Forest Baptist Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Pastor Nathaniel "Nate" Bishop Jr. (Lead Pastor)

Founded Historic — originally founded by enslaved congregants who met in the forest

Denomination Baptist (Kentucky Baptist Convention / SBC)

Service Times Sundays at 11:00 AM (in-person, Facebook Live, YouTube, Zoom); Weekly S.O.A.P. Bible Study Tue-Fri 11:00 AM

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website fbcnewburg.org

Pastor Credentials Eastern Michigan University (undergrad); Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (graduate). ERLC affiliated.

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Baptist — Trinitarian orthodoxy. SBC-affiliated through Kentucky Baptist Convention.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

SBC affiliation through KBC means Baptist Faith & Message 2000 — Scripture is inerrant and authoritative. SBTS-trained pastor reinforces strong biblical authority.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

No dedicated men's ministry confirmed yet — but Xavier McFalls leads discipleship ministry and weekly SOAP Bible studies run Tue-Fri. Verify if there is a men-specific component. Adonis Jackson serves as deacon.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Baptist — salvation by grace through faith alone. SBTS training is solidly evangelical/Reformed.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

All-male pastoral team (5 pastors, all male). No female pastors or elders confirmed. Yellow until explicit complementarian/patriarchal household teaching is confirmed from sermons.

All-male pastoral staff (5 pastors). Lead Pastor Nate Bishop Jr., plus 4 male assistant pastors. No female pastors. Deacon board includes Adonis Jackson (Moop's friend).

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

All-male pastoral team: Lead Pastor Nate Bishop Jr., Assistant Pastor Michael McGee (preaching/teaching, bi-vocational at UPS), Assistant Pastor Alex Tenenbaum (community engagement), Samuel Tunde Abednego (Children's Ministry, SOAP Bible Studies), Xavier McFalls (Assistant Pastor, discipleship). No female pastors on staff. Strong male leadership structure.

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Pastor McGee specifically titled "assistant pastor of preaching and teaching" — indicates preaching is valued. SBTS training suggests expository capability. Need to watch sermons on YouTube (youtube.com/@fbcnewburg) to assess depth.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Active community engagement in Newburg/Petersburg neighborhood. Online worship presence (Facebook, YouTube, Zoom). Verify Great Commission language and missions partnerships.

Caution

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Historically Black congregation serving the Newburg/Petersburg community. KBC/SBC affiliation is a positive sign of conservative Baptist alignment. Verify no DEI/CRT drift in programming.

Caution

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Kentucky Baptist Convention (SBC affiliate). Listed on kybaptist.org. Strong denominational accountability. Pastor trained at SBTS — the flagship SBC seminary in Louisville.

Strong

Assessment

Forest Baptist Church is a historic predominantly Black Baptist congregation in Louisville's Newburg neighborhood — tracing back to enslaved congregants who gathered in the forest. Now led by Pastor Nate Bishop Jr. (SBTS graduate), with a strong all-male pastoral team of 5: Bishop (Lead), McGee (preaching/teaching), Tenenbaum (community), Abednego (children/Bible study), McFalls (discipleship). KBC/SBC affiliated — strong denominational accountability. Weekly SOAP Bible studies Tue-Fri show serious devotional investment. Online presence via Facebook, YouTube, and Zoom. Adonis Jackson (Moop's personal friend) serves as deacon. The SBTS training, all-male pastoral staff, and SBC affiliation are strong positives. Remaining yellow items: watch sermons on YouTube to assess preaching depth, confirm complementarian teaching, and verify men's ministry programming.

#baptist#sbc#kbc#louisville#kentucky#historic#predominantly-black#newburg#personal-connection#sbts-trained#needs-review

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Visited the facility in person

✓ Attended a worship service

✓ Researched church website

✓ Personally knows church members

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

No visible denominational statement; SBC tag unverified.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source fbcnewburg.org

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.