valley grove baptist church calls new senior pastor

Pastor Sims first Sunday will be September 28. He has served as Senior Pastor for more than 26 years at churches in Tennessee, Ohio, Mississippi and Georgia. His last church was Byne Memorial Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia.

Pastor Sims is a native Tennessean. He grew up in Humboldt, Tennessee and has served as pastor at churches in Ashland City and Union City Tennessee. Pastor Sims educational background includes 3 academic degrees: Bachelor of Arts (Religion) from Union University, Master of Divinity from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Doctor of Ministry the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Pastor Sims has served as a Trustee of the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, was active in the State Convention, served in numerous responsibilities on the associational level, taught Pastoral Ministry Courses for Southern Seminary, New Orleans Seminary, and Blue Mountain College, Blue Mountain MS, was an R. G. Lee Fellow for Union University, and authored articles for Lifeway in regard to Pastoral Ministry

The Sims family has already relocated to Seymour. Pastor Sims wife, Nancy is an elementary school teacher. The Sims have two children, Drew and Hannah.

Regarding his call to Valley Grove, Pastor Sims said, “My family and I are very pleased and excited to be returning to Tennessee. I really look forward to meeting the people and getting to know them.  We can’t wait to get to Valley Grove and see what God has in store for the Seymour and South Knoxville communities.

Valley Grove Baptist Church is located at 9000 Old Sevierville Pike, Knoxville, Tennessee. Valley Grove was established in 1895 at its current location and has a current membership of over 1,900. Sunday morning service times are 9:00AM and 10:30 AM. Valley Grove is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Knox County Baptist Association.