At 1512 John Exum Pkwy in Johnson City, Tennessee, Heritage Baptist Church is known for making disciples through simple worship, biblical teaching, and community that spans generations. The congregation is doctrinally conservative and always reforming, holding to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 while presenting itself as distinctly 21st-century. Its vision is to love God and love people, and its mission is Making Disciples Here and Around the World. That calling appears in Community Groups on Sunday and during the week, worship and teaching for all ages, biblical counseling, local ministry partnerships, and mission relationships that extend far beyond Johnson City.
Sunday Is Built Around Community and Worship
Heritage's Sunday rhythm has two main starting points. Community Groups begin at 9:00 AM, with adults and children meeting in age-specific classes. The Congregational Worship Service begins at 10:30 AM and concludes at noon.
- 9:00 AM: Community Groups for adults, children, and youth
- 10:30 AM to noon: Congregational Worship Service
The worship gathering is intentionally simple and sincere, without what Heritage calls show or gimmicks. The aim is to turn people's attention toward God and help them know and enjoy him. Music combines beloved hymns with new songs, creating a blended worship style that draws on both older and contemporary Christian music. Sermons are normally expositional, moving through Scripture book by book, and exegetical, remaining centered on the text under consideration. The Lord's Table, or Communion, is observed every fifth Sunday.
Heritage also broadcasts its Sunday worship service at 10:30 AM. The congregation can watch the service through the church's YouTube livestream.
Coffee Before the Service and a Welcome Afterward
A coffee bar sits just outside the sanctuary and opens well before the service. It offers coffee and tea, along with snacks for anyone who missed breakfast. Visitors are encouraged to stop and speak with an attendant before joining the full-church gathering.
During worship, first-time guests can complete a visitor card. After the service, they can exchange it at the Sunday Welcome Center for a free gift intended to help people considering a church. The Welcome Center also provides a place to ask questions and connect with Heritage's groups, ministries, and activities.
Families with children should know that the Children's Area lobby is just inside the glass breezeway entrance and to the left. First-time families provide children's names and ages along with a parent or guardian's phone number for check-in. Returning families provide a phone number that allows staff to locate a child if needed. The church office can be reached at (423) 926-2139.
Community Groups Put the Gospel Into Practice
Community Groups are central to Heritage's understanding of Christian community. Heritage teaches that salvation is not an invitation to remain a lone ranger but to become part of the body of Christ. These gatherings challenge people to love and encourage one another toward maturity in Christ through sincere relationships, shared burdens, Scripture, sacrificial giving, and humble receiving.
- Sunday morning groups: Many adult and age-specific classes meet on the Heritage campus at 9:00 AM before worship.
- Home groups: Groups hosted in member homes meet at various times during the week for food, prayer, Bible study, and extended fellowship.
- Men's Discipleship Group: Men meet on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9:00 PM for prayer and practical discussion of Christian life.
- Women's Ministry: Seasonal gatherings include Bible studies, community outreach projects, and social events centered on growing in love for Jesus and showing love to others.
- Senior Ministry: A ministry team organizes gatherings every other month, often beginning with a meal and adding music, speakers, excursions, or opportunities to serve others.
The Church Center directory can be filtered by meeting time, location, child care availability, stage of life, and other characteristics. Prospective members can browse the Community Groups to find a gathering that fits their needs.
Children and Youth Grow Alongside Their Parents
Heritage's goal for children's and student ministry is to support and equip parents while helping children develop maturity in Jesus Christ. The church wants young people to find joy in Jesus, become students of God's Word, and grow in an increasing love of him.
Sunday classes for every age
Sunday Community Groups divide children into classes suited to their development:
- Nursery, newborn to 2 years: Play together, hear a Bible story, sing, and make friends.
- Preschool, ages 3 to 5: Age-appropriate lessons introduce children to God and his plan of redemption.
- Elementary, 1st through 6th grade: Bible lessons deepen children's understanding of Scripture and point them toward Christ as Savior and Lord.
- Youth, 7th through 12th grade: Separate classes for girls and boys follow the most recent sermon material, ask questions, and seek specific ways to apply it. An apologetics class is open to all youth.
Safety and accountability are built into the children's area. All volunteers have passed background checks, classrooms are behind magnetically locked doors, and classroom windows allow visibility. Parents are welcome to see their children in a classroom at any time.
Children during congregational worship
Children of all ages are welcome in the 10:30 AM service. After singing together with the congregation, preschoolers ages 3 to 5 may be invited, but are not required, to leave for special activities in the Children's Area. They have play time in the gym or playground, hear a Bible story, and enjoy a light snack. A nursing room is available for children newborn to 2 years old, and preschool children are picked up in the Children's Area lobby after the service.
