Temple Baptist Church Powell — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Derrick Morlan (succeeded Clarence Sexton, d. Dec 2023)

Founded Established congregation

Denomination Independent Baptist (IFB)

Service Times Sunday mornings (check website for times)

Men's Ministry Yes

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.templebaptistchurch.com

Pastor Credentials Derrick Morlan — current pastor; predecessor Dr. Clarence Sexton founded Crown College

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

Trinitarian, gospel-centered.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Founder Clarence Sexton left SBC over inerrancy compromise concerns; staunch biblical fidelity emphasis continues.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Annual Smoky Mountain Couples' Retreat; men's Bible studies standard IFB model.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Verify faith-alone soteriology.

Caution

Gender / Biblical Design

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

Verify patriarchal / complementarian / egalitarian practice.

Male lead pastor; Verify patriarchal / complementarian / egalitarian stance

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Pastor Derrick Morlan (and wife Julianna) installed after Sexton's death Dec 12, 2023; longstanding accountability.

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Traditional expository IFB preaching heritage; Crown College-trained pulpit.

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Verify Great Commission focus.

Caution

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Verify cultural alignment.

Caution

Accountability Structure

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

WebFetch returned TLS certificate verification error — site unreachable at validation time. Independent Baptist (IFB) heritage and Crown College connection per batch record; cannot verify from homepage this pass.

Strong

Assessment

Needs on-the-ground review. Added to directory for coverage.

#independent-baptist#ifb#powell#knoxville-area#tennessee

MOOP Engagement Tracker

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

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Sexton's explicit departure from SBC over inerrancy is a reliability signal.

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] Archived snapshot web.archive.org/web/20260311224108/https://templebaptistc…
↳ Snapshot of templebaptistchurch.com (live link)
[2] Live source clarencesexton.com/about/
[3] Live source wbir.com/article/news/local/clarence-sexton-dead-at-75-ye…

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.