The Significance Of Bellevue Baptist Church

By Author: Harris J. Alicia
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Bellevue Baptist is situated on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee. Situated in Cordova, it is hailed as one of the largest churches in the United States

Bellevue Baptist is situated on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee. Situated in Cordova, it is hailed as one of the largest churches in the United States. Being the largest church in the mid-south region of the United States, this mega-structure enjoys a membership of around 29,000. The mission of its ministry is simple. It is about loving and building a community of God loving disciples. The mission statement of Bellevue Church engraves the monumental principles of loving God, loving People, sharing Jesus and making disciples within it.

Bellevue Baptist Church embodies a mission statement which reflects the duty imposed by God upon his followers. There are eight core values, upon which this mega-structure rests. Its core values depict the act of loving God through genuine worship and fervent prayers. Likewise, it states that people ought to be loved through loving fellowship and compassionate ministry. Sharing Jesus has to be done through the morality of local, ...
... national and international missions, coupled with intentional evangelism. Making disciples needs to be sought through teaching, relevant preaching and biblical discipleship. Its mission statement evolves from its hardcore beliefs in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

The history of this holy structure is deep and ancient. It was founded in 1903, where the original church structure was said to be appearing like a log cabin. It was only after fifty years that Bellevue saw the erection of a new church in its 3,000 seat building. It was in fact the first air-conditioned holy structures in the area. The new building today stands erect in Cordova. Its construction having been completed in 1989, this holy structure occupies more than 7,000 seats.

Since its hundred-plus years of existence, this holy structure only had seven head pastors. Today, Dr. Steve Gaines serves as its head pastor. He was first appointed to the Gospel Ministry in 1980, by the First Baptist Church, Dyersburg, Tennessee. His experience in the Ministry is vast and spans across over thirty years. He has been honored in April 2009 by the April 4th foundation with the "Open Door Award." This recognition was endowed upon him for his passion for evangelism. Pastor Steve Gains has stimulated his congregation in meeting practical needs, by sharing the Gospel throughout Memphis. Even while he was serving in First Baptist Church, Alabama, Steve was invited to speak at Bellevue Memphis. The invitation was sent by Pastor Adrian Rogers. After the retirement of Pastor Rogers, Gaines became the pastor of this holy structure at Memphis. Right from his first year of joining as a Pastor, Gaines brought in remarkable changes in the smooth functioning of this religious structure.

Church activities in Bellevue Baptist Church attract participation from all its members. Its activities comprise of single groups, children’s programs, sports teams, men’s ministries, pre-school ministries, college gatherings, music sessions, Bible lessons and women’s ministries. A bookstore and reference library finds place in its 400 acre campus, in order to enlighten each of its members with the choicest of holy books and other information of interests.
Resource: http://memphis.about.com/od/placesofworship/p/bellevue.htm