Kevin's Thought for Thursday

Love will find a way; Indifference will find an excuse.

Thursday's Verse

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! - 1 Corinthians 10:12

Total guests online - 1 Max guests at once - 14

On January 5, 1969, a small group of believers, stepped out on faith and started a church in Franklin, Tennessee in the garage of Leonard and Katherine Boucher. The first pastor was Dr. James Davis. By June of 1969, this small church purchased a house and 2 acres on 810 Del Rio Pike. The church kept the house, but also built 2 buildings, and stayed at this location for 30 years. Then, in March / April of 1999, the building was sold to Eagles Nest Academy. In the summer of 2002, the original buildings and house burned to the ground. After the fire, Eagles Nest Academy built a brand new building, and are enjoying a successful ministry to this day.

The reason Franklin Community Church (FCC) sold their buildings to Eagles Nest was because of a dream (called "Vision 2000") birthed in the heart of Pastor Kevin Riggs. The dream included a vibrant, growing, relevant church of a 1,000 people, touching Franklin and beyond. The dream also included a Christian School. When the members of FCC voted to sell and relocate, their prayer was, "Lord, build it or bury it, but don't let it remain the same."

The future looked bright for FCC, but that was about to change.

With great enthusiasm, in May of 1999, FCC started meeting in Freedom Middle School. In September of 1999, the church took another step of faith and purchased 28 acres on New Hwy. 96 West. Though located only 2 miles from the original church, the purchased land was on the outside of town…but not for long. During negotiations for the land, an announcement was made that a new community of 3,000 homes would be built along New Hwy. 96 West…right across the street from the 28 acres! That new subdivision is now called Westhaven, and is one of the most sought after neighborhoods in all of Middle Tennessee. The future looked bright for FCC, but that was about to change.

Within a few years of relocating to Freedom Middle School and purchasing 28 acres, rumors started spreading throughout Franklin that the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) was going to take the church's land by "imminent domain" for the Mack Hatcher By-Pass Extension (a planned road, that upon completion, will circle the entire city). The thought of losing the land was a huge setback to the small congregation. Over the following 3 years, Pastor Kevin had numerous conversations with TDOT officials, and did all he could to save the land, but the odds seemed insurmountable. As time went on, it looked more and more likely that FCC would lose some or all of its land.

In the fall of 2003, after 14 years, Pastor Kevin felt called by God to leave FCC for a church in Russellville, Arkansas. He struggled with this decision because the job in Franklin was not complete. But God reminded him of the story of Moses, who labored for decades, but never saw the Promise Land. Pastor Kevin resigned, confident that God would provide a Joshua to lead FCC.

The prayers of so many people had been answered, but not the way anyone expected.

Over the next two years, things happened that God only knows and God understands. The church struggled like never before, division set it, and membership declined. By the summer of 2005, less than 20 people remained. Then, in August of 2005, it was decided to close the church. The prayers of so many people had been answered, but not the way anyone expected. Instead of building the church, God had buried it! The only thing left to do was to have a funeral.

In December of 2005, Pastor Kevin, along with five deacons who had served with him (Phil Davis, Eric Boucher, Fred Adams, Randy Monroe, and Tom Starling), were asked to form and advisory committee to help dissolve the church in an ethical way and to disburse the assets with integrity. The primary asset was the property on New Hwy. 96 West. It was the desire of the church membership, and the advisory committee, that the land be given or sold to another church or ministry. If the property were sold, it was decided that it would not be sold for a penny more than the church paid for it in 1999. (The purchase price was $640,000.00. By the end of 2005, the land was worth more than $2 million.)

Over the next 16 months, the advisory committee met numerous times with different ministries, without any results. Believe it or not, while the property could have been sold in a day for millions, it could not be given away! God was up to something.

What started as a spark soon turned into a burning fire.

As the months dragged on, God started rekindling the dream inside the hearts of Pastor Kevin and the advisory team. What started as a spark soon turned into a burning fire. Then, on April 10, 2007, FCC officially voted to restart and to call Pastor Kevin back home to Tennessee from Arkansas.

Once again, the dream is alive! Once again, the dream is to have a growing, vibrant, relevant church touching Franklin and beyond. And God has protected the land. The Mack-Hatcher By-Pass will be built along the western border of the property, placing the church on the corner of New Hwy. 96 West and Mack-Hatcher. It has been estimated that upon completion, over 30,000 cars will pass through that intersection, each and every day. And the church they will see at that intersection, is a church God will not let die!

Because you cannot have a resurrection until after you have had a death!

Actually, God did let the church die. Do you want to know why? Because you cannot have a resurrection until after you have had a death! And that is what is now taking place. The dream of FCC, which once died, has been resurrected; and a resurrected body is more powerful, more healthy, more living, and more supernatural, than a mere, mortal body.


If you are tired of the "same-ole-same-ole", and if you are ready to follow Jesus in a new, resurrected life, if you are ready to take a journey of faith, then come and be apart of a dream that will not die. Come and be a part of something that can only be explained as a "God-thing." Come and be a part of Franklin Community Church.