Nashville Chinese Baptist Church: Teach, Preach, and Send

Nashville Chinese Baptist Church is one of the city’s oldest regional ethnic churches. Pastor Joshua Zhang has served the church since his calling in 2009. The church’s origins date back to 1982, when Dr. Waldrup, an American missionary, established a Chinese fellowship at Belmont Heights Baptist Church. Prior to Pastor Zhang, David Ho, from Taiwan, served as pastor from 1997 to 2008.

From 1999 to 2006, the congregation met at Heywood Hills Baptist Church. In December 2006, they moved to their current building at 107 Lyle Lane in the Woodbine neighborhood. The dwindling Anglo congregation of Lyle Lane Baptist Church generously donated the property to the Nashville Baptist Association, which then transferred the title to the Chinese congregation in November 2006 at a significantly reduced price.

Under Pastor Zhang’s leadership, the church has grown from approximately seventy members to over 120, with around 85 currently attending services. They offer various ministries, including an English Fellowship that originated from a youth ministry and now caters to older members seeking English-language worship and fellowship. The church provides simultaneous Chinese-to-English translation during services for native English speakers and their spouses. Additionally, they have established children’s and adult Sunday schools.

When asked about the hallmarks of a healthy church, Pastor Zhang emphasized Bible-based teaching and spiritual leadership. He has implemented a 15-year discipleship plan, divided into five-year phases. The initial phase focused on Biblical literacy through sound teaching and preaching. The second phase emphasized missionary training. Currently, they are in the third phase, which centers on evangelism training. The church’s ministry is supported by seven deacons and seven “fellowships,” categorized as either age-specific (e.g., “Rock Fellowship” and “Campus Fellowship”) or geographically based (e.g., “Cedar Fellowship” and “Vineyard Fellowship”). This small regional Chinese church, located in an under-resourced neighborhood, currently supports five missionary families worldwide.

Pastor Zhang expresses a desire for increased partnerships with nearby small churches. He would benefit from regular Sunday School training and welcomes guest speakers for their Christian summer retreat camp. Evangelism training would also enhance their local and international outreach.