Adam Proffitt (Welcome and Outreach). Together they guide a large staff of ministers, residents, and interns across family ministry, groups, worship, missions, and outreach. The Elders, selected by the congregation, carry the spiritual and practical leadership of the church; FCC calls itself "a local and independent church that is not part of any larger denomination or governing body."
Two Venues, One Church
FCC is currently in the middle of a building season called the Cannonball - a two-year discipleship and generosity initiative aimed at preparing the campus "for the next 50 years of ministry." The construction has reshaped where everyone meets on Sundays and Thursdays.
Three Sunday worship services run at 8:15, 9:45, and 11:15 a.m. in the Mountcastle Venue, and a fourth Sunday gathering at 11:15 a.m. meets in the Christian Lane Venue (CLC) at 214 East Mountcastle Drive. Spanish translation is provided at the 11:15 a.m. CLC service. A new Thursday evening service at 7:00 p.m. also meets in the Christian Lane Venue, giving the church a mid-week option in addition to the Sunday rhythm.
Every weekend service follows the same order: singing, teaching, generosity, and sharing in the meal of communion. "All of our worship services are identical and everyone is encouraged to participate," the church notes. The 9:45 a.m. Sunday service is also livestreamed on Facebook Live, and full services can be watched any time on the church's YouTube channel and Vimeo page.
The Mission in Four Commands
FCC organizes everything it does around four simple commands drawn from the Great Commandments and the Great Commission. As followers of Jesus, the church says, its members live as:
- Worshippers - because we love God
- Servants - because we love everyone
- Disciplers - because we make disciples
- Missionaries - because we tell our stories
The earliest name for the Christian movement was "The Way," and FCC deliberately frames itself as a continuation of that first generation. "We exist to follow Jesus," the mission statement reads. "Every program, practice, and plan at FCC is governed by this mission and every member of FCC is challenged to embody this mission in their life."
Membership is offered to anyone who wants to partner with the church in ministry. The only requirements, the church teaches, are those found in scripture: a public confession of trust in Christ as Lord and Savior, and baptism by immersion as an outward expression of that faith. Communion, served every Sunday, is open to all believers.
What FCC Believes
The church teaches that there is one God who made all things and loves all things, and that the Bible is the church's only rule for faith and life - "inspired by God and useful for teaching us how to live." Jesus is confessed as the Son of the Living God, the anointed king promised by the prophets, who took on flesh, called disciples, taught the way of life, died for the sins of the world, and rose again three days later. His return to finish God's restoration is a present hope.
The Holy Spirit lives within every believer as Comforter and Advocate and gives gifts to every member for the work of ministry. FCC describes itself as "a Spirit-filled church" but, "for the sake of the unity of the body, in our public worship and other sanctioned church meetings, we will not teach or practice what is commonly called speaking in tongues or spontaneous words of prophecy." The Church itself is the body of Christ on earth, "God's plan for reaching the world," filled with broken, deeply loved people sent to continue Christ's mission.
Salvation, in the church's words, "is a gift from God that is received by trusting in Christ as Lord and Savior," and baptism is the Bible's mark of that trust. Every person, the church teaches, "is God's masterpiece" and has been gifted by God to do the good work God has prepared.
FCC Kids: From Nursery Through Fifth Grade
FCC Kids is built around a single conviction: "Kids aren't just the next big thing, they're here right now, ready to be mobilized for mission in God's Kingdom." The children's ministry, led by Lead Children's Minister Konnor Donahue and Associate Children's Minister Zane Gard, partners with parents "to raise up the next generation of God's people, teaching them to know God and live out God's great love for them."
Programming runs at every Sunday service:
- Nursery (infants through age two) is available at 8:15, 9:45, and 11:15 a.m. Volunteer teams are screened and trained, and check-in is at the atrium desk near entrance C between the stairs.
- Early Childhood (ages two through kindergarten) meets at 8:15 a.m. for programming, with Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. and a Worship Service at 11:15 a.m. Kids sing, dance, play, do crafts, and gather for a creative large-group Bible lesson.
