Good Neighbor Podcast: TN-WNC-SWVA

EP#323: Blountville Christian Church welcomes families seeking connection through Christ.

• Skip Mauney & Justin Daniel • Episode 323

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What happens when a Mississippi Gulf Coast worship leader finds himself pastoring a century-old church in the mountains of East Tennessee? The Good Neighbor Podcast welcomes Reverend Justin Daniel of Blountville Christian Church, who shares his unexpected journey into ministry and the vibrant faith community he now leads.

Pastor Justin paints a picture of a congregation deeply committed to reaching the next generation while honoring their rich heritage. With both traditional and contemporary services, the church creates space for families to connect not just with each other but with Jesus. "What I love about this church is the fact that it has continually had a focus on the next generation," he explains, describing how they're witnessing transformative growth as people discover faith and find community.

The conversation takes a powerful turn when Pastor Justin vulnerably discusses overcoming church hurt. Drawing from personal experience with a church that faced devastating challenges, he offers a counterintuitive insight: sometimes healing comes by returning to community rather than retreating from it. "The church is a beautiful mess," he reflects. "I like to think of it as a mosaic, a bunch of broken pieces that come together to make a beautiful picture of Christ." This perspective acknowledges human imperfection while celebrating the divine connection that binds believers together.

Whether you're curious about spiritual community in the Tri-Cities region or simply enjoy authentic conversations about faith and family, this episode delivers heartfelt insights from a pastor committed to making Jesus famous in East Tennessee. Ready to learn more? Visit BlountvilleChristianChurch.org or simply stop by on Sunday morning – as Pastor Justin promises, "We'll have coffee and a chair waiting for you."

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Monty.

Speaker 2:

Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast of the Tri-Cities in Western North Carolina. So today I am super excited to have a very special guest with us in the studio for the first time and super excited to learn all about them and their ministry. And I'm sure you will be too as well, because today it is my distinct pleasure to introduce your good neighbor, Reverend Justin Daniel, who is the pastor at Bluntville Christian Church. Pastor Justin, welcome to the show.

Speaker 3:

Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2:

Like I said, we're thrilled to have you and excited to learn all about you and what you do. So if you don't mind, why don't you kick us off by telling us about your church?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah. Blountville Christian Church is a church with a great history. It's over 100 years old and what I love about this church is the fact that it has continually had a focus on the next generation. We're continuing to reach young families. Man, our hope is to just magnify the name of Jesus and live sent and, as a result, man just see lives changed, and so we are. We're seeing some really exciting things happen at our church and we're seeing people come to faith in Jesus. We're seeing families getting rooted and connected in relationship not just with each other, but also with the Lord as well.

Speaker 2:

Wow, very nice. Well, pastor, we were talking just before we started recording that you're not from around here originally. Why don't you tell us about your journey? How did you get here?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah. So I've grown up in church and I'm originally from the Mississippi Gulf Coast and had part of a great student ministry. One thing led to another and God just kind of directed those steps to getting involved in ministry. One thing led to another and God just kind of directed those steps to getting involved in ministry. I was a worship leader for a long time, played music, played in bands, different things like that. I had the opportunity in my early 20s to work for a really great church on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and that was my start into ministry.

Speaker 3:

And man, just one thing has led to another. We were in Montgomery for a little bit. I actually had a friend. I did some church planting on the Gulf Coast as well, and we had a friend who came through our doors at the church plant and anyway, really good friend and he ended up moving away and I ended up moving away as well and we ended up getting reconnected and he said, hey, there's a church in the Tri-City area that is looking for a pastor you ought to put in for it. And, and I did, Didn't really think a whole lot about it Honestly, didn't, you know? Never, never thought we'd end up in East Tennessee, and and then the Lord's providence put us here and we're excited to be here.

Speaker 2:

Amen, brother, Same here. God led me to East Tennessee too, and I love it. I think it's the most beautiful place in the world.

Speaker 3:

It really is.

Speaker 2:

It is, it truly is, and I've lived all over the place, including California, which is a beautiful state, but it's nothing like the mountains of East Tennessee and southwest Virginia and western North Carolina.

Speaker 3:

It's a great place to raise a family Sorry.

Speaker 2:

No, no, no, it absolutely is, absolutely is, and we'll talk more about fun in just a minute.

Speaker 3:

So can you tell us about any myths or misconceptions that you hear about your church or church in general? You know, I think the you know I don't necessarily know about misconceptions. I do think that we live in the buckle of the Bible belt and, as a result, there are a lot of people who've experienced hurt as a result of church. They've grown up in it and one of the things that I think is one of the things that I think is most important is for us to recognize that the church in and of itself and the people aren't perfect, but we do worship a perfect Savior and we want to make sure that that is the message that we herald more than anything else.

Speaker 3:

I know that when it comes to being from the South, you know, people are, in a lot of ways, have a Christian background and a lot of times, when it comes to stepping through the front doors of a church, it's nerve wracking because a lot of times, if you've grown up in any kind of religious background, there's baggage like anything else. But the beautiful thing is is that our hope is to look to Christ more than anything else. The church is a beautiful mess. I like to think of it kind of as a mosaic, a bunch of broken pieces that come together to make a beautiful picture of Christ. And so, man, when it comes to misconceptions, I would say that I don't necessarily know how many misconceptions there are, but I do think that we want to try to be a place that's healthy for families. We want to continue to pursue the Great Commission, and making Jesus famous is what we want to try to do. We won't get it right 100% of the time, you know, everybody makes mistakes, but we do want to love people and make the gospel clear.