Awana on Wednesday evenings
Awana Clubs meet from 6:00 to 7:30 PM on Wednesdays for pre-K through 6th grade. Its discipleship model centers on belonging, believing, and becoming. Belonging is relational and led by caring adults. Believing is deeply scriptural and rooted in the gospel and the truth of God's Word. Becoming is experiential, helping children navigate a changing culture, experience God's presence, and walk in the ways of Jesus. Initial costs for books and uniforms are covered, though a replacement fee applies if a child loses them. A nursery for children newborn to 2 years old is provided for volunteer workers.
Youth Bible study, worship, and activities
Youth gather on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM in Room 204 behind the sanctuary. After helping with dinner cleanup, they have time for worship, prayer, Bible study, and small groups. Games and activities in the gym commonly follow until dismissal at 8:45 PM. Parents pick up students at the multi-center entrance in the upper parking lot. Heritage does not have a regular Sunday evening youth gathering, although youth sometimes take part in special events and outings.
Trail Life and American Heritage Girls
Trail Life and American Heritage Girls meet on Tuesdays from 6:15 to 8:00 PM for Christ-centered discipleship, mentoring, and leadership development among boys and girls. The programs are listed for kindergarten through 12th grade, while the troop information gives an age range of 5 to 18. Their participants and leaders come from several local congregations, creating relationships among children and parents across different churches. Parental involvement is strongly encouraged, and troop dues and organizational fees cover program costs. Joel Miller serves as the Trail Life contact, and Teresa Patton is the American Heritage Girls contact.
Health policies for children's ministries
Heritage asks families and children's workers to follow specific health practices. Children and workers with a fever of 100.4 degrees or above should remain fever-free for 24 hours without medication. Vomiting, diarrhea, suspected COVID or flu, and several communicable illnesses also require absence under the church's policies. A child with head lice, scabies, or ringworm may return after receiving a first treatment, while children with strep, walking pneumonia, or pneumonia may return after completing 24 hours of antibiotics from a provider. Workers and children are expected to wash their hands regularly and follow additional procedures when serving food, feeding infants, changing diapers, or handling bodily fluids.
Wednesday Evenings Begin with a Shared Meal
A church-wide dinner begins at 5:00 PM next to the gym. Heritage provides this meal so families can attend the evening ministries more easily, with donations accepted but not required. Children check in upstairs when the dinner hour concludes.
At 6:30 PM, adults gather in the sanctuary for a service that opens with prayer and a couple of hymns. A pastor then preaches on a selected Bible passage, and everyone is welcome. Youth meet for Bible study at the same hour, while the Men's Discipleship Group convenes from 7:30 to 9:00 PM in Room 204. The combined rhythm allows adults, students, and children to participate in the same evening at different levels of discipleship.
Biblical Counseling for the Whole Person
Heritage describes biblical counseling as a conversational process in which people address life's issues with Scripture. The goal is sanctifying change and a life pleasing to God and beneficial to oneself and the world. The church's counseling ministry is grounded in the life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ, regards the Bible as sufficient for life guidance, depends on the Holy Spirit for transformation, and seeks to address the heart causes of issues rather than treating faith and counseling as unrelated disciplines.
Members of Heritage may request a trained biblical counselor. Male counselors meet with male counselees, and female counselors meet with female counselees. Either may counsel a couple, and a minor's parents must sign a consent form. No financial fee is associated with biblical counseling because Heritage views it as an expression of the church's Trinitarian theology and its desire to encourage one another in a Christian worldview.
Counseling meetings take place in rooms on the church property and occur when the counselor and counselee are available. Sessions normally last one hour each week, with the number of sessions agreed upon by both people. Reading, meditating on, and applying Scripture between sessions is an important part of the process. Counselors intend to guard confidential information, but they also explain the limited circumstances in which sharing information may be necessary or prudent before counseling begins.
A God-Centered Vision Rooted in Baptist Faith
Heritage affirms the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as its doctrinal statement. The church describes itself as doctrinally conservative and always reforming: it upholds the faith once for all delivered to the saints while seeking to look and sound like 21st-century Christians. Everyone serving in a recognized leadership position, from preschool leaders to counselors and small group leaders, must affirm a simple doctrinal statement before leading or instructing others in biblical doctrine.
The church's vision is to be a God-centered, great commission church, which it expresses as loving God and loving people. Its mission, Making Disciples Here and Around the World, comes from the command in Matthew 28:18-20 to make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe Christ's commands.
That mission shapes Heritage's view of ordinary church life. The church teaches that everything individuals and congregations do is missional, intended to glorify God's name and expand his kingdom. Its biblical teaching emphasizes the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, the person and work of Christ, the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, repentance, prayer, love for God and others, and spiritual formation into the likeness of Jesus. Expository preaching makes room for these themes while remaining anchored in the text of Scripture.
