TBC Staff
Shad Smith
Senior Pastor
Bro. Shad has been the Pastor of Temple Baptist Church since January, 2009. A native of Rockmart, Georgia, Pastor Shad attended Gadsden State Community College, Jacksonville State University and Luther Rice Seminary. He also holds an honorary doctorate from Fundamental Bible College and Seminary. Since his arrival in 2009, our church family has been blessed and challenged by his bold, Biblical and practical preaching from the Word of God.
Pastor Shad is married to Carrie. They have two children, Jonah Marc and Anna Grace. Bro. Shad’s hobbies include playing the piano and watching Alabama Crimson Tide football.
Favorite Bible Verse: Psa. 126:6
Favorite Restaurant: Bea’s Restaurant, Chattanooga
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Scott Young
Associate Pastor / Minister of Students
Scott joined the staff at TBC in 2010. He and his wife Jessica have two children, Bryan and Rachel. The Young’s are from Jacksonville, Florida. Scott grew up the son of a Minister of Music. Bro. Scott has been in the ministry since 1998. The Temple family is blessed to have Bro. Scott and his family. Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Biblical Studies degree from Louisiana Baptist University.
Favorite Bible Verses: Proverbs 3:5-6
Hobbies: Golf and playing the trumpet
Favorite Restaurant: Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse
Favorite Teams: Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Braves, and the Florida State Seminoles
Jon Alverson
Minister of Missions
Jon and his wife Melissa have been part of the TBC family since 2002. They have one child, Makenna and live in Ringgold, Georgia. Jon is the son of Missionary Jeff Alverson. In 2009, Jon joined the current TBC staff as Minister of Missions. His desire and passion to send the gospel to the far reaches of the world is a driving force in the Global Outreach Mission Ministry at Temple.
Favorite Bible Verse: Psa. 40:8
Favorite Restaurant: Outback Steakhouse
Favorite Team: Atlanta Braves
Rick Chambers
Minister of Music
Bro. Rick has been the Minister of Music at Temple since 1998. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Rick is especially sensitive to the Holy Spirit as he leads our Celebration Choir and Orchestra in each of our worship services. His love for the great hymns of the faith and his ability to conduct and arrange make him a valuable part of our ministry team. Rick and his wife Kathy have three children and 5 grandchildren and reside in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee.
Favorite Bible Verse: Proverbs 3:5-6
Favorite Places to Eat: MOM’s House, Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, and Outback Steakhouse
Favorite Team: The Tennessee Volunteers!
Hobbies: I don’t have much time for a hobby, but I do collect trains, Ron Lee Emmet Kelly, Jr. clowns, and antiques.
When did you trust Christ as your Savior? 1976
Rhonda Perry
Administrative Secretary
Rhonda has been a member of the TBC staff since 1995. Her husband, Damon, is the pastor of another local church in our area. Rhonda is a graduate of Lakeview High School. Her dedication and attention to detail make her a valuable member of our church staff. Rhonda and Damon have three children and one grandchild.
Favorite Bible Verses: 2 Cor. 12:9-10
Favorite Restaurants: Olive Garden and Zaxby’s
How long have you been a follower of Jesus Christ? 35 years! Praise the Lord for that Sunday night in June 1976!
Melissa Alverson
Preschool Ministry Director
Melissa joined the staff of TBC in 2010. She and her husband Jon, who is also on staff as our Minister of Missions, came to Temple in 2002. She has been a follower of Jesus Christ since 1984 and has been working with children in ministry for many years. Our kids love Melissa! She always greets them with a smile! Melissa attended Dalton State College. She and Jon live in Ringgold, Georgia and have one child, Makenna.
Favorite Bible Verse: Philippians 4:13
Favorite Restaurant: Carrabas
Hobby: Scrapbooking
Nick Sun
Ministry Assistant / AWANA Commander
Nick and his wife Lindsay became members of TBC in 2004. They live in Ringgold, Georgia and have one child, Collin. Nick graduated with a Bachelors degree from Berry College and an MBA from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Bro. Nick has an amazing passion for the ministry of TBC. His burden for the inner city has contributed to the explosive growth of our youth and children’s ministries. He and his wife spend countless hours laboring to see the ministry grow.
Favorite Bible Verse: 1 Peter 5:7
Favorite Restaurant: Ghengis Grill
Favorite Team: New York Mets
Favorite TV Show: ESPN Sportscenter
Hobbies: Golf and anything sports related
Brenda Brown
Church Custodian
Brenda and her husband James became members of TBC in 1988 and in 2006 she joined our staff full-time. She and James live in Trenton, Georgia and have 2 children and 3 grandchildren. Their son Ronnie is a local pastor in the Chattanooga metro area. Brenda goes above and beyond her duty each day and truly serves “as unto the Lord”. In addition to her work through the week, Brenda sings in our celebration Choir every Sunday.
Favorite Bible Verse: Romans 8:28
Favorite Restaurant: Ryan’s
Favorite Team: Tennessee
Hobby: Sewing and Scrapbooking
Venus Mathews
Security
Venus joined our staff in 2011. She and her son live in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In addition to leading our security team at TBC, Venus serves as a police officer with the City of Chattanooga Police Department.