Doug Ripley - Senior Pastor
“Decatur Baptist Church is an exciting and growing purpose-driven church with a mission. This caring church family of believers has a burden for people, a vision for the future and a plan of action with clear, concise goals.”
Decatur Baptist Church is an exciting and growing church committed to the Acts 1:8 strategy. DBC has a burden for people, a vision for the future and a plan of action with clear, concise goals. All of this is the result of God’s sovereign choice to bless DBC, their love and commitment to missions, discipleship and leadership training.
Our pastor, Bro. Doug, was raised in Greenville, Tennessee. He grew up in a totally non-Christian home. At the age of 17, his brother Jerry (who had been saved only a few weeks) told him how Jesus had changed his life and how He would change his if he would receive Him as Savior. That night, January 1, 1970, he heard the gospel for the first time and invited Christ to become his Savior. He immediately began to read the Bible and attend church. Within a few weeks he felt the call of God on his life to be a pastor, so he enrolled in Gulf Coast Bible College (Anderson Church of God) that fall.
He met his wife Katy in April, 1972, while preaching a revival in her church, and they were married in November, 1972. They have two children: Jeremy (who went to be with the Lord in August, 2004) and Jessica and four grandchildren.
After graduating in December, 1973, he became Pastor of First Church of God, Morristown, Tennessee. The church pulled out of the Church of God in 1980 and became Open Door Baptist Church. In their 12 years there, the church grew from 16 to over 1000 members, went through one relocation and four major building programs.
In December, 1985, he became Pastor of Moulton Heights Baptist Church. The church’s membership has since grown from in the 200’s to over 2,000 members. The church relocated in 1988 to the current Danville Road property and changed the name to Decatur Baptist Church. The church has undergone five major building programs and has purchased 190 acres for future growth. The church’s giving to missions has increased from $30,000 to over $800,000 a year. At the present time, the church is totally debt free.
Decatur Baptist began in 1898 as a Southern Baptist Church, and in 1960 the church pulled out of the convention and became an Independent Baptist Church. In 2005 the church returned to their roots and again became part of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Bro. Doug’s passions are: 1) his family, 2) World Missions, and 3) Discipleship, Evangelism, Leadership Training, Preaching/Teaching and Church Growth. For recreation, he raises “gaited horses” and loves to trail ride with his granddaughter, Kyleigh.
Our pastor, Bro. Doug, was raised in Greenville, Tennessee. He grew up in a totally non-Christian home. At the age of 17, his brother Jerry (who had been saved only a few weeks) told him how Jesus had changed his life and how He would change his if he would receive Him as Savior. That night, January 1, 1970, he heard the gospel for the first time and invited Christ to become his Savior. He immediately began to read the Bible and attend church. Within a few weeks he felt the call of God on his life to be a pastor, so he enrolled in Gulf Coast Bible College (Anderson Church of God) that fall.
He met his wife Katy in April, 1972, while preaching a revival in her church, and they were married in November, 1972. They have two children: Jeremy (who went to be with the Lord in August, 2004) and Jessica and four grandchildren.
After graduating in December, 1973, he became Pastor of First Church of God, Morristown, Tennessee. The church pulled out of the Church of God in 1980 and became Open Door Baptist Church. In their 12 years there, the church grew from 16 to over 1000 members, went through one relocation and four major building programs.
In December, 1985, he became Pastor of Moulton Heights Baptist Church. The church’s membership has since grown from in the 200’s to over 2,000 members. The church relocated in 1988 to the current Danville Road property and changed the name to Decatur Baptist Church. The church has undergone five major building programs and has purchased 190 acres for future growth. The church’s giving to missions has increased from $30,000 to over $800,000 a year. At the present time, the church is totally debt free.
Decatur Baptist began in 1898 as a Southern Baptist Church, and in 1960 the church pulled out of the convention and became an Independent Baptist Church. In 2005 the church returned to their roots and again became part of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Bro. Doug’s passions are: 1) his family, 2) World Missions, and 3) Discipleship, Evangelism, Leadership Training, Preaching/Teaching and Church Growth. For recreation, he raises “gaited horses” and loves to trail ride with his granddaughter, Kyleigh.
