Rich Past, Exciting Future
The story, mission, beliefs, and leadership of West End
West End is a place for you.
Our history begins in 1996 with lots of prayer. Pastor Carter Crenshaw led a group from Christ Community Church (PCA) in Franklin, TN, to pray about the possibility of planting a new church in the Nations neighborhood of Nashville. In 1997, the group began meeting at W.A. Bass Middle School.
The church grew in size and service to our community. By 2001, West End was able to purchase 44 acres on White Bridge Road to build a permanent campus. It was completed in 2005.
After 25 years of faithful leadership from Carter, John Bourgeois stepped into leadership as Lead Pastor.
Since 1996, our church and its ministries have grown, but our members have remained steady on this mission: to help people know, love, and follow Jesus.
At West End, we’re all on a journey.
“On our hardest days, I would ask…”
When Dominique partnered with UpRise, West End’s career training ministry, she found support and a new future.
“I want people to know they’re loved.”
Post-church lunch is an open-door policy at Dylan and Mamie’s house. No agenda. Just come and be.
“We’re not meant to do this alone.”
When Lucy experienced devastation, God used the presence of another West End member to bring hope.
Inside our walls, you’ll find the curious, the committed, the skeptical, the hurting, and the hopeful. We’re seeking to know, love, and follow Jesus.
Meet our Leadership
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John Bourgeois
Lead Pastor
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Chuck Merritt
Executive Director
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Carter Crenshaw
Founding Pastor
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Scotty Smith
Teacher in Residence
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Betsy Thomas
Director of Women’s Ministry
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Bobby Freeman
Director of Missions
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Brett Taylor
Director of Worship
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Carole Peterson
UpRise Executive Director
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Daniel Meek
Young Adults Director
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Jack Foster
Chaplain
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Laura Stacy
Director of Engagement
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Leah Gaffney
Youth Director
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Mary Berndt
Children’s Ministry Director
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Nathan Warnock
Director of Facilities
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Patrick Kelly
Director of Operations
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Stephen Simmons
Pastor of Men’s Discipleship
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J Hager
Pastor of Care
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Emily Gordon
Mother’s Day Out Director
Core Beliefs
We are grateful for the gift of the Bible, which we humbly receive and affirm to be God’s Word. Within its pages, God reveals his truth, goodness, and beauty to us. Written in the shape of a story—the Bible is the account of God’s relentless pursuit of his people that unfolds as a fourfold plotline of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. As the story develops, we discover the abundance of Jesus as he leads us on our journey.
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Imagine a world in which people, places, and things exist in perfect relationship and harmony. Everything is beautiful, nothing is broken, and there is no hint of wrong. The Bible calls this state of perfection “shalom”—a Hebrew word meaning completeness, wholeness, and well-being before God. This is the world of Genesis 1-2. God created the world, and everything in it, as an expression of his glory and grace—with mankind as the centerpiece and his masterpiece. Made in his image, God created us to know, worship, and enjoy him, and to serve his purposes in the world. God looked at all he had made and said, “This is very good.”
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Deception and tragedy entered the story, and the wholeness of creation was breached and broken. Like all of God’s good gifts, the freedoms and privileges of creation were to be stewarded with humility and gratitude. Tragically, God’s first worshipers became his first rebels—putting themselves in the place of God. This is the essence of what the Bible calls sin. Everything in creation, every sphere of life, and every aspect of our being suffered the devastating impact of sin and death. Nothing is the way God designed it to be. Everything is broken.
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But because of his great love, everything, everywhere is also the target of God’s redemption. In full view of his creatures sin and helplessness, God set in motion a plan so big and generous, he chose stars, sand, and dust to express the size of his future family (Genesis 12-17). And he promised, one Day, to fill the entire earth with his glory.
God’s promises are so big only he can keep them. The greatest expression of his generosity is seen in the gift of his son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the “Yes” to every promise God has made. He came to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. This is the Gospel.
As our substitute in life, Jesus fulfilled God’s law for us; and by his death on the cross, he took the judgment we deserve. By trusting in Jesus’ finished work, we are fully forgiven and are robed in his righteousness. As our risen Savior, Jesus intercedes for us, and reigns over all things until his return.
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After his resurrection, Jesus declared, “I am making all things new!” Notice he did not say he is making all new things. God’s story is a story of restoration, not replacement. In fact, the completion of the story is even grander than the beginning. Jesus isn’t taking us back to the Garden of Eden, but into the new heaven and new earth. By his death and resurrection, Jesus placed an expiration date on all sin, evil, sickness, and brokenness. There will be no more racism, injustice, or war in the new heaven and new earth. There will be no more pain, suffering, or disaster. There will be no more death, in any form. This is the hope of the Good News of Jesus Christ. This is God’s story. We believe this story to be true, good, and beautiful, just like our God. It compels us to worship God, it fuels our hope, and frees us to love our neighbors.
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If you're interested in learning more about the story that shapes our faith, there are a few resources we recommend:
The New City Catechism summarizes the main points of this story and their implications in 52 very short question-and-answer articles.
West End Community Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a group of churches whose theological beliefs are summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms.
Please feel free to contact one of our pastors or elders if you have any questions about what we believe the Bible teaches.
Service Times
You’re invited to join us for worship every Sunday morning 9 and 10:30.
Questions?
If you have questions for anyone on Staff, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d be happy to answer your questions.