A Southern Baptist Church on Gann Road in Hixson
Tucked along Gann Road in Hixson, a community in northern Hamilton County just outside Chattanooga, Pleasant Grove Baptist Church has built its identity around a single pursuit: making disciples of Jesus. The congregation lives out three stated values - the Bible as the sole authority for faith and life, a willingness to reach and serve others in the name of Jesus, and a culture of grace and hope. Its vision names three commitments under everything the church does: elevating worship by always giving God their best, equipping disciples through fellowship, Bible study, and community, and engaging the world by sharing the hope of Jesus with their spheres of influence, community, and world.
Pleasant Grove partners with the Hamilton County Baptist Association and supports the missions work of the Southern Baptist Convention through its International Mission Board, North American Mission Board, and the Tennessee Baptist Convention.
Sundays: Bible Study and Worship
The Sunday rhythm at Pleasant Grove centers on two gatherings. Bible study groups meet on the church campus at 9:30 AM for every age and walk of life, providing a setting where people find community, build accountability, and grow as disciples through study of God's Word. At 10:30 AM the congregation gathers for worship, an hour that brings children, students, and adults together in a single service.
Visitors planning their first visit can expect a morning shaped around Scripture and intergenerational connection. The Bible study hour offers smaller groups where newcomers can be known, and the worship gathering brings everyone together for congregational worship and teaching.
Grove Kids: Birth Through Fifth Grade
Children from birth through fifth grade are welcomed into Grove Kids, the church's children's ministry whose mission is to provide a safe, fun environment where kids experience Jesus at every stage.
On Sunday mornings from 9:30 to 10:15 AM, kids gather in age-appropriate Bible study groups. Infants through 2 years are loved and cared for through music and prayer. Three-year-olds through pre-K experience Jesus through activities, music, Bible studies, crafts, and prayer. Kindergarten through second grade engage in fun activities, Bible studies, and worship led by volunteers who invest in their spiritual growth. Third through fifth grade grow spiritually through challenging activities, Bible study, and worship during an important season of life.
From 10:30 to 11:30 AM, kids are welcome to worship with their families in the full service, or they can be led in kids worship by Grove Kids leaders and volunteers. Three separate environments are available during that hour: infants through 2 years, pre-K, and elementary.
Wednesday evenings add a third layer. Kids gather with friends and volunteers to participate in HyFi, a program that uses high-quality media, games, and side-by-side learning to foster fun, friendship, and biblical understanding. Wednesday programming is divided into three age-appropriate groups: pre-K, K through second grade, and third through fifth grade. Grove Kids maintains a presence on Facebook and Instagram for parents and families.
Student Ministry: Middle and High Schoolers
Pleasant Grove's student ministry serves middle school and high school students, with the goal of helping them find community, grow in their relationship with God, and live on mission.
On Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM, students meet for community, discipleship, and Bible study, connecting with a team of adult volunteers. At 10:30 AM they participate, serve, lead, and engage in the Sunday morning worship gathering alongside the rest of the church rather than meeting in a separate space.
Student Night gathers on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. Middle and high schoolers cultivate community and belonging in Jesus, connecting through games while being challenged and encouraged by the Word of God. The student ministry also maintains its own Instagram account for connection beyond Sunday and Wednesday.
Wednesday Nights and Adult Discipleship
Wednesday evenings are vital to the church's walk with God, discipleship, and fellowship. Midweek adult discipleship begins at 6:00 PM, running alongside the dynamic kids and student ministries. Each semester the church offers various studies for adults that are intended to be both relevant and biblical, while children and students meet in their own age-appropriate environments at the same time. The combination makes Wednesday a hub for the whole church family.
Women's Ministry: W.O.W. and W.I.N.G.S.
The women's ministry centers on two groups: W.O.W. (Women of Wisdom) and W.I.N.G.S. (Women in Need of God and Sisterhood). Both groups gather regularly to pray for one another, share encouragement, and strengthen their walks with the Lord.
Monthly gatherings include fellowship, food, crafts, opportunities to serve the community, and other activities. The stated goal of these gatherings is authentic relationships and glorifying the Lord together. Women interested in joining are invited to connect with Deb and Lorie for more information.
Local Outreach Across Hixson and Chattanooga
Pleasant Grove is highly intentional about taking the love of Christ to the community where members live, play, work, and go to school, engaging locally through many partnerships, projects, and mission outreaches.
- Monday School is a weekly worship service the church leads at Standifer Place Assisted Living from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM.
- Hamilton County Care Center service runs Tuesdays from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Care Center in St. Elmo, offering service opportunities to minister to individuals seeking help and hope in the greater Chattanooga area.
- Moms in Prayer meets on the church campus each Wednesday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, following the Hamilton County school schedule. A growing team of women prays for students, families, teachers, administrators, schools, and homeschools in the area and represented in the church.
- Happy Cart wheels through the halls and classrooms of Middle Valley Elementary on Fridays from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM, following the Hamilton County school schedule. Loaded with snacks, drinks, and special treats, the cart finds more than 100 teachers and staff each week to provide a moment of happiness and build authentic relationships with the school that neighbors the church.
- High School Campus Missions partners with the coaching staffs of Hixson and Soddy Daisy High Schools during football season to lead team chapel services at the end of practice, providing food to nourish athletes physically and a gospel-centered devotion to meet their spiritual needs.
Global Missions
Pleasant Grove engages in and supports missions and missionaries across the globe through growing partnerships, financial support, and mission opportunities. The church participates in Operation Christmas Child and supports the work of the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, and the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Specific mission efforts include work in Los Angeles, and the church partners with other congregations through the Hamilton County Baptist Association to impact Hamilton County with the gospel.
What Pleasant Grove Believes
Pleasant Grove affirms the doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Convention as set out in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. The church teaches that there is one true and living God, infinite in holiness and all other perfections, who reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - distinct in person but undivided in nature, essence, or being.
Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a substitute for sinners, was raised from the dead with a glorified body, ascended to the right hand of God, and will return in power and glory to judge the world and consummate His redemptive mission.
The Holy Spirit inspired holy men to write the Scriptures, illuminates truth, exalts Christ, convicts of sin, regenerates the believer, baptizes each believer into the Body of Christ, cultivates Christian character, and seals believers unto the day of final redemption.
The Bible is God's revelation of Himself to humanity - a perfect treasure of divine instruction, totally true and trustworthy, the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried, and a testimony to Christ at its center.
Salvation is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and involves regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ.
A New Testament church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper, and governed under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. Pleasant Grove practices believer's baptism by immersion and observes the Lord's Supper as a memorial of Christ's death and an anticipation of His second coming. The office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.
Other areas of belief include the kingdom of God, last things (the personal and visible return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, final judgment, and eternal states), evangelism and missions, stewardship, religious liberty and the separation of church and state, and the family as the foundational institution of human society, defined as the covenant union of one man and one woman.
Leadership
Pleasant Grove is currently served by Interim Pastor Joel Wood. Michelle Daniel leads the kids' ministry as Kids' Minister, and Luke Peterson serves as Student Minister. David Rowell leads the music ministry as Minister of Music. Bette Rippert leads the First Impressions and Outreach Team, and Ethan Rowell serves as Pastor's Timothy Intern.
The church is located at 7634 Gann Road, Hixson, TN 37343, and can be reached at (423) 842-3400 or by email at pleasantgrovehixson@gmail.com. Giving is available through the church's online giving platform at onrealm.org/PleasantGroveBa.