A United Methodist Congregation Along the Tennessee River
First Church Knox sits on a six-acre property at 3316 Kingston Pike, tucked into the Sequoyah Hills neighborhood and fronting the Tennessee River just minutes from the University of Tennessee. Members sometimes call the campus by older nicknames; the congregation has been part of Knoxville life since the close of the Civil War. Today the church describes itself with a simple line: "Nobody is perfect. Everybody is welcome."
The church belongs to the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church and embraces the historic Methodist motto of "Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors." Its mission is to grow passionate followers of Jesus Christ committed to making an impact in Knoxville and beyond, and it grounds that mission in five core values: Acceptance, Authenticity, Growth, Fun, and Service.
From Clinch Street to Kingston Pike
The story of First Church begins with the divisions that split the Methodist Episcopal Church on the eve of the Civil War. In 1864, Knoxville publisher "Parson" Brownlow called on pro-Union and anti-slavery Methodists in East Tennessee to organize a conference aligned with the northern branch of the denomination. Bishop J.B. Ford was appointed to "Knoxville Station" in 1866, and on July 8 of that year the new congregation, then called First Methodist Episcopal Church North, gathered for its first service at the Old Courthouse on Gay Street.
Within two years the church acquired property at Clinch and Prince Streets, earning the nickname "Clinch Street Church." The cornerstone of a second, more elegant stone building on Clinch Street was laid in 1893 and dedicated in June 1894 to a crowd of more than two thousand. That building served the congregation for seventy years, accumulating milestones along the way: a bronze bell cast in 1893, printed bulletins introduced in 1900, the pay-off of the building debt under Dr. Charles Hall, and the church's thousandth member in 1924.
By the early 1960s, with the city growing westward, a survey committee recommended a move to Kingston Pike between Tyson Park and Sequoyah Hills. In 1962 the quarterly conference voted to buy five acres on Kingston Pike for one hundred thousand dollars, and on January 16, 1966, the congregation processed from its Clinch Street home to the new sanctuary for a single day's farewell and welcome. Stained glass arches and the bronze bell came west with them. The Methodist merger of 1968 produced the United Methodist Church and its now-familiar cross and flame, and on October 27, 1968, the church officially adopted its current name: The First United Methodist Church, Knoxville.
An inaugural Riverside service in 1997 began the outdoor summer tradition that still draws members to the pavilion each June.
Sunday Morning at the Sanctuary
Sanctuary worship is the weekly heart of the church and takes place at 10:45 AM every Sunday. The service draws on the historic United Methodist tradition, with great hymns led by the chancel choir and accompanied by the church's pipe organ or piano. The order includes singing, prayer, scripture, a sermon, and time to laugh together. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, and the table is open to everyone; the church uses grape juice rather than wine in keeping with its welcome to all.
Anyone is welcome to attend, member or not. Visitors are invited to come dressed in whatever feels comfortable, park anywhere on campus including the lower riverfront lot, and fill out a connection card from the pew racks if they would like a follow-up visit.
Riverside and Sunset Worship
From May through July, the congregation gathers at 8:30 AM at the Peacock Riverside Pavilion for an open-air Riverside worship service with views of the river and downtown Knoxville. The relaxed summer format includes supervised playground time and sidewalk chalk for children three and up.
A newer offering, Sunset Worship, takes place once a month in the warmer months at an overlook above the river. Congregants are encouraged to bring a bag chair and to expect a quiet, contemplative service designed as a rest from a busy week. Childcare is not provided for evening services.
Services are livestreamed each Sunday, and a full Worship Service Archive is available on Vimeo for those who wish to catch up or revisit a sermon.
Children and Youth at First Church Kids
Children are a visible part of life at First Church Knox. The children's ministry uses the Deep Blue curriculum on Sunday mornings and operates from a dedicated Kids' Loft with a strict safety policy: every volunteer and staff member is background checked and wears an identifying badge, parents check children in digitally, and a two-adult rule is always observed.
Sunday School drop-off begins at 9:30 AM, and full lessons for elementary and preschool children begin at 10:45 AM in the Kids' Loft, the same hour as the Sanctuary service. A nursery is open every Sunday for children from six weeks old through three years. During the summer Riverside services, children three and up can be dropped off for supervised play on the playground.
Elizabeth TeGantvoort directs children's ministry. She graduated from the University of North Alabama, taught in Knox County Schools, and joined the First Church staff after years of serving in children's ministry, the chancel choir, and the Young Adults small group.
Groups for Every Season of Life
For adults, the church offers a range of ongoing groups. Sunday School classes meet before or after the service to study Scripture and how it speaks to daily life. First Church Women nurtures spiritual growth, personal leadership, and transformation among women of any church affiliation. The Altar Guild arranges the chancel flowers each Sunday and for major seasons like Christmas and Easter.
A missions group organizes service projects in and beyond Knoxville, and a Sewing Ministry meets the second Tuesday of each month to make dresses for girls in Haiti, blankets for a local NICU and Susannah's House, and quilts for Project Linus; no sewing experience is needed. Musicians can join the chancel choir or the hand bell choir known affectionately as the Bell Buddies, with rehearsal times posted on the church calendar.
First Church Preschool
The preschool occupies its own corner of the Kingston Pike campus and serves children from two months through Pre-K2. Six classrooms are named for trees: Dogwood for infants, Sassafras for Ones and Twos, Redbud for Twos and Threes, Hickory for Threes, Willow for Pre-K1, and Mulberry for Pre-K2. The school follows Knox County Schools for its calendar and operates year-round, with limited openings and a waitlist that gives priority to siblings of current students and church members.
First Church Preschool is a play-based, Three Star DHS-licensed program that uses The Creative Curriculum for Preschool and Conscious Discipline for behavior guidance. Teachers plan hands-on investigations in literacy, math, science, the arts, and music, and Pre-K students attend a monthly chapel focused on universal ideals like kindness and treating others well. Families of every background are welcome, and Pre-K and church-member families receive a tuition discount.
Kayla Aydelott serves as Preschool Director and can be reached through the preschool office at kayla@firstchurchpreschoolknox.com.
Weddings on the Kingston Pike Campus
First Church Knox hosts weddings as a ministry of the church, welcoming all couples who desire a Christian ceremony. Pastor Caleb Pitkin offers premarital counseling, officiating, and a tour of the spaces. The Sanctuary seats up to four hundred guests and features a dramatic center aisle, pipe organ, and piano. The covered Riverside Pavilion seats up to one hundred twenty with river and downtown views, a small kitchen, and a wood-burning fireplace. A lower Amphitheater accommodates about sixty for an open-air service beneath the pavilion. The historic Parish House, a 1920s home, holds intimate ceremonies for up to fifty in its parlor, and Fellowship Hall serves as a flexible reception venue with a large kitchen.
Getting Connected
The church office is open Monday and Tuesday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM and Thursday from 8:30 AM to noon. Visitors can fill out a Connection Card online, sign up for a free seven-day devotional that walks through the church's core values, request a campus tour, or browse the calendar of upcoming events. Giving is available through Church Center, and the church maintains active Facebook and Instagram presences. Those interested in joining can complete a New Member and Baptism form, and members transferring from another church are warmly welcomed.