Numerical and financial struggles led a Nashville-area church ‘to be proactive.’
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
HERMITAGE, TENN. — The New Garden Church is not a traditional Church of Christ.
Then again, it’s not trying to be.
The church plant — which grew out of the Hermitage Church of Christ, a half-century-old congregation that closed in 2018 — seeks to reach a new generation with the Gospel.
Located about 20 minutes east of downtown Nashville in Hermitage, New Garden meets in a middle school auditorium. A member of the praise team strums a guitar. Women as well as men speak from the stage.
“We often say that too many churches are known for what they’re against, but we want to be known for what we’re for,” lead minister Michael Clinger explains in a video on the church website.
“We may be small in number, but we are a group of people from different generations who are committed to being in relationship with God, with each other and with our community,” adds Madeline Clinger, Michael’s wife and a part-time ministry staff member.
In just a few years, New Garden — which averages Sunday attendance of about 70 — has become known for serving its community.
This story appears in the online edition of The Christian Chronicle. The Tennessean, the daily newspaper in Nashville, republished it.
Photo by Ted Parks
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