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This blog post is Part 3 of a series entitled "State of the Church" by Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith of Donelson First in Nashville, TN. 

Message Date: October 8, 2023

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If you join us often on Sunday’s you know that we immerse ourselves into God’s Word. Today, we will spend a little less time in the Word as we conclude The State of The Church series. It is important for us to take time to look inward, to consider the healthy attributes of this Church that are shaping our decision making and propelling us forward as a church best positioned to reach the Nashville community with the love of Jesus Christ.

I want to tell you a story.... and I want to do so by asking you some questions. 

What year was Donelson First Baptist formed? July 28, 1912. First Baptist Church Donelson was formed in a schoolhouse at Mud Tavern which is now the junction of Elm Hill Pike and McGavock Pike.

In what year did Donelson First Baptist move to Lebanon Pike? In 1913, DF moved across the street from our present building on Lebanon Pike (near Domino’s.)

In what year did DF call their first regular pastor? In 1913, DF called Pastor W. W. Bragg to preach one Sunday/month.

In what year did DF purchase the property at 2526 Lebanon Pike and begin construction? 1924 

Which Pastor of DF absolutely hated cornbread? Pastor Roy Fisher

How many pastors have served at DF? 11.

Which church in Donelson began as a new mission church started by DF? In 1953, DF formed Lakewood Baptist on Donelson Pike.

In what year was the current Worship Center built? 1951.      

When I arrived in 2020, we were in the middle of the pandemic. People were scared. People were dying. People were not attending church. I began to pray: “Lord, you have brought me to a church at the unlikeliest of times. Lead my decision-making.” I was immediately faced with five major realities:

The Reality of Donelson First May 2020.

1. Church attendance in America is at an all-time low. On average, 230 churches are closing every week in America (Barna Research Group / barna.com / 23.06.16). Covid and other factors were contributing, and still continue to contribute, to this reality.

2. Church attendance at Donelson First dropped to an average of less than 80/week in the 8 months leading up to the pandemic.

3. The Donelson First campus was in need of major and immediate renovations and upgrades.

4. The Church-Wide Dream Session: The results of this Dream Series were given to me shortly after arriving as Senior Pastor. This Church, before my arrival, comprised in December of 2019, the results of three questions those left attending at DF answered.

The Church-Wide Dream Session 2019:
1. What are our strengths?
2. What do we need to do better?
3. What changes need to be made?

Summary of answers: The Church-Wide Dream Session: Become a generational church. Move toward modern worship. Increase the number of people being discipled in the Word (Life Groups). Develop a strong online presence. Focus less on ourselves. Grow our staff. Preach the Word. Move outside our walls. Update the entire facility. Remain open to change. Offer multiple worship services. Fill the Worship Center.

Quite the list, huh?! And one final reality I faced after arriving as Pastor:

5. It appeared to me that some in the church, though aware of the changes needed, did not actually want to make the personal, corporate, and financial decisions needed to get our house and ministries and Team in order.

You see, this is difficult to realize…

An idol is really hard to let go of, especially when one does not realize the presence of such idols nor the grip by which one is held. 

I remember seeing the Dream Session results and saying to the Pastor Search Team: “Is your church ready for what it will take to accomplish what it is they are actually requesting with these dreams?” A close friend of mine who has been in ministry for many years called me shortly after I was called to be Senior Pastor here at DF. He said, there are several things you need to never do!

1. Do not curse on stage.

2. Do not bad mouth the Tennessee Vols.

3. Do not change anything in your first year.

Well, I haven’t cursed on stage…yet!  I’m pretty sure I’ve cracked a few TN Vols jokes. And…that whole idea about the first year of change… Look, when I arrived, there were several immediate concerns I had - - I’ve just shared a few of the more pressing ones with you. And yes, I have heard before that a new pastor should not make changes in his first year. So I was immediately met with a challenge… Do I sit back my first year and work to appease by not ushering in much needed change? Or do I jump in and do what is needed and necessary for this church to best position her people to grow in the wisdom and favor of the Lord while too meeting the very real spiritual and emotional and physical needs of the community around us? So, I decided to not make any changes at all! Just kidding!

