About Us
Our Mission
LOVE GOD
We pursue a love relationship with Jesus Christ. We emphasize worship. Prayer is a priority. We work hard but more importantly we always seek the heart of God and the mind of Christ. We will seek to be spiritually healthy and holy in all that we think and say and do.
LOVE PEOPLE
We love one another like a family. We are not a business! We are a part of the body and family of Christ. We lovingly and patiently seek to be a church that honors God by valuing one another. We care for and seek to restore the sick, the shut-ins, and the hurting around us.
SHARE JESUS AND MAKE DISCIPLES
We intentionally seek to make disciples of all nations beginning in Hardin County and reaching out to our state, our country, and our world. We recognize that our greatest reason for being on this earth is to bring glory to God and to reach the lost. We deliberately serve others and give with the ultimate goal of reaching them with the Gospel.
Our Beliefs
GOD THE FATHER
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history, according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
(Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
GOD THE SON - JESUS CHRIST
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demand and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind, yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross. He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and consummate His redemption mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
(Matthew 1:22-23 Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; Hebrews 4:14; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13)
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration, He baptizes every believer into the body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
(2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16, 17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16, Ephesians 1:13, Galatians 5:25)
THE BIBLE
The Holy Bible was written by man divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.
(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 19:105, 160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5)
MAN OR HUMAN BEINGS
Man is a special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God’s creation. In the beginning, man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice, man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan, man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherits a nature and an environment toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident, in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
(Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6, Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2)
SALVATION
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered free to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
(Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8, 9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5)
ETERNAL LIFE
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.
(John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10, 14; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1)
ETERNITY
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation by Jesus Christ. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
(John 3:16; John 14:17; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:17-18; Revelation 20:15; 1 Corinthians 2:7-9)
Northside Baptist Church affirms the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 in its entirety. This summary includes selected highlights from that larger statement of faith. The entire statement, including the Scripture references for each section, is available here.
John "Tree" Akers
Youth Pastor
"Tree" has been the Student Pastor at Northside since 2006. Prior to coming to Northside, he served in churches in both South Carolina and Kentucky. "Tree" is a graduate of Campbellsville University with a Bachelor of Science degree. He also received a Master of Arts in Christian Education from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. "Tree" was ordained into the Gospel ministry in 1998. "Tree" has been married to his wife, Rebekah since 2001.
Justin Honey
Worship Pastor
Justin is from Saint Charles Missouri and grew up there before heading to Truman State University in 2016 and graduated from there in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and minors in Statistics and Actuarial Science. He currently attends Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville studying for a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Biblical Counseling. Justin has served in the ministry since 2019 at First Baptist Church of Kirksville and has since served at Southside Christian Church of Harrodsburg before being called to Northside. Justin Honey began his ministry at Northside Baptist in May of 2023 as Worship Pastor. He is married to Lexie Honey (August 13th, 2022). Lexie is from Somerset, Kentucky and is an Optometrist here in Elizabethtown. Justin and Lexie enjoy sports, board games, music, anything with fellowship, and outdoor activities! Their passion for worship ministry is that it would glorify the Lord and stir up the Christians here in Elizabethtown and everywhere our music reaches to answer God's call to spread the Gospel and love Him and love others with all their hearts.
Chelsea Thomason
Children's Ministry Coordinator
Chelsea became the Children's Ministry Director in October of 2021. Chelsea was born and raised in Franklin, KY. She moved to Elizabethtown in 2015. She has been a member of Northside Baptist since 2015 as well. Chelsea and her husband, Steven, have been married since 2011, and have four children; Camdyn, Emma, Harris and Connor. Chelsea has spent her time being a stay at home mother and active volunteer within the children and preschool ministry here at Northside Baptist Church. Her hobbies include crocheting, cooking, baking and organizing. She enjoys being silly, spending time with her family, and attending church. Chelsea has a passion to share the love of Jesus to children and everyone who walks through the doors at Northside. She strives to ensure that all children and families at Northside are treated the same, with the same love and patience that Jesus has for us.
Michelle Bennett
Pre-school Ministry Director
Michelle began serving at Northside as the Preschool Ministry Director in May of 2012. Michelle graduated from Campbellsville University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education and is certified to teach grades K-8th. In 2004, she received a Master of Arts in Education with an endorsement in teaching Gifted and Talented from Western Kentucky University. She has taught in both the private and public sector of education in Marion, LaRue, and Hardin County. Since 2008, Michelle has also served as an adjunct instructor for Campbellsville University in the Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education Department. Michelle has been married to her husband, Fabian, since 1999. They have four sons Samuel, Isaiah, Noah, and Josiah. Michelle has a passion for investing in the lives of little ones for eternal purposes and prayerfully anticipates all God will do in and through the lives of children and their families.
Mike Recktenwald
Facilities Maintenance Coordinator
Mike Recktenwald became the Facilities Maintenance Coordinator in September, 2022. He is married to Sherry, and has one son, Matthew and a granddaughter, Summer. Mike and Sherry attend Northside and Mike has previously served in the Transportation Ministry. Mike has over 25 years’ experience in HVAC and many years of maintenance experience.
Debbie Smith
Operation Coordinator
Debra Smith became the Operations Coordinator for Northside in September, 2022 after serving as interim since June, 2022. Debbie and her husband Bob have 4 adult children, 7 grandchildren and one great grandchild. Since joining Northside in 2003, she has served in various ministries over the years including Children’s Church, Women’s Ministries and formerly served on staff as church Receptionist and Preschool Director. Before coming to Northside, Debbie served as Executive Director of CASA of the Heartland, a local non-profit organization.
Shayn'e Heil
Executive Assistant
Shayn’e became the Executive Assistant at Northside Baptist Church in October of 2024. Originally from Louisville, KY, she moved to Vine Grove after marrying her