About Us
Who We Are
Believing, Belonging, Becoming Together
Our church motto is “A Family of Faith and Friends… Believing, Belonging, Becoming Together.”
Believing — trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
Belonging — living as a genuine church family who cares for one another.
Becoming — growing day by day to look more like Jesus as His disciples.
We gather to worship, we meet in smaller Life Groups to build relationships, and we go out to love and serve our community in His name.
Vision
To guide others on the path of life transformation through the Gospel.
Mission
To make disciples who know God intimately, serve others compassionately, and share Jesus joyfully.
OUR VALUES
How We Live Out Our Faith
Everything we do at Hixson First Baptist flows from a few simple values. These shape how we worship, grow, serve, and share Jesus together.
What We Believe
Rooted in God’s Word
Hixson First Baptist is a Christ-centered, Bible-believing church. The summary below highlights our core beliefs; for a full statement we gladly affirm the Baptist Faith & Message 2000.
We believe the Bible is God’s written Word, inspired by Him and completely true in all it affirms. It is God’s revelation of Himself, with salvation as its central message, and is our final authority for what we believe and how we live.
We believe there is one and only one living and true God. He is eternal and triune—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each fully and equally God, distinct in person yet one in nature, essence, and being.
We believe Jesus is the eternal Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, perfectly obeyed the Father, died on the cross as our substitute, rose bodily from the grave, ascended to heaven, and will return in power and glory. He is the only Mediator between God and man and lives in every believer as Lord.
We believe people are created by God in His image and are the crown of His creation. Through sin, humanity fell and all people are now sinners in need of salvation. Because Christ died for all, every person—of every race and background—has dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
We believe salvation is the work of God’s grace, redeeming the whole person and offered freely to all who repent and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Salvation includes being made new (regeneration), made right with God (justification), growing in holiness (sanctification), and one day being fully glorified with Him.
We believe a New Testament church is a local body of born-again, baptized believers who voluntarily join together in covenant to worship, grow, serve, and take the gospel to the ends of the earth. The Bible also speaks of the Church as the body of Christ, made up of all the redeemed of all ages.
We believe Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water as an act of obedience and a symbol of union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act in which believers remember Christ’s sacrifice and look forward to His return.
We believe God will bring all things to their proper end in His timing. Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly, the dead will be raised, and He will judge all people in righteousness. Those who reject Christ are separated from God in Hell, while believers will enjoy His presence forever in Heaven.
We believe it is the privilege and responsibility of every follower of Christ and every local church to share the gospel and make disciples of all nations. We do this by both living out and speaking the good news of Jesus in our everyday relationships and around the world.
We believe God is the source of all spiritual and material blessings. Everything we have—time, talents, resources, and the gospel itself—has been entrusted to us to manage faithfully for our good, the good of others, and the glory of God. One day, every believer will give an account of their stewardship to the Lord.
Pastors & Leaders
A Team Called to Serve You
At Hixson First Baptist, our pastors, ministry staff, and lay leaders are here to walk with you—teaching God’s Word, praying for your family, and helping you take your next step with Jesus. Each person you see here loves the Lord, loves people, and is committed to serving our church and community with humility, integrity, and grace.
Dr. Steven Granger
Senior Pastor
Steven began serving as Senior Pastor of Hixson First Baptist Church in January 2016. He was called by God to the preaching ministry in 1981 and has been pastoring churches since 1983. He has served as pastor of churches in Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Steven is a graduate of The Baptist College of Florida, Bachelor of Theology; The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Master of Arts in Christian Education; Covington Theological Seminary, Doctor of Theology. His gifts and passion are in preaching/teaching, leadership, and making disciples. Steven and his wife Cindy are from Chattanooga and have been married since 1980. They have two grown children, Dustin and Shae, and two granddaughters, Natalynn and Mylah.
Tyler Shannon
Worship & Family Ministry Pastor
Tyler joined our staff in April of 2019. He and his wife Amy are natives to the Chattanooga area. Tyler has been leading worship in churches for over 10 years. Before that, he served as a counselor and Director of Ministries at Pathway Counseling Ministry. Tyler graduated from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama with a Masters of Divinity in 1999. Sharing Christ, leading in worship and providing opportunities for others to share their God given talents for the Lord are the desires of his heart. Tyler and Amy have been married for 20 years and have three sons, Owen, Tanner and Blake.
Angela Farley
Children's Ministry Director & Director of Finance
Angela serves as both the Children’s Director and Finance Director at Hixson First Baptist, joining the staff in 2008. She is passionate about helping kids discover God’s love in fun, engaging, and meaningful ways while also faithfully stewarding the resources God has entrusted to the church.
With a love for creative environments and high-energy worship experiences, Angela enjoys providing spaces where children and families feel welcomed, encouraged, and excited to grow in their faith. She believes children’s ministry should be immersive, Christ-centered, and full of joy — creating moments that kids remember long after Sunday is over.
Angela is married to her husband, Scott, who also faithfully serves at Hixson First Baptist. Together they have an adult son, Logan, who brings them great pride and joy.
Katie Workman
Child Development Center Director
Katie has been the Child Development Center Director since December 2017. Prior to becoming Director, she worked in education for nine years and specialized in curriculum development. She also worked to improve our Child Development Center by serving as a volunteer member of the CDC Committee for four years. Katie adores working with children and teaching them about the love of Jesus Christ. Katie and her husband, Nick, have been members of HFBC since 2013. They have three beautiful children and enjoy spending time together going on adventure.
Kim Holcomb
Senior Administrative Assistant
Kim has been a member of Hixson First Baptist since 1982. She began serving as the Administrative Assistant in 2008. Kim greets all visitors to the church office, and provides support for all the ministries of the church. Kim has 2 grown sons and 3 grandchildren.