God has more for you.

Wherever you are in your walk with Jesus, we believe God has more for you. And, being deeply connected to a local church is a vital part of discovering what more God has for you. To be deeply connected to a local church is to be deeply involved in the local church, to shift from consuming to contributing, from merely attending to participating. This is our heart for covenant membership, for you to covenant together with a local church in a way that grows you into great maturity and builds up the body of Jesus for the glory of God.

Founded in 1987, Fellowship Church began under the leadership of Doug Bannister, who had a vision of leading people beyond Southern religion and into a deeper relationship with Jesus—shifting the focus from more programming to more space for God to work through Bible-based, gospel-centered teaching. The church quickly grew from a few people in a basement Bible study to thousands of people at 8000 Middlebrook Pike by the early to mid-90s.
 
In the midst of this growth, Rick Dunn joined our staff in 1997, tasked with strengthening our leadership development and equipping the next generation. Rick became the lead pastor of Fellowship Church in 2002 and began focusing on moving the church into a formation season, seeking to become the church not yet imagined. Remaining rooted in gospel-centered teaching, the church began working to deepen our involvement in the community and reimagine our church-planting strategy.
 
Greg Pinkner joined our teaching team in 2003 as we began working to strengthen our commitment to multi-generation leadership. Over time, we expanded our teaching team to include multiple pastors with a heart for reproducing this plurality of leadership throughout the community. Fellowship continued investing in the next generation and seeking to multiply beyond the walls of our church building, which led to the planting of multiple churches throughout the community, the launch of the Koinonia Network, and the continued expansion of our partnership with many local and global ministries.
 
As of 2024, Fellowship Church is entering a new season of leadership as RD McClenagan begins serving as our Lead Pastor following Rick Dunn’s retirement from faithfully serving our church body for 27 years. RD has served on our teaching and leadership teams at Fellowship since 2016 and is eager to continue leading our church body alongside the elders and staff in this new season.

WHAT IS GOD IS CALLING US TO DO?
We exist to glorify God by calling every person to take their next step of faith with Jesus as a new person, with a new family, on a new mission.

TO CALL PEOPLE…
Jesus called people to himself. We want to call people to Jesus, to invite them into all that God has for them in the kingdom of God.

TO TAKE THEIR NEXT STEP OF FAITH WITH JESUS…
We believe God has more for you. We want to call you to that next step of faith with Jesus. There is always a next step that God is inviting us to take, a new place that He is inviting us into through faith. There is always more. We desire to be a church that is always calling every person to their next step of faith. What is yours?

AS A NEW PERSON…
We believe God makes you a new person. The old is gone, the new is here. Jesus Christ makes you new! Death to life, slavery to freedom, orphan to adopted son or daughter. There are so many ways the Bible talks about new life in Christ and we long to see every single person become new in Christ and grow into their full identity in Christ.

WITH A NEW FAMILY…
We believe God places you in a new family. We are not designed for “solo-Christianity.” We are designed to be with others as a family. This is apparent throughout the storyline of the Bible, from the people of Israel to the New Testament church, we are called to be the new family of God.

ON A NEW MISSION…
We believe God sends you on a new mission. This new mission is not merely a task or a project, but our whole life. Our whole life is now swept up in the story of God renewing all things for His glory, and calling all people to live their life for the sake of others. We desire to a be a church that exists not merely for ourselves, but for the sake of others

Entering into meaningful membership as a partner in the Gospel is an important decision that should be informed by an adequate understanding of how a local church functions. This ensures agreement on matters that otherwise may lead to conflict and disunity.

So, what makes Fellowship Church unique? What practices of faith does Fellowship observe and what do they mean? What is the leadership structure and how are decisions made? How are the Fellowship’s ministries organized? How does the church handle conflict and address outward sin?

While there are certainly many things we share with other like-minded Gospel-centered churches, there are others that set Fellowship apart. It’s important that you understand these practical and philosophical distinctives as you make your decision.

The New Testament says quite a bit about church leadership and governance, but it is not particularly prescriptive about its structure. One thing that is clear, though, is that Jesus Christ is both the foundation and head of His Church.

1 Corinthians 3:11 - For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:17-18 - And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

Ephesians 4:15b-16 - we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

With Jesus Christ firmly established as the foundation and head of His Church, the leadership structure and governance of a local church can vary and still be within the parameters of Scripture. Aside from the oversight and servant leadership of a plurality of elders, there isn’t one clearly defined structure, so there can be many models of church governance. Any given model that fits within the parameters of Scripture can thrive with healthy leadership and function well, or it can suffer from poor leadership and dysfunction. Some models are unbiblical altogether, so we must look to the Scriptures for the guidance and wisdom necessary for healthy leadership and ministry.

Here is a visual summary of Fellowship’s leadership structure and some guiding passages of Scripture:

Our position papers are a collection of documents that define specific precepts and principles of Christian community. These papers were created by our leaders to guide and address important cultural topics. Before committing to membership, we encourage you to view those on our website.

