About Us

Pastor Matthew Caldwell

Brother Matt accepted the call to become the new Olivet Baptist Church pastor. He has been preaching for twenty years and has been a pastor for ten years. He is a dynamic, old-fashioned preacher with a burden for souls.


We are so excited to have Brother Matt, his lovely wife Dana, and their four children, Tanner, Jonah, Addison and Ashlynn in our church family.

Contact
Church Leaders Who Make it All Possible:

List of Services

List of Services

Deacons
  • Earl Robertson
  • Bill Walden
  • Joe Pate
  • Carl Hutchison
Trustees
  • Cecil Mannis
  • Leonard Voiles
  • Tom Smith
  • Dick Gamble
  • Walt Hobby
Olivet Info Line
  • Connie Holland
  • Donna Walden
  • Linda Gamble
The Olivet church family is grateful to all the Sunday School teachers, preachers, singers, fellowship leaders, ushers, security, property upkeep personal and all who give so unselfishly of their time and talents to make the church experience so wonderful!
God bless you all!

What We Believe

The Articles of Faith, as set forth in Dr. James R. Hobbs book, "The Pastor's Manual," were adopted in the church charter,

and a summary of the main tenets are listed below:

  • Article I

    We believe the Holy Bible was divinely inspired, a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction; that God is the Author, salvation is its end, and it is truth without error in its matter.

  • Article II

    We believe that there is only one living and true God, whose name is JEHOVAH; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

  • Article III

    We believe that man was created in holiness, but by voluntary transgression fell from the holy and happy state of creation; in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint but by choice.

  • Article IV

    We believe that salvation is wholly of grace; by the mediatorial offices of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; who freely took upon him our nature, yet without sin, and by his death made a full atonement for our sins; that having risen bodily from the grave he is now enthroned at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

  • Article V

    We believe that those who believe upon Christ are justified, and that such justifications includes the pardon of sins, and the promise of eternal life.  Justification is not based upon any works of righteousness done by men, but solely through faith in the shed blood of Christ.

  • Article VI

    We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again, by repentance and faith in the finished work of Christ alone; whereby being deeply convicted of our guilt, danger and helplessness in ourselves, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy, receiving the Lord Jesus as our all-sufficient Saviour.

  • Article VII

    We believe in the persevering attachment to Christ of true believers, who, apart from superficial professors, will by the grace of God endure faithfully unto the end; that a special providence watches over their welfare, and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

Baptist Church

Our History

With a vision for a new Missionary Baptist Church, a group met for fellowship on March 10, 1957, at the Norwood Community Building on Merchants Road in Knoxville. On April 17, 1957, Olivet Baptist Church was established, with Roy D. Arwood called as the first pastor.

 

The present campus, at 4701 Pleasant Ridge Road, was purchased and plans began on May 29, 1957, for construction of a new church building. The church held its first worship service in the basement on the first Sunday in September, 1957.

 

Great growth followed and the church sanctuary was completed in 1960. With a vision for the lost, the church used multiple ministries to publish the gospel of Jesus Christ, including a tract ministry, street preaching, a radio broadcast and a large missions program. Olivet has known many trials and the ups and downs that come with them, but through it all the ministry has continued to focus on getting the gospel out to the lost in every outreach possible.

 

In 2000, John Price was called as pastor. With the church at a low point, Brother Price began the work of building up the fellowship of believers, enlisting the help of close friends with a heart for worship and service. The church began to grow again and the enthusiasm was contagious! In 2008, a state-of-the-art fellowship hall was built and in short order was debt-free. 

 

In November, 2017, Matthew Caldwell accepted the call to be the new pastor. Brother Matt is married to his childhood sweetheart, Dana, and they have four wonderful children, Tanner, Jonah, Addison and Ashlynn. Pastor Caldwell has extensive pulpit experience as a pastor and evangelist. He is an old-fashioned enthusiastic preacher and his church family loves him and his family.