Temple Baptist Church Powell — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Pastor Derrick Morlan (Senior Pastor since fall 2024); Dr. Clarence Sexton (pastor 1988-2023, died Dec 12 2023; founder of Crown College 1991)

Founded Unknown

Denomination Independent Baptist

Service Times Sunday School 9:30 AM, Morning Worship 10:45 AM, Gospel Hour 6:00 PM, Wednesday Prayer 7:00 PM

Men's Ministry Yes

Kids Ministry Yes

Website templebaptistchurch.com

Pastor Credentials Derrick Morlan — Crown College of the Bible; 15 years planting Oxford Baptist Chapel UK + Crown Christian Heritage Trust

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

IFB — orthodox Trinitarian.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

'The Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice'; 'Bible preaching is the centerpiece of every service'; KJV-preferred.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Not documented on surfaced pages; IFB tradition emphasizes men's leadership.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

IFB evangelical — sola fide.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

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

IFB male-only pastorate; complementarian/patriarchal.

IFB male-only pastorate

Strong

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Single senior pastor (IFB polity); Clarence Sexton founded/pastored from 1988 until death Dec 12, 2023; Derrick Morlan succeeded him in fall 2024 after 15 years planting Oxford Baptist Chapel in UK.

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

'Bible preaching is the centerpiece of every service' — classic IFB expository.

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Crown College / Crown Christian Heritage Trust missions heritage.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

IFB conservative; no CRT/DEI.

Strong

Accountability Structure

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

Site live; 'Pastor Morlan' confirmed in 'Powerful Bible Messages by Pastor Morlan'; IFB identity not explicit on homepage but consistent with prior data; 'Mutual Faith / Love / Respect / Submission' framing from Rom 1, 1 Jn 4, Rom 12, Eph 5 emphasized. No DEI/affirming/CRT. Held yellow — IFB independent polity keeps denominational red.

WARNING!

Assessment

Temple Baptist in Powell, TN is a prominent IFB church, historically led by Dr. Clarence Sexton who founded The Crown College. Current pastor is Derrick Morlan. Note: the address in the batch (3527 Emory Rd) differs from web results (1700 West Beaver Creek Drive). Strong IFB institution with college — typical IFB strengths and concerns.

#ifb#kjv-only#bible-college#crown-college#powell#tennessee

MOOP Engagement Tracker

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

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Major leadership transition: Sexton died Dec 2023, succeeded by Morlan fall 2024.

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 templebaptistchurch.com
[2] Live source knoxtntoday.com/temple-baptist-gets-new-pastor-to-host-co…
[3] Live source en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Sexton

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.