- Elementary programming runs at 8:15 a.m., with Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. and Elementary Worship at 11:15 a.m. Age-focused classrooms (1st-2nd grade in Room G20C, 3rd-4th in G20B, 5th grade in G30) reinforce the Bible lesson with handouts and crafts, and the worship hour is built around high-impact worship, small group time, and life-application activities.
On Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., KidVenture turns Room G20 into an adventure classroom for 1st through 5th graders, with a new skill each month and a hands-on capstone experience. Family registration is offered online so first-time guests can have their kids pre-registered before the weekend.
FCC Students: Middle School, High School, and the Question of "Who Am I?"
Middle School and High School ministries are led by Megan Depler (Middle School) and Blake Ellis (High School). Both groups use the same basic rhythm: a large-group night on Wednesday and a deeper Sunday morning class.
- Middle School Night meets Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. in Mountcastle Suite 1-D with games, teaching from guest speakers, musical worship, and small group time. On Sunday mornings at 9:45 a.m., Middle School Class meets in The Refuge inside the Mountcastle Center for a deeper dive into God's story.
- High School Night meets Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. in The Refuge and follows the same shape - friends, worship, teaching, and small groups. The High School Class meets Sundays at 9:45 a.m. in Mountcastle Center Suite 1-C and focuses on applying scripture to everyday life.
In the summer, both groups combine for a Students Combined Class at 9:45 a.m. in the CLC and then head up to the Worship Center for the all-church 11:15 a.m. service.
College: Where Community, Faith, and Fun Collide
Skylan Stephens leads the College ministry with a clear premise: "the season of life you're in right now might feel unstable and full of change, but it's easier and way more fun when you have a solid community in the middle of it all." The ministry serves students both in school and out in the early career years.
- College Lunch is a free Sunday meal during the semester where students process the sermon together and kick off the week in community.
- College Serve Nights gather students around a meal, games, and a short devotional as they serve the local church and community.
- Small Group meets Sunday mornings at 9:45 a.m. in the Christian Lane Venue for teaching and discussion.
Groups: Sunday School, Building Blocks, and the Rest of the Week
Small groups are where "God's people start to feel like your people." FCC runs the full range.
Sunday School classes meet at 9:45 and 11:15 a.m. on Sundays. Offerings include The Bible Project (lecture-based, 9:45), Dash (an adult small group studying scripture and serving together at 11:15), PrimeTime (50s-70s, 11:15), BridgeBuilders (60s-70s in service projects, 9:45), Beyond the Surface (lecture and discussion, 9:45), Anchor (taught by Dr. Lee Magness and team, 9:45), Win-A-Kuple (seniors, 9:45), Journeying Together (a basic class for seekers and long-time believers, 9:45 in the Prayer Room), the Young Adult Sunday School class (9:45, room 116), and Young Marrieds Sunday Group (11:15).
Building Blocks groups are the church's small group push during the current sermon series. Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m. gather a co-ed group, a men's group, and a women's group, all in the Mountcastle Venue. Thursday nights at 5:45 p.m. meet in the Library and end in time for the 7:00 p.m. worship service.
Affinity and home groups fill the rest of the week: Creation Keepers (gardening and parks, fourth Monday), the Moms' Group (Sundays at 11:15 a.m. in room 116), the Tabletop Gaming Group (Monday nights), Women's Find a Fit (first and third Saturday mornings), the Tuesday Young Adult Group, Multicultural Dialogues (second Sunday of the month), the FCC Knitters (second and fourth Monday afternoons), the Flower Ministry (delivers arrangements to the Abundant Christian Living Center), the Handy Man Ministry (home repairs for single ladies, widows, and elderly), Melting Pot (provides and serves lunch for 200 people through Good Samaritan Ministries on the third Thursday), and the Ministry to Unhoused Neighbors (Sunday afternoons at 4:00 p.m.).
Specialized ministries include Cancer Support, a Tuesday-night Spanish-language Bible study for men in the atrium, and a Wednesday-night women's study called Living Soul-Full, a 26-week study on spiritual formation.
Worship, Music, and Production
The Worship team, led by Nathan Hall as Worship Minister/Area Lead, treats worship as "a lifestyle." The team's own description: "We think God especially loves when we worship through music. It has power, and we think doing it with excellence helps create an atmosphere of praise that spurs people toward an encounter with Jesus." Music and vocals come from the Worship Arts team.
