God’s Recent Sustaining and Growing of Lakeway Pres

As Lakeway Presbyterian Church in Morristown, TN, prepares to particularize next year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the Lord’s faithfulness to this church plant over the last six years. This August marked the start of the plant’s seventh year.

Going back to the beginning, Chris and Beth Talley moved to Morristown in August 2019 and immediately began a Bible study gathering in their home. They made it through COVID-19 and began public worship in August 2020 with a very small group.

In 2021, the church spent six transient months meeting in different locations before finding a central spot downtown in early 2022. After eight months at this new location, Lakeway Pres moved to The Rose Center (shown in the image above) where the church still gathers today.

Chris said, “It’s a great location, it’s very affordable, and it fits in our philosophy of ministry because it’s downtown in the heart of our community and has room for us to grow.”

In the last two years, the Lord has especially provided for the church by bringing new people in who have become part of a strong core group. About 35 households now make up this local body of Christ, including around 45 adults, 20 children (from birth through high school), a handful of college students, some young professionals and young families, some empty nesters, and retirees.

Chris said, “Sometimes when you’re planting a church, people come and are excited, but they don’t fully understand what a church plant is. It took five years to get the right people on the bus, but the group we’ve had now for the last two years has materialized into a strong core group.”

Part of the plant’s DNA is to be winsome, friendship-oriented, and to practice inviting people into homes for fellowship. “That’s kind of foreign in Morristown,” said Chris. “People’s homes are their castles where they retreat to escape from the world. When we invite people to our home, people look at us a little suspect.”

The Talleys came from Atlanta where they experienced an urban center with people focused on hospitality, and they wanted that for Lakeway. “The group we have now really is about inviting people into their homes—not just to church on Sunday. We’ve got about six to eight church families that are not only buying into the idea but actually trying to practice it.”

One family in particular has been bringing new people to church, some of whom don’t know Jesus and some who are young in their faith. “What’s great about our church is we don’t expect them to have their theology all buttoned up,” said Chris. “I love that our church is a place where people across the ideological spectrum feel like they belong.”

Chris is thankful to see how one woman has grown since coming to Lakeway. Her husband isn’t a believer, and she hadn’t been to a church in 25 years because of church hurt in her past. But now, “I can see God doing a work of renewal in her life,” said Chris. “Our church is a hodgepodge Island of Misfit Toys. I love that we have people who are quirky and different. We’re not uniform.”

The last time we featured Lakeway in the presbytery’s church planting newsletter, we introduced Tyler Majors, Lakeway’s first pastoral intern. After about 18 months as an intern, Lakeway proudly but bittersweetly sent Tyler to serve with Reformed University Fellowship at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. As the church’s first time sending someone to serve elsewhere, it was something to celebrate but also bittersweet to say goodbye.

Lakeway staff (left to right): Thomas Callen (youth, outreach, music), Kimber Callen (part time admin), Joahna Hall (part time admin), Jordan Fullbright (part time children’s ministry), Beth Talley (part time women’s ministry), and Chris Talley.

The Lord then brought Thomas Callen, along with his wife and three kids, to Lakeway. Having already earned his MDiv, Thomas is now coming under care of Lakeway and working toward ordination. In the fall of 2024, he began raising funds and was blessed to reach his fundraising goal by December. In January of this year, he began as a full-time staff member over worship, youth, and outreach.

Thomas led three men in an outreach prayer walk using the Prayer Current model last month. They knocked on doors and offered to pray for people. Fifteen homes opened their doors, and one family came to church after meeting the men.

Chris said, “Our guys were nervous to do it but afterwards were super stoked and wanting to do it every month. They were floored at the reception, engagement, and surprise of people realizing there’s a church right near their homes. It was a chance to pray for people about real practical things in their lives. I was super stoked that I had four men in the church willing to do this on their own.”

Thomas also started youth group gatherings and led Lakeway’s first youth retreat this spring and first summer camp this summer. “It was so exciting to finally start the youth gatherings,” he said, “something we had dreamed about for over a year as more and more youth began attending Lakeway.”

Of the summer retreat, Thomas reflected, “What a blessing it was to run, play, and grow closer together as we grew in Christ. We had seven students join us, and our theme was learning what it truly means to belong—belonging to a person, a process, a people, and a place.”

Thomas and the Lakeway youth enjoyed an ice cream break during this summer's youth retreat.

One way the Lord provided specifically for Chris this year was by giving him more flexibility in his other job. As a co-vocational church planter, Chris was teaching Bible at Lakeway Christian Academy last school year. This year, he switched to a class prep/study hall job that’s given him more flexibility. He can point to several small things and specific details that God worked through to set him up to be co-vocational without getting burnt out.

With three grown children, Chris and Beth are now empty nesters, but far from living in a quiet house, the couple is hosting three boys from Panama, showing hospitality to these young students.

Beth is finishing her master of arts in applied theology at Carson Newman, and she stepped away from her career in education so that she would have more time to help with family and serve the church. Chris said, “It’s been a great blessing to have her as more of a partner in ministry.”

As 2025 draws to a close, Chris’ prayer requests for Lakeway are that God would establish a strong first session. “I’ve seen the value of having a good session, and right now, we have a real shot at having a unified session with a mix of gifts.”