Cottontown Baptist Church has been nestled down in the small community of Cottontown, Tennessee for over 100 years! The land for our church home was donated by Mr. Jim Barrette, grandfather of Mr. Ervin Dorris. In 1908, Cottontown Baptist Church began being built. It was completed two years later in 1910. The first recorded Pastor was Brother John T. Oakley.
In the early years of the church, service was only held once a month. At that time, it was being heated by coal. It was not until 1957 that the heat was converted to gas. One interesting fact about our structure is that our steeple is built from space age material. It was built in Huntsville, Alabama from moon landers. It was a project of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Sanders had the steeple transported in sections to Cottontown and a crane hoisted it into place on July 17, 1971. Our central heat and air system was installed in 1975. On July 21, 1997, after diligent prayer and supplication to the Lord from the members of Cottontown Baptist Church, it was voted on and passed to purchase five acres of land on Old County House Road in Cottontown, TN. Paving of our current facility was completed on March 14, 2004. A new green tin roof was added on September 24, 2003.
Pastors over the years: Pastor John T. Oakley, Pastor Bill Griffith, Pastor Larry Potts, Pastor Oscar Trainer, Pastor James Roland, Pastor Charles Anderson, Pastor Clark Criddle, Pastor Ronnie Crosslin, and our present Pastor Larry F. Graves. We are seeking the Lord’s will for our church and plan to serve Him until His return!
We believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . We believe that God sent Him into the world to save sinners. We believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life and that no man cometh unto the Father but by Him. We believe the Authorized King James Version of the Bible to be the absolute truth from Genesis to Revelation. We read, study, teach, preach, and obey it to the best of our ability. Please take a moment to view what we believe on some of the most important aspects of the Bible.
List of ContentsClick a link to view What We Believe
The Scriptures Return to list
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is completely true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us. Therefore should remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
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God Return to list
There is only one true and living God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being. He is the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness, all perfections, all powerful, and all knowing. His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, which includes future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. ____________________________________________________________________________
A. God the Father Return to list
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purpose of his grace. God is the Father of only those who have chosen to place their faith and trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of the 33-year-old male Jew named, Jesus, the son of God. John 1:12; “ but to as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7. ____________________________________________________________________________
B. The Son of God Return to list
Jesus Christ is the son of God, and in his incarnation He was God manifest in the flesh. That is to say God manifest Himself in the flesh body of the man Jesus Christ. He was born of a virgin without the aid of a human father. In His life He honored the divine law by his personal obedience and fulfillment of His death on the cross, His burial for three full days and three full nights, and being raised the third day by the power of holiness. He and He alone made provision for our salvation and redemption of all men who will come to God by this man Jesus Christ. Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16. ____________________________________________________________________________
C. The Holy Ghost Return to list
The Holy Ghost is the spirit of God. He exalts Christ, convicts mankind of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He enlightens and empowers the believer by filling the office as our teacher, and imparting wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the Scriptures to us. He also empowers the Church for worship, evangelism, and service to Almighty God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17. ____________________________________________________________________________
Man Return to list
Man was created by God in His own image and likeness. Adam,by his own free will choice, sinned against God when he disobeyed Him. Adam, as the progenitor of the human race, brought sin into the world and death by sin. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Man is a sinner and is dead in trespasses and sin. Manmust be born again by receiving Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Thus, man by his free will choice, disobeyed God, fell, and lost His image. This caused man to lose his relationship with God as a son. Therefore, by his free will choice, he must be born again to regain that relationship. Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11. ____________________________________________________________________________
Salvation Return to list
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, body, soul, and spirit. It is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its most broad sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour. B. Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer into a relationship of peace and favor with God. C. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes. The believer is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life. D. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed. Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5. ____________________________________________________________________________
Salvation of The Ages Return to list
A. Church Age Salvation: In the Church Age in which we live today salvation comes by grace through faith alone. Salvation is by the death, burial and resurrection of a 33-year-old male Jew named, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 explains that Christ died for our sins was buried, and rose again the third day according tot he Scriptures. We receive salvation by confessing the Lord Jesus with our mouth, believing in our heart that God raised him from the dead, repenting of and confessing our sins to God, and asking Him to cleanse us through the blood of his Son Jesus. For the Scripture has said whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:9-10, 13
B. Tribulation Age Salvation: In the Tribulation Age salvation comes by faith plus works. Revelation 14:12 here is the patience of the saints, here are they that keep the Commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12:17 and the Dragon was wroth with a woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the Commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
C. Millennial Reign Salvation: In the Millennial Reign salvation comes by pure works alone. Jesus Christ will be seated upon the throne of David. Luke 1:32-33 He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of his father David and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end. The Lord Jesus Himself shall be sitting on the throne of David. The people of the planet will be able to visually see him. Thus, there will be no need for faith, like the faith we walked by in the church age. The Lord Jesus Christ is visibly and literally on the planet.