Behind the scenes, Josh Buckles and Eric Vines lead Worship Production and Tech, joined by Marlee Kastens as Worship Programming Associate Minister. The production team's goal is simple: "When we're good at what we do, our tools fall into the background and worship becomes front and center." Volunteers run live sound, lighting, cameras, and graphics.
During the Cannonball season, the church released a teaching track on the Book of Acts with Lee Magness and Janet Galante walking through Acts week by week, and an Isaiah series covering chapters 56 through 66.
The Cannonball: A Two-Year Leap
Cannonball is the umbrella name for everything happening around the building campaign. "We are currently on a two-year discipleship journey called Cannonball where we are humbly praying that God moves in and through each of us, growing our generosity to see lives radically transformed by the power of the Gospel," the church explains.
The aim is twofold: complete the renovation of the main campus "for the next 50 years of ministry" and deepen the congregation's walk with Jesus. The initiative pulls together sermon series like Building Blocks (a study of the habits of the early church), the Acts teaching series, small groups, and a focused generosity push with a separate Cannonball Commitment giving track.
Weeds in My Garden: Mental Health as a Ministry
In the fall the church launched a preaching series called Weeds in My Garden that addresses suicide and self-harm, anxiety, stress and burnout, depression, and addiction. "Even the most cared for garden has weeds," the church writes. "It's a reality that a good gardener knows how to manage, cultivating beauty all the same."
The series is built around four-week rotations of a Wednesday-evening study group led by Christian mental health professionals at 6:30 p.m. in the Library, with the church's care team available after every service for private conversations and resource referrals. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction, each with its own set of practical resources.
Care and Recovery
The Care and Recovery ministry walks with people through seasons of brokenness. "At FCC we offer hope and help through the redeeming, healing love of God - shown through caring leaders, groups that matter, and insights that make a difference." One-to-one leaders support hurting parents, single moms, lonely people, marriages in crisis, and people dealing with rejection, confusion, isolation, addiction, or the loss of a job or a loved one.
Pastoral Care Ministers Donald Mushayamunda and Phil Torbett, Member Care Minister Andrea Hodges, and Care and Short Term Groups Minister Lisa Blankenship staff the work. The church also extends visits to homebound members and people in the hospital, reflecting the conviction that "the Church isn't confined to those four walls."
Prayer
The Prayer Ministry runs on the verse "for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." A Prayer Team prays regularly for needs inside and outside the church, and Prayer Partners are available to pray with individuals after each weekend service. Anyone can submit a prayer request online, and the request is treated confidentially.
Local Outreach and Benevolence
FCC's outreach philosophy is built on partnership. "We look for ways to come alongside and empower mission-driven organizations who are positioned to do good locally, nationally and globally." Rather than run programs of its own in every area, the church supports and volunteers with ministries already on the ground.
Benevolence partners include:
- The Coalition for Kids (C4K), an after-school program providing tutoring, music and art lessons, athletics, and a free snack and dinner for children in need.
- Families Free, which serves families affected by incarceration.
- Family Promise of Greater Johnson City, working with homeless and low-income families.
- Good Samaritan Ministries, founded in 1985 in Johnson City to serve the poor, low-income, homeless, children, veterans, and elderly through mentoring, education, and social services.
- LXI (Roman numerals for Isaiah 61), serving urban youth in Johnson City.
- Manna House, a 24-bed transitional home for chronically homeless men in recovery.
- Rise Up, an after-school mentoring and life-prep program.
- Safe Families for Children, hosting children while families in crisis stabilize.
- Summit, creating relational hubs for connecting, consulting, coaching, and caring around the world.
- The River, offering laundry, diapers, and hygienic supplies to women and children.
Within the church, FCC members also operate the Neighbor's Table ministry to unhoused neighbors, the Melting Pot lunch at Good Samaritan Ministries, the Handy Man Ministry for home repairs, and the Flower Ministry to the Abundant Christian Living Center.
