Our Church Body
We are a group of genuine believers who have a hunger for Bible teaching in a church where Christ-centered worship takes place. Nearly all of us drive some distance to get to the church and are “transplants” from many different US states! As a result, we are intentionally warm and welcoming to those we know and those we don’t. We know what it is to be a stranger in a new place, and love to bring others into our fellowship. We also put a great value on our “3rd hour” lunch each week: we welcome visitors and “regulars” alike to come enjoy great food and great fellowship with us!
Our Pastor
Jay, in his early 60's, is a native Mississippian and Ole Miss fan, has actually lived most of his life in the Memphis, TN area. His pastors have included Jerry Falwell, Sr, Adrian Rogers, and John MacArthur. He is a graduate of both Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA and The Master’s Seminary in Sun Valley, CA, where he earned his Master of Divinity degree in 2009.
While at The Master’s Seminary, Jay helped teach the baptism class and counseled candidates for believer’s baptism at Grace Community Church where John MacArthur was and is senior pastor. Since seminary, he has served the Lord's Church in both MS and TN. Before coming to Sovereign Grace Church, he served as an elder and associate pastor in Collierville, TN.
Sovereign Grace Church holds a very high view of God’s Word, expecting pastors to teach it accurately. A willingness to condemn false teaching and teachers by name is essential to “tending,” i.e. protecting, the Lord's sheep properly. While at Liberty University, Jay underwent a transformation in theology; he abandoned the man-centered, "free will" view of salvation and adopted the biblical, God-centered view of salvation. Jay is hostile to the recent invasion of "wokeness" into churches. In 2018, he signed the Statement on Social Justice, a document AGAINST this leftist corruption of the gospel. In 2021, Jay led Sovereign Grace Church out of the SBC primarily due to its official acceptance of woke "tools." In short, Sovereign Grace is NOT woke!
Back in 1992, Jay married his best friend and more serious Ole Miss fan, Julie Long. They have been blessed with two boys, Corbin (and his wife, Jenna Claire), who live in Nashville, where Corbin works for the Tennessee Titans. Aidan, the younger brother and adopted Texan, lives at home and is LSU's biggest fan. .