Consistent in Christ

Mt. Olivet Baptist celebrates 225 years of ministry, worship

MT. JULIET — In 1801, Thomas Jefferson was president of the United States, Tennessee was a newly constituted state with a population of 77,000, and Big Cedar Lick Church had just constituted.

Now, 225 years later, Tennessee has a population of 7 million, Wilson County alone has 177,000 residents, and Big Cedar Lick (renamed Mt. Olivet Baptist in 1843) remains a vibrant part of the Mt. Juliet community two miles from where the church originally formed.

Mt. Olivet celebrated its 225th anniversary Sunday, April 19, with a full sanctuary and the theme “One Gospel; Every Generation.”

“It’s a celebration of the unchanging gospel and the God who has been faithful through it all,” pastor Rodney Duckett told members and guests. “None of our history would be possible if it were not for a God who loved us and showed tremendous grace and mercy throughout the years.”

At the time of its founding, Nashville was a frontier outpost, and the surrounding area was sparsely populated. Dense hardwood forests covered most of the land, and open cedar glades broke up the landscape. As Baptists migrated to the area from Virginia and North Carolina, they arrived with the intention of starting churches.

Big Cedar Lick Baptist Church was no accident; it was formed with the purpose of establishing a church that would plant other churches. It did just that, launching 11 churches in the area over the succeeding years that went on to plant more congregations.

The church, the oldest in Wilson County, has remained committed to the missional vision of its charter members, giving more than $1 million through Great Commission efforts over the generations and engaging in missions and ministry locally and internationally with the purpose of sharing the gospel.

“You were frontiersmen. You were a pioneer people who had the edge of the earth on your mind,” said guest speaker Daryl Crouch, representing the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and a former pastor of Green Hills Baptist Church in Mt. Juliet, a descendant church of Mt. Olivet.

“The church is an essential strategy for getting the gospel to the world, and early in your history, you knew that.”

State Reps. Clark Boyd and Susan Lynn, both members of area Tennessee Baptist Convention churches, presented a Tennessee Legislature proclamation honoring the church’s history.

However, the celebration was not only about looking back but also looking forward, building on its heritage to reach future generations. Duckett likened the church’s history to a relay race, saying “this is our time” and that the future of the church “is our responsibility.” He challenged the church to remember its vision of “One Gospel; Every Generation.”

“The church is like a lighthouse,” he said. “If the light goes out, our history doesn’t matter. The gospel is for every future generation, not stopping with this one.” B&R

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