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The Church Return to list
The New Testament Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers. They are associated by a covenant of faith, fellowship and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are eagerly seeking to extend the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The church is autonomous in its rule. The New Testament Scriptures speak also of the church as the body of Christ which includes only the born again believers of the church age. Then last of all the Scripture speaks of the church as being the bride of Christ. Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2:3; 21:2-3. ____________________________________________________________________________
Baptism Return to list
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience which symbolizes the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12. ____________________________________________________________________________
The Lord’s Supper Return to list
The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming. Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; ____________________________________________________________________________
The Lord’s Day Return to list
The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and is observed in the exercise of worship, spiritual devotion, and making melody with singing in our hearts. It is the first day of the week mentioned by the apostle Paul for the assembling of the believers together in a collective body. Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-3,33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5-10; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Colossians 2:16; 3:16; Revelation 1:10. ____________________________________________________________________________
The Kingdom of God Return to list
The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular Kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God began from the resurrection of Jesus Christ and runs until the rapture of the church. Romans 14:17; Luke 17:20-21; ____________________________________________________________________________
The Kingdom of Heaven Return to list
The Kingdom of Heaven is a real, literal, visible, earthly kingdom. It will come with the Lord Jesus Christ at the 2nd Advent when he enters the eastern gate of Jerusalem, and sits down on the throne of his father David. This kingdom will rule over all kingdoms on planet Earth for a literal 1000 years known as the Millennial Reign of Christ. Luke 1:31-33; Revelation 20:1-6; ____________________________________________________________________________
The Rapture of the Church Return to list
The Greek word for church is ekklésia. This means a called out assembly, a rough snatching out, or called away. The Rapture of the church is the calling out of the bride of Christ. When the rapture takes place only the born again believers will see Jesus in the clouds and hear the voice of the arc angel with the trump of God. The lost will not see or hear Him, are left behind, and thrust into the seven years of tribulation. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 ; John 14:1-6; ____________________________________________________________________________
1000 Year Millenial Reign Return to list
The 1000 Year Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ on planet Earth will begin when Jesus Christ sits down on the throne of David in the city of Jerusalem. He will then rule the nations of the earth as an absolute righteous dictator for 1000 years. Revelation 20:1-6; Isaiah 9:6-7 ____________________________________________________________________________
The Great White Throne Judgement Return to list
The Great White Throne Judgment will be set in the third heaven while planet Earth is being renovated by fire. The lost of all ages; the Old Testament, the church age, the tribulation age, and the millennial reign will appear at the Great White Throne Judgment. The Scripture says the books will be opened and the dead will be judged out of the things written in the books. Another book is opened which is called the Book of Life. They are cast into the lake of fire if their names are not found written in the Book of Life. The Old Testament, Tribulation, and Millenial Saints that are saved will be at this judgment in order to receive their rewards. Therefore, there will be saved people at this judgment, but not church age saints. 2 Peter 1:10 – 13; Revelation 20:11 – 13; ____________________________________________________________________________
Hello, my name is Larry F. Graves, and I am the Pastor of Cottontown Baptist church. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and give some background information about my ministry.
I was saved when I was 12 years old, and was called into the ministry at the age of 13. Throughout my teen’s and early 20’s I spent several years running from the Lord and His call into ministry.
In my early 20’s, the Lord Jesus used several hardships in my life in order to get my attention and remind me that He had a call upon my life to preach the gospel. I quickly decided that running from the Lord was a horrible mistake, and I did not want to continue in the wrong direction. In 1975, I was licensed to preach by Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. I was given many opportunities to preach at Pleasant Valley and throughout the community. In 1981, I was called and received my ordination by Seventh Avenue Baptist Church of Lobelville, Tennessee. I was their full-time pastor for four years. The Lord blessed my life while pastoring at Lobelville as we were able to win many souls for Christ!
My family and I then felt a calling upon our lives to unite with Tri-County Baptist Church in White House, TN which is at this time called The Church at Grace Park under the Ministry of Brother Bob Cook. I soon began teaching the Adult Sunday School Class at Tri-County. While attending Tri-County I received a call from Riddleton Baptist Church to be their pastor. I accepted that call upon my life and began pastoring at Riddleton Baptist Church in 1985.
In 1989, I began my pastorship with Cottontown Baptist Church where I have been blessed with twenty plus years of ministry. During these years, we have seen the blessings of the Lord at Cottontown. Cottontown Baptist Church is a loving and caring church full of the Spirit of the Lord. Our people have hearts full of love for the work of the Lord, the lost, and for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I count it an immense blessing to serve the Lord alongside such a devoted people as Cottontown Baptist Church, and pray for many more years of continual ministry with God’s devoted people.
I would now like to take this opportunity to invite you to come and worship with us. We are continuing to grow and do big things for the Lord here at CBC! We would love to have you! We offer Sunday school for all ages and classes begin at 9:45am on Sunday morning. Our morning worship starts at 11:00am. We also have a great time studying the scriptures at 6:30pm every Sunday and Wednesday night.
Yours In Christ,
Pastor Larry F. Graves
As our church has begun substantially growing, I realize we are facing some issues with the limited space in our church sanctuary as well as the parking lot. The existing facilities at Cottontown Baptist only allows a seating capacity of 125 people comfortably in the sanctuary and our parking lot can become over crowded very quickly. However, I see these things as a blessing!