Speaker 2:

Amen, brother, amen. So you mentioned a great place to raise a family when you're not ministering or when I know you work. Ministers, pastors, work all the time. If there is any fun time, what do you like to do for recreation and fun?

Speaker 3:

my kids, uh, they are uh, man, they're just my, my joy I have, I have three little ones, uh they are they they span from six to eleven and uh, and we, we, uh, we, we do everything from.

Speaker 3:

You know, we'll hike trails, we'll uh, we'll pay. I mean, honestly, just hanging out with them in the car is even fun. Uh, they're just a blast. At this age, they mainly doing what they have going on as well. I know they play soccer and different things like that. So just really being involved in the family. Honestly, I wish, I wish I could play music like I used to, but just the capacity isn't there. But I know that those moments will come as they get older. So absolutely.

Speaker 2:

Now, what instrument did you play earlier?

Speaker 3:

I play guitar, play guitar, sing different things like that.

Speaker 2:

It's a it's a God given gift and got to give it back. You've got to give it back so well, pastor, can you describe one hardship or life challenge that you faced and overcame and came out stronger on the other side? Does anything come to mind?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, I think there are. Yeah, something specifically does come to mind Growing up in the church. We had a or growing up and doing ministry and being a part of a church I was part of a really really awesome church, uh, and uh, man, we, we, uh the church went through a really really rough season. Um, the pastor ended up having to get let go. There was, uh, lots of people who were hurt as a result of it, and just having to walk with different families and, uh, through that season, um, you know it, it made me realize that that, um, you know, when it, when it comes to, when it comes to the church, uh, man, it is a place where people, um, it is a place where people put their hearts. Uh, it is a place where people invest their time, uh, their affection, their relationship.

Speaker 3:

All of these things go into that, even the staff, and when things end up falling apart or hard seasons happen, it really can mess people up, it really can hurt people. It really can hurt people and, as a result, there was a. So, just to say that, coming to the other end of that, it took a long time, even even being on staff at a church that had an obstacle like that. It was a. It was really really tough and, as a result, kind of coming to the other end of that. It really makes you appreciate the fact that, even though there are difficult times that happen within the church, that you can still find healing in running to the last place you think you should be.

Speaker 3:

A lot of times, when it comes to being hurt by the church, the instinct is to run away, but the beautiful thing is is that when it comes to the church, it is the exact place where you will actually end up finding healing as well, where you will actually end up finding healing as well.

Speaker 3:

And so you know, those things are often, those moments are hard to get to the other end. But God can use even the most difficult seasons to man to bring about I would say to even bring about a sense of gratefulness and gratitude and even come to know him in a whole new way in the midst of those trials. And so you know, I know that I am who I am today because of what we went through back then. And not only that, but it's given me a love for people and also recognizing that there is a big responsibility when people say, hey, I want to be a part of your church. There's a weight there and a responsibility to want to serve them and love them well, because of the fact that I myself know what it's like to go through church hurt.

Speaker 2:

Amen, brother, in God's time and in God's plan. I feel the same way. God's led me to where I am today and I believe that it's all for a reason, and I'm better off for it and will be and will be able to do more of His work. So thank you for that. So if, pastor, if you could think of one thing that you wish our listeners knew about Bluntville Christian Church, what would that be?

Speaker 3:

We are and we're all about Jesus. Here we are a church that wants to lift him up, who wants to continue to declare his greatness, and so our hope is that, as a result of us sharing Jesus, that lives would be changed, that if they've known Jesus forever, if they'd known Jesus since being young children, that they would continue to grow in him, that they would continue to know him more, and if they've never really met Jesus before, that their life would be radically different, radically changed. And so, man, our church is fully about the gospel.

Speaker 2:

Awesome, awesome. Well, for those of us who may be unchurched if that's the word or that are interested and intrigued by listening today, how can they learn more about Bluntville Christian Church?

Speaker 3:

Well, you can go to our website, BluntvilleChristianChurchorg. Go, check that out. We have tons of things going on for the family. We have a great student ministry, we have an incredible children's ministry here, and our heart is for and we are a gospel-centered community for man, the entire family, and so it doesn't really matter what generation you come from. We have a contemporary and a traditional service as well, so you can check all that information out. You can go to our social media page as well Bluntville Christian Church. Check out our Facebook page. There you can check out our services and kind of see what we're all about. And yeah, so check us out at our webpage. Or you know what? Come through our front doors on Sunday morning and we're right here in the middle of Blountville, Tennessee, so hang out with. We'd love to have you. We'll have coffee and a chair waiting for you.

Speaker 2:

Awesome. Now you said you have a contemporary and a traditional service. What times are those?

Speaker 3:

9.30 for the traditional and 11 for the contemporary.

Speaker 2:

Gotcha All right, very good. Well, pastor Daniel, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to our listeners and viewers about all about Bluntful Christian Church and your ministry there and all the wonderful things you're doing. Thank you for that. By the way, thank you for being here, but thank you for spreading the Lord's word and talking about the wonderful nature of Jesus and how incredible he is, and I appreciate that personally and wish you and your family and your congregation and Bluntful Christian Church all the best moving forward. Thank you personally and wish you and your family and your congregation and and Bluntville Christian church all the best moving forward.

Speaker 3:

Thank you.

Speaker 2:

And maybe we could have you back sometime. I'd love that. That would be an honor. Awesome, same here. All right, thank you so much and we will talk soon. Have a blessed rest of the day.

Speaker 3:

Thank you, you too.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP, try dash citiescom. That's GNP, try dash citiescom. Or call 4, 2, 3, 7, 1, 9, 5, 8, 7, 423-719-5873.