New Hixson First Baptist Church pastor Dr. Steven Granger will deliver his first sermon Jan. 31.Dr. Steven Granger is the new pastor at Hixson First Baptist Church, where he will give his first sermon Sunday, Jan. 31 at 10:45 a.m.
Originally from Harrison, Granger has been preaching for 35 years and has served as a pastor for 34. He graduated from Central High School in 1980, then went on to earn a bachelor’s in theology from the Baptist College of Florida, a master’s in Christian education from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and a doctorate in theology from Covington Theological Seminary in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.
After serving as pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church on Signal Mountain for 17 years, Granger became the pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Harrison for the next two, before joining Hixson First Baptist.
“A friend felt God leading him to share my name,” Granger said of how he came to be considered for the pastor role at HFBC. “God led us to minister together as pastor and congregation.”
He said his main goals as the church’s new pastor are to glorify God in everything he does, love the Lord, love people and make disciples.
“That’s the primary purpose of the church – what God wants out of believers and out of the church corporately,” Granger said of his goals. “We want to be the body of Christ in this community. The No. 1 focus of the church is to minister to the community and its people, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
He said he has no plans to make any major changes, and right now he is concentrating on getting to know the community.
“As I’m getting to know the congregation and what its needs are, I’m realizing they match up very well with my experience,” said Granger, explaining that he has experience rebuilding congregations that have declined in number. “This church is going through a transition, like a lot of churches that are more traditional historically. This church has a tremendous legacy in the community, and I believe we’re going to see great days ahead of us.”
The title of Granger’s first sermon is “It’s a New Day.”
“No matter what the past may hold, good or bad, this is a new beginning and great things are before us,” he said, to summarize the message. “Preaching is one of my primary gifts, something I take very seriously and am very passionate about.”
Granger said he works hard to prepare and deliver a message in a way that anyone can understand and apply to their own life.
HFBC, located at 5800 Grubb Road, holds Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. followed by morning worship at 10:45 each Sunday.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com