Knowing that the world had changed post-Covid, and knowing about the Dream Session, and knowing that I am now responsible to the Lord and to you as Pastor of Donelson First... I saw the needs, and I took action. Here are just a FEW of the plethora of immediate issues I addressed:

Online Stream: Hired Mankin Media. We now average 300+ viewers LIVE and on the replay each week!

Volunteer + Serve Organization: Let’ GO! Serve. Now we have over 110 volunteers who are on rotation to serve each month! Thank you!

Office Management: Computers (We had two computers that the church owned! One!) We now have 22 across campus. Password Management System. Cloud-based Management for all docs and employee online collaboration. On-line billing management system and Payroll processing. Third-party Financial and Accounting Team who manages all church finances and accounting.

Facilities Management: A key system. We have more than 150 different lock sets on-campus. There was no organization to them at all. Fab System for entering the building. HVAC management system. Installed 20 Ecobee HVAC WIFI controllers. We had no campus-wide security system or cameras installed. We took care of this almost immediately.

On-campus Connection Points: 
The Library
Connection Center
The Courtyard
Front Lawn
The Annex Fire Pits
Common Area @ Second Floor
The Lounge - - Opening: Sunday, November 19th
The Family Room [Baby Nursing + Changing Lounge] - - Opening: Sunday, November 19th

Life Group Organization: When I arrived, we had 11 LG’s. Zero Home Groups. We now have a combined 28 LGs, HGs and D-Groups meeting both on + off campus! Dedicated healthy and vibrant space for First Students and First Kids. Major upgrade to all on-campus LG spaces.

I could go on and on and on! We have made some really, really hard decisions over the past 42 months. And this reminds me to remind you:

In the house of the Lord, there should be no changes considered “out-of-bounds,” no “untouchables,” when it comes to addressing the needs of the Church to best meet the needs of the world.

It’s really this simple.

The question that I continue answering, the question I would have you to consider, is: Am I willing to do whatever is necessary, and to let go of whatever is needed, to best teach the church and best reach the unchurched?

I do hope your answer is, “Heck yah!” I will say, I had to come to terms with this too. Change is hard. And I too will say… over the past 3 ½ years, it would have been a lot easier and a lot less stressful and very much less time away from home and my family to have just simply stayed the course around here and let the building and ministries and staff and leaders and aesthetics and events and everything else stay as it was when I arrived. It would have been much easier indeed!

But I too know it would not have been right. Because, if I believe anything, I whole heartedly believe this: The Donelson First campus is not my house. This is God’s house. My Holy Father deserves my very best attention and intentionality to position His house for His glory.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

I’ve heard it said and asked and whispered and even posted online: Who is making all of these decisions at Donelson First As your Pastor, I have made the many decisions I did with resolve to move forward with what I prayerfully believed then and still do to this very moment what is right for Donelson First. Every major decision I have made has been to reach this present generation and to best position this light on the hill to reach the next generation and beyond.

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. 1 Timothy 4:10

As I was working through all of this in my mind during my first few days @ DF, a secondary story was already at play that was going to greatly impact this community and set our church up for a tremendously challenging blessing! In the spring of 2020, shortly before I was hired, a terribly destructive tornado landed on Donelson. 2 miles to the East of our church, Donelson Christian Academy suffered horrific damage. Headmaster Dr. Keith Singer contacted our church and asked if they could use our campus to house their elementary school. When it appeared that I would be called to be the next Senior Pastor at DF, I received a call requesting my opinion on whether or not DCA being on campus was the right decision. I prayed about it and confidently said, “Yes.” DCA Kindergarten thru 5th grade moved into our building during the summer of my first year here. I remember walking the campus with the DCA administration and realizing that this beautiful building was also a building in need of major repairs and renovations. By the time the Fall 2020 school year began, I had drafted a plan for the renovation of this campus.

Change is an interesting thing. In every season of life, change is necessary. For example… Have you ever replaced a piece of furniture in your home? Or, have you ever needed to update your TV or laptop or smart phone? Have you ever tweaked your investment strategy due to a low-performing mutual fund or a change in the market? Of course, you can most likely say an emphatic & vigorous: “Yes!” Change is a normal part of life.

