Our Church had its humble beginnings in June of 1995 when the Reverend Ray Maynard, Director of Missions, White County, in Middle Tennessee was led to plant a church in Tellico Village. As a result of his efforts, the first worship service was held in the Recreation Center in August 1995. In February of 1996, the mission began meeting on the third floor of the Yacht Club. Reverend Maynard departed in June of 1996 and was replaced by the Reverend Jim Bishop in October who remained as Pastor until March of 2004.
In December of 1999, Cooper Properties donated 9.5 acres of land to the church on which it broke ground on July 1st, 2001. The building was dedicated in May of 2002 and the debt incurred retired in July of 2004. It was in July of 2005 that Dr. Charlie Barnard was called to be our second pastor and would remain so until April 2022. Under Pastor Barnard’s leadership core values for the church were defined and a purpose statement was adopted. This led to the church growing from around one hundred members to over four hundred and fifty during his pastorate. The church would also expand its facilities with a new sanctuary, being added in 2010, followed by a Fellowship Hall, additional office space, and a library. All were completed in 2015 with all construction-related debt retired in December of 2018.
In 2017 our church celebrated its Twentieth Anniversary bringing with it broader capabilities and spiritual reach through the inauguration of an expanded Leadership Council and media resources. The COVID pandemic of 2020 initiated the inception of viral worship services which resulted in live streaming of God’s word each Sunday at the start of 2021. In January of 2022, Pastor Barnard announced his retirement and delivered his final sermon on April 3rd. On November 6th the church celebrated its 25th Anniversary Celebration. On May 21, 2023, the congregation voted overwhelmingly to select Dr. David L. Talley as the Lead Pastor and Shepherd of our church family.
First Baptist Church was founded in prayer and continues to make prayer the priority and foundation for worship. The study of the Bible is a key component of our culture and fellowship brings seventeen different denominations under one roof as a family. FBCTV is strongly invested in missions and currently supports over thirty missions either locally or throughout the world. Volunteerism is at the heart and soul of our church.
Today our church membership exceeds five hundred, reflecting the demographics of our local community. The membership represents as many as twenty different church backgrounds. The church definitely has Baptist roots as they make us the single largest church background. As a church, we unite together to “Love God, Love Others, and Reach our World for Christ. God continues his work with our church family and as we look to its future, we are excited to see where he will take us.