Fellowship Church’s official Bylaws and its articles outline in detail our purpose, leadership structure, guidelines, and much more. Our Bylaws can be found on our website.

Our Board of Elders provide spiritual leadership, doctrinal and ministry oversight, restorative discipline, care, and more for the congregation of Fellowship Church. Together, they continually seek God’s vision and direction for our church through prayer and discussion.
 
Here is a basic overview of elders (a detailed overview can be found in the Bylaws):

• Elders must meet the qualifications described in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9.
• Potential candidates are recommended by current elders and the congregation.
• Once a candidate is presented as such, the congregation has a minimum of two weeks to make known any objection.
• Elders serve a 3-year term and may serve two terms consecutively, after which a 1-year hiatus is required. Rotation is such that no more than one-third of the board rotates out of service at a time.
• The Lead Pastor is the sole member of the pastoral staff to also serve as an elder. He also is the sole elder who serves an indefinite term and is compensated as part of the pastoral staff.
• All other elders are excluded from receiving compensation to avoid a conflict of interest.

Fellowship Church is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA or EVFree). The EFCA is “committed to Jesus Christ, to the Gospel, and to one another. As an association that aligns itself with the same Statement of Faith, we are distinct yet deeply connected.”

God, in His infinite wisdom and understanding of the human heart, has given the Body of Christ a way to deal with sin in the lives of believers and in His Church. This way is also the principal means by which He maintains the unity, power, purity, and integrity of His Church and historically has been considered by believers as one of the three marks of the true Church. It is referred to as church discipline. John Calvin, writing in his Institutes, says, “Those who think that the church can stand for long without this bond of discipline are mistaken; unless by chance we can afford to omit that support which the Lord foresaw would be necessary for us."

Church discipline is a broad topic. From the widest perspective, it can be thought of as the “how” of living together in community; specifically, a community of believers known as Christ’s Church. From a more narrow perspective, it is the aspect of living together in regard to the correct response to wrong behaviors and/or wrong thinking. Wrong behavior or thinking is sin, and sin cannot be ignored in the Body of Christ. How we address this sin is the “discipline” of which we speak. Discipline in this sense is not only corrective, which is but a small part, but much more encompassing, consisting of training that refines, molds, or perfects. This type of discipline places us in partnership with the Holy Spirit in the process of sanctification and “training in righteousness” in the lives of those with whom the Lord has placed us in community. It is the principle of “iron sharpening iron.” This discipline is a mutual responsibility we have toward each other. It is not presented as an option in Scripture.

The elders and pastors of Fellowship Church desire that our local body be a community of believers who live together in a way that honors God, encourages and edifies one another, and is a strong testimony to the world of the power, grace, and truth of the Lord Jesus. We have tried to glean from Scripture and compile here the principles and precepts of Christian community that specifically deal with the handling of sin and offense between brothers and sisters in Christ and in the local church.

Matthew 18:15-20 - “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

By entering into meaningful membership as a partner in the Gospel at Fellowship Church, you are placing yourself in a Christian community that takes seriously the charge to gently and appropriately confront sin, seek restoration and reconciliation, and pursue training in righteousness.

We believe the church exists to make disciples. That is at the very center of who we are and who we long to be even more in the years ahead.

Spiritual formation is the process of being formed in all of your life, particularly in your heart & habits into the way of Jesus. We are either becoming more like Jesus or less like Jesus, we are either becoming more deeply formed into Christlikeness or being deformed by the world, the flesh, and the devil.

We believe the local church should be a place of deep formation, to help people become more like Jesus in all of their life. That is our heart at Fellowship, and we hope through your involvement in the church and as the church you become more like Jesus.

Engaging in meaningful covenant membership as a partner in the Gospel through Fellowship Church means much more than just attending a worship service on Sundays. It means faithfully bringing your heart—your time, your talents, and your treasure—into this disciple-making movement by getting involved in meaningful ways.

During your membership appointment with one of Fellowship’s pastors, you’ll have an opportunity to explore our ministries and how you can get involved. Meaningful covenant membership starts with a commitment to:

CONNECT: Share life with others in a new family

• Life Groups & Community Groups
• Nights of Worship & Prayer
• Other Opportunities (Men, Women, Marriage, Kid Ministry Praise Parties…)

 
GROW: Become more deeply formed in Jesus as a new person

• Formation Classes & Opportunities
• Our Trellis Content (book, nights, retreats, groups, etc.)
• Articles, Podcasts, Conferences, Leadership Development

 
GO: Give your life away for the sake of others on a new mission

• Serve at Fellowship
• Serve in Knoxville
• Serve the World

The next step in the membership process is completing a Membership Application. This online form will ask about your personal and spiritual background and allow you to upload your written story of coming to faith. Once received, we will reach out to schedule a time for a brief pastoral interview – the last step in the membership process.

PLEASE NOTE: We prefer to interview married couples applying together, but we do require each individual applying for membership to have a separate application.