THE AXIS CHURCH + MADISON FIRST BAPTIST
Stronger Together.
One Savior. One Mission. One Church.
719 Gallatin Pike S • Madison, TN • 10:30am
94%
voted “yes”
88 years
of community roots
50,000+
free meals served
THE STORY
The Story of How We got here.
For fifteen years, The Axis Church has met in a repurposed warehouse in Germantown. It was never polished. It was always purposeful. And over those years, as Germantown transformed from an inner-city neighborhood into one of Nashville's most affluent zip codes, we began to ask a hard question: are we still where we're supposed to be?
The congregation was growing. The parking was disappearing. The mission field that once surrounded us had shifted. We started praying about what came next. Then the Nashville Baptist Association reached out to us.
They knew of a congregation in Madison: 88 years of faithfulness in a single neighborhood. A church that had been serving weekly meals to their homeless neighbors for over a decade. A community that had stayed when other institutions left. They were small in number but long in roots, and they were asking whether a future together might be possible. We said yes to the conversation. And the more we talked, the more we realized this wasn't a transaction. It was a calling.
Their congregation voted 94% yes to join us. And from that moment, the next step became clear.
This is not a merger. This is a family getting bigger.
The Axis DNA stays completely intact. Same leadership. Same mission. Same voice. Same culture. Same Jesus at the center. Always.
The Madison congregation is joining us, and we're bringing everything we have to a neighborhood they've loved for 88 years. What they've built here matters. And it's not going anywhere. It's being multiplied.
This move is the first step in a longer process. Incorporating two congregations at the depth we're committed to doesn't happen in a Sunday. It happens over months of shared life, shared mission, and shared growth. April 19th is the beginning. We're in this for the long haul.
Jeremy sharing the vision behind this move.
TWO BUILDINGS, ONE MISSION
Same mission. New address.
Where we’ve been (2009 to 2026)
Where we’re going: 719 Gallatin Pike S
NEW ADDRESS
719 Gallatin Pike S
Madison, TN 37115
FIRST SUNDAY
April 19th
10:30am
The weekly meal isn’t going anywhere.
THE WEEKLY MEAL
Elevate Ministries is a partner organization that has been serving free community lunches out of the Madison First Baptist Church building for years. Hot food, open doors, no questions asked. Over 50,000 meals. They are their own entity and will continue running this ministry out of this building.
That ministry continues without interruption. Same address. Same time. Same open door.
If you've never been part of a ministry like this and want to get involved, now's your chance. We'd love to have you.
LOCATION
719 Gallatin Pike S
DOORS OPEN
10:30am
LUNCH SERVED
12:00pm
FAQs
You’ve got questions. Good.
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It's not a merger. It's a term we created to describe what's actually happening. One congregation choosing to come under the spiritual leadership and authority of another. The Nashville Baptist Association brought us together, and what grew from that conversation was something neither of us planned on our own. Madison First Baptist's congregation voted to join The Axis. Their name will transition away. Our mission, our DNA, our leadership, our culture, and our brand continue fully intact. Think of it less like two companies merging and more like a family getting bigger.
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Because the elders have discerned that the time is now, and there's both a spiritual and a practical reason for that.
Spiritually, this vision has been in the making since 2018, with specific, prayerful movement beginning in October. What feels sudden from the outside has been a long, careful walk of discernment for our leadership. This is not a reaction. It is obedience to what God has been building toward.
Practically, we are within a 90-day closing window on the Germantown building. The Shepherded Incorporation process requires a significant, concrete commitment in order for two congregations to truly incorporate at depth. Not just share a building, but become one church. Starting to gather together on Sundays is that commitment. It's the necessary first step of a process that will take time and intentionality to complete well.
April 19th is the beginning, not the finish line.
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Yes. Absolutely yes. The weekly community meal brought to us through our partner, Elevate Ministries, continues without interruption. Same address, same time, same open door for anyone who needs it. This ministry is one of the reasons this partnership made so much sense to us in the first place.
Every Monday | Doors open 10am | Lunch at noon
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Wireless listening devices and headphones are available for Live Spanish translation upon request.
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We own the Germantown warehouse and it will be sold. The proceeds from that sale will go toward two things: renovating and improving the Madison location so it can better serve our congregation and the surrounding community, and funding the ongoing mission of The Axis as we step into this new chapter.
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No. The mission stays the same: to know, love, and obey Jesus, and help others do the same. Same leadership. Same voice. Same culture. Same community. We're making room for more, not for something different.
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We hope more at home than you've felt in a long time. You are not being absorbed. You are being welcomed into a family that shares your mission, your love for this neighborhood, and your commitment to the people in and outside these doors. The people coming to you on April 19th have been waiting to meet you.
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There are three parking areas at 719 Gallatin Pike S:
Handicap parking: North side of the building
Visitor and guest parking: South side of the building
Main parking: East side of the building (behind the building)
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Our Sunday Gathering begins at 10:30am. We'll see you there.
VOICES FROM THE ROOM
Don’t take our word for it.
Here's what people who've already experienced both communities are saying.
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“It's going to take a lot of humility from us to walk into that place...They (Madison) are being the hands and feet of Jesus.”
Lydia, Axis Ministry Partner
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“Our children's workers prayed for over a year that God would send us families with children.”
Vicki, Madison First Congregation
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“We were graciously welcomed by no less than 6-7 people. They are so sweet.”
Kiersten and Elijah, Axis Ministry Partners
JOIN US
Come see for yourself.
719 Gallatin Pike S, Madison, TN 37115
10:30am • Sundays
Handicap: North • Visitor: South • Main: East (behind building)
The Axis Church
719 Gallatin Pike S
Madison, TN 37115
10:30am Sundays
theaxischurch.com