Local Partnerships and Mission Around the World
Heritage recognizes that a local congregation cannot personally reach every nation or globe around the clock. To advance its mission, it partners with friends and agencies that share its vision, values, and beliefs. These relationships extend from Johnson City and the Tri-Cities to communities in Africa, South America, and Europe.
Agape Women's Services
Agape Women's Services is a nonprofit pregnancy resource center and state-licensed medical clinic serving Johnson City and the Tri-Cities. It provides free lab-grade pregnancy testing, pregnancy consultations, STI testing, and limited obstetric ultrasounds. Agape emphasizes judgment-free support, mentoring, evidence-based education, and resources that help people make healthy choices concerning emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
First Priority Student Ministry
First Priority works with student Christian clubs on school campuses. Church-approved youth workers coach students in reaching their campuses for Christ, while students, youth ministers, and faculty sponsors work together around the local church. Students who receive Christ are encouraged to connect with a congregation where their new faith can grow.
Good Samaritan Ministries
Good Samaritan Ministries addresses the emergency needs of people who are poor, have low incomes, are without homes, face risks as individuals or families, and include children, veterans, and older adults in need. Its work includes education, mentoring, and social services, with an emphasis on long-term financial, emotional, and spiritual well-being. The ministry also works to prevent homelessness, serve people experiencing homelessness, and coordinate with other community agencies to reduce duplicated services.
Casa de Restauración
Casa de Restauración is a local Spanish-speaking Baptist congregation that Heritage hosted for some time and continues to support. Heritage remains grateful for the partnership and for their service to the Hispanic population in the Tri-Cities.
Camp Ta-Pa-Win-Go
Camp Ta-Pa-Win-Go is owned and operated by Children's Bible Ministries of East Tennessee. Its classes, correspondence lessons, and camping activities are intended to share the love of Jesus Christ and the gospel.
Africans Reaching Africa
Africans Reaching Africa seeks to evangelize, disciple, and plant churches among unreached people groups in Northern and Western Africa. Its approach mobilizes, equips, and supports African believers, recognizing that the African church has many capable people who can preach the gospel to their own brothers and sisters. The organization provides help with mobilization, administration, communication, training, and fundraising.
St. Barnabas Bible Church
St. Barnabas Bible Church began as a small group for Bible study and prayer on Sunday evenings in April 2011. Its vision is to become a beacon church of Bible teaching and Bible example for people living in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. The church seeks to recover the priorities of the early church described in Acts 2, especially as it grows through Bible teaching and example.
Families Serving in Bolivia and Romania
Gabriel and Gloria Martinez serve in a rural region of Bolivia about two and a half hours from Santa Cruz. Their family-focused ministry shares God's Word and is connected to World Gospel Missions. Heritage has continued to support the family with love, prayer, and encouragement.
Dr. Ilie Soritau, known as Elijah, is vice president of Emanuel University of Oradea and a professor of homiletics, preaching, evangelism, and missions. He also pastors Grace Baptist Church in Mierlau, Romania. His wife, Raelene, coordinates the university's International Relations Department and founded Child Life Romania, an organization that ministers to young children and their families during palliative care.
Teaching Resources for Continuing the Conversation
Heritage provides sermons, sermon notes, devotional material, and the Heritage Library to support ongoing Bible study. Its YouTube channel carries the worship livestream and an archive of sermons. The recurring reflection The View from My Study features Reggie Weems working through biblical texts and their application to Christian life. Two podcast ministries, Your Story His Glory and As We Press, extend the church's teaching and conversations beyond the congregation.
The Heritage App and Church Center app provide access to recent sermons, church information, group study materials, gatherings, registrations, and community groups. The iOS version is available through the App Store, with an Android version also offered. Giving is available through Tithe.ly, and a request form is available for using church facilities for events.
Elders and Deacons Serve Heritage's Mission
Heritage is led by eight elders whose responsibilities cover preaching, missions, worship, evangelism, outreach, finances, Community Groups, counseling, prayer, administration, and children's and student ministries.
- Reggie Weems: Preaching and International Missions
- Charlie Scalf: Worship, Evangelism, and Local Outreach
- Justin Davis: Finances
- Dave Persinger: Community Groups
- Jeff Patton: Counseling Ministry
- Gerald Falasca: Prayer Ministry and Board Chair
- Chris Miller: Student and Children's Ministries
- Anthony Kiech: Administration
The church's deacons are Joey Burker, Marty White, Caleb Knisley, Gene Hopson, Joe Hopson, Seth Latture, Khurram Anthani, Nathan Hitchcock, Kerry Dixon, Daniel Gibson, Marcus Arnett, Steven Townsend, Victor Tucker, and Larry Waldrop. Stephanie Waldrop serves as Children's Director. Together, these leaders support a congregation whose life combines biblical instruction, intergenerational fellowship, practical care, and a shared commitment to local and global mission.