Missions Across the Street and Around the World
FCC supports a wide network of missionaries and organizations locally and abroad. "Our missionaries locally and abroad are uniquely positioned to reach people for Christ," the church says. "We serve them as encouragers and supporters both in prayer and resources."
Locally and nationally, the church supports Milligan University and its Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Johnson University, TCM International, Appalachian Christian Camp, Arizona Reservation Ministries (ARMs) serving the San Carlos Apache Reservation, the Chaplaincy Endorsement Commission of the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, Ability Ministry (a Christian non-profit serving people with disabilities), East Tennessee Children's Home and Academy, ETSU Student Fellowship (the Campus House), Good News Productions International, International Conference on Missions, FAME Partnering in Medical Evangelism, International Disaster Emergency Services (IDES), and Mushayamunda Christian Ministries in Zimbabwe.
Internationally, FCC works alongside Manuel and Kollette Gutierrez and Joy and Oscar with CMF in Mexico City, Abigail Haagen with CMF in Mexico City, Preston and Kristin Coursey with CMF in Thailand, Aaron and Morganne Weeks with CMF in Ethiopia, Jeff and Monica Fife with River of Life Ministries in Brazil, Libby Fife with Portugal Christian Mission, Valsa Thomas with the Christian Evangelical Fellowship in India, Leonard Thompson with Strategic World Evangelism in India, and Michael and Rosalind Trusty with IDES in New Zealand. The church also partners with European Evangelistic Society, Roots in Edinburgh, and Unterwegs, the Globalscope campus ministry in Tübingen, Germany.
Cannonball Mission Trips send teams abroad. A 2026 trip took six people to Austria for two weeks to support TCM International Institute students during their intensive classes, with participants helping in cooking, cleaning, maintenance, and lawn care.
Weekday Preschool
First Christian Church Weekday Preschool is a licensed program for children ages two through five, directed by Susan Imboden. The preschool is licensed under the Tennessee Department of Human Services, holds the highest possible state licensure rating, and meets or exceeds annual continuing-education requirements in early childhood development. Every staff member is certified in pediatric CPR and first aid.
The curriculum focuses on math, science, early reading, writing, and creative arts, with weekly integrated Bible stories, monthly cooking or science experiments, special programs performed by students each year, and exploration of skills like sign language and music. Guest speakers from other countries regularly visit the classrooms.
Programs include a two-day class for two-year-olds, a three-day class for two-year-olds and three-year-olds, and a five-day class for two-, three-, and four-year-olds, all running from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Early Care (7:30 to 8:30 a.m.) and Afternoon Care (12:00 to 5:15 p.m.) are available for children 30 months and older who are enrolled in the Core Curriculum. Limited need-based partial scholarships are available.
Internships, Residencies, and Next Steps
FCC runs an Internships and Residencies program through Nikki Hunt's Multiplication and Mission team. Team Internships are offered by semester and are usually unpaid, Staff Internships can be paid or unpaid, and Residencies are typically part-time, paid, and run for about a year. Areas of interest cover Welcome and Involvement, Groups, Family, Worship and Communications, and Operations. The application process includes a completed application, three references, a background check through FCC, a meeting with a ministry area leader, an interview, and a connection with an FCC staff member in the applicant's area of interest.
For newcomers, First Things First is "your crash course on all things FCC," a roughly two-hour class with a meal and childcare, held about every other month and led by Andrea Hodges.
Getting Connected
Anyone walking into FCC for the first time can expect to be met at the door by the Welcome team, whose entire job is making sure "anyone attending FCC feels truly seen, heard, and wanted." First Things First is the on-ramp for everything that comes after: groups, serving, and ministry fit. Online giving is available anytime through the church's giving page, by texting GIVE and a dollar amount to 423-592-5700, by mailing a check to the Business Office at 200 East Mountcastle Drive, or by giving in person in one of the offering boxes around the building. A Rightnow Media library with thousands of Bible study resources - including a kids' library of more than 2,000 videos - is free for church members. A weekly newsletter keeps subscribers informed of upcoming events.
Visitors can also pre-register their children for FCC Kids ahead of the weekend. The main line for general questions is 423-232-5700 and info@fcc-jc.org, with a Building Use Form for anyone interested in reserving space in the facility.