I recently met with a new friend who is a pastor liaison for the TN Baptist Mission Board
- 3,250 Southern Baptist churches in TN.
- Over 90% of these churches are in decline.
- A majority of these churches average < 100 attendees weekly.

I asked him: “Why the decline?” “Many churches are closing. Most are tied to traditions. Such churches will eventually die.” Kevin Minchey, Pastor Liaison. TN Baptist Mission Board

Change doesn’t mean our message changes. Our message is the same.

In relation to the Church, change means we have an eagerness to change our method, approach, focus and whatever else is necessary to reach the world around us with the message, “Jesus saves!”

What is our message? Let me remind you...

The saving message of Donelson First Baptist:

God created me.
I failed God.
I deserve to die and be separated from God because of my sin.
God loves me, so He allowed His Son, Jesus, to take the blow for my sin.
Jesus Christ died and paid the ultimate price for my sin.
Jesus Christ came back to life conquering sin + death.
I can be reconciled with God by believing in and receiving Jesus as my Savior.
If I make this choice, Jesus saves me from sins and gives me a new start.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I am privileged to spend an eternity in Heaven with Him.

THIS IS OUR MESSAGE! WE WILL NEVER CHANGE THIS MESSAGE!

With an ever-shifting religious, economical, and social landscape, the missions, staffing, strategies and ministry focus of the Church must do the same. Some in the Church do not welcome change. 

Here’s the reality: If we don’t change, the Church dies.

On Sunday, August 30, 2020, we had our first Worship Service together LIVE since Covid-19 changed the world and for the first time since I was called to be the Senior Pastor of Donelson First Baptist. The title of this message: God’s Gonna Do BIG! In this message, I gave a vision for what the Lord has shared with me about who we are to become as a Church – as this light on the hill here in Donelson, TN. I too shared these two verses with the 54 people in attendance that August 30th:

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:18

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:25

Well, let me say, we have continued, as we read in this passage in both Proverbs and Romans, to place our hope in Him. And man… since that Sunday, God has in fact been doing BIG at Donelson first! While DCA was here at Donelson First, their insurance company paid us a monthly lease payment. They stayed with us 17 months until December 2021.

In January of 2022, I began the year praying that God would give me clarity of thought as to how we should spend these monies with which we were blessed during the time DCA was on our campus. After several months of prayer, I presented the: A Big Only God Can Do 2022. With these monies, along with income from several lots we have sold on Park Drive, we have done so very much work renovating this 60,000 square-foot facility. I had no idea when I arrived as Pastor here that I too would be a graphic designer, interior decorator, and a landscaper and contractor. Maybe that explains the loss of hair, grey hair, and the heart challenges!

Actually… since Amy, the girls and I arrived, it has been nothing short of a wonderful and a beyond imagination experience for us… to study and teach the Word each week, to watch as you have grown in your walk with the Lord, and too to be able to be a part of renovating this landmark property in Donelson. It has been an amazing journey!

In my second message to Donelson First after arriving as Pastor, I shared a very intimate message about my ministry journey, how the Lord brought me here to this historic light on the hill in Donelson, and my vision for where we were headed as a Church. In this message, I spoke of the prophet Isaiah and the words a Holy God spoke through him to a people in desperate need of change to the glory of God. In this message, I read this passage:

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19

A New Thing: The State of Donelson First 2023

When we began the renovation process three years ago, I shared this statement from Tim Cool, a Church Facility Needs Analyst who understands how critical it is for churches to continue planning and developing solutions and integrations to grow and reach the next generation. Mr. Cool says this about church revitalization and growth:

People often make up their minds to attend or return to church based on what they see online and on campus.  Whether we like to admit it or not, first time guest will consider all elements of their experience at your church, including the facilities, and will judge you by all of the elements of their experience. I am not suggesting this is right, and I am definitely not saying that the gospel is not compelling. But to close a blind eye to the overall experience and impact of your facilities is just foolish. We live in a consumer-minded world, whether we like it or not, and many - if not all - of your guests will determine their experiences from all of these elements.
Entrusted, Tim Cool, 2020

Our Ministry Team works so very, very hard. It has been fun to watch them grow individually and in unison as Team who has developed, what I call, “Donelson First eyes.” It has been the Donelson First eyes of our Ministry Team, Church Council, Life Group and Home Group leaders, and most of our deacons who see this campus and our ministries with a renewed vision to, as our mission statements speaks:

To inspire people to know, grow and go in Jesus. The mission of Donelson First.

I do believe that we inspire one another to be our very best as teachers, organizers, designers, motivators, workers, prayer warriors, comforters, and leaders! As we have moved forward restoring this beautiful campus, we have done so with the vision that, as Mr. Cool states, we have a consumer-minded world who is making their church decisions, like it or not, in part by their experiences on-line and on-campus. Look at all we have accomplished! It truly is amazing! Spend some time with this throughout this next week. As you do, I hope that you will spend a few moments thanking God for all that has happened here at YOUR church.

We just finished a great MDWK series on prayer: The Heart of Prayer.

In Part 1 of this series, I presented this thought that we should “pray on special occasions.” I hope that as you pray this week, you will “pray on this special occasion,” thanking God that He has led you to a church where we strive for excellence in all we do!

Here is how I want you to begin praying as we look to 2024:

The 2024 Donelson First Vision

1. Add 5 Life Groups (minimum).

2. Teach a Life Group: Right now, Kevin and Lezlee Owen are teaching a combined class for all Young Adults. And they do an absolutely slam-dunk job each week. They love our YA’s and our YA’s love them! We need to separate this class actually into three classes: Young Singles. Young Married. College. As we continue to grow, we continue to need leaders to teach!

3. Attend a LG and/or HG: The average involvement among churchgoers in a LG and/or HG is 25% of the church body. Imagine if every single one of you was in a LG and/or HG. You need to be in a Life Group and/or Home Group!

4. Grow our presence @ Hickman Elementary

5. Dollars for Donelson: We have given more than $22,000 because YOU have been so generous giving a $1/week.We have bought clothes, paid apartment deposits and rentals, clothed the homeless, paid medical bills, bought coffee, given gift packs each month to Police officers, and so very much more.

6. Baptism Sunday: We have set an ambitious goal to baptize 100 people in 2024! Pray for the lost and let’s see God do BIG in 2024 of baptizing many people! Our first day back in our newly renovated Worship Center will be Sunday, November 19th! That’s only 6 weeks y’all. It’s going to be a great Sunday of celebration and a Sunday of people professing their faith in Jesus Christ! So… if you have never been baptized and taken that public step of professing your allegiance to Jesus Christ, I hope you will pray about that decision and then come and talk with me. We would love to celebrate you on that day going through the waters of baptism!

7. Let’s GO! Serve Y’all! When I arrived, we had a small group of people serving and volunteering. But we did not have a focused ministry for those serving and volunteering that was united and working in unison. We quickly realized we needed to create a ministry for all across-campus serve opportunities. We now have over 105 people serving here at Donelson First through our Let’s Go! Serve Ministry. If you are not serving, I sure hope you will jump in! Thank you to all who serve. What we accomplish here each week would not happen without those of you who choose to serve in some capacity.

8. Multi – Churches in One: Beginning in December, we are going to have THREE churches meeting right here at 10:30a!

Hispanic Church: Pastor Rigo is our pastor of the Hispanic Church. Most of you don’t know anything about that church. They will begin meeting in the Social Hall the first weekend in December. We are going to work to help them grow. Are going to need a Volunteer Serve Team to help us accomplish this.

Ignite Hope Church: Refugees from Bhutan and Nepal. (These two countries are near India. We have been meeting w/Pastor Kaju Rai. They will begin meeting in the 2nd floor chapel the first weekend in December. This is an entirely new model for this Church to reach the nations right here on our campus!

3 churches in one: English, Hispanic and Nepalese! It’s a whole new way of thinking about missions, and we do it right here at 2526 Lebanon Pike! What a 3 ½ years we have had @ DF!

The state of Donelson First is strong!

Let us unite to continue being the beacon on the hill in Donelson, Tennessee inspiring people to know, grow, and go in Jesus! Halleluiah!

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Jeffrey Dean Smith is a husband, father to Bailey & Brynnan, author, and the Senior Pastor at Donelson First in Nashville, TN. If you are in Music City, meet Jeffrey and enjoy iced tea on the front lawn each Sunday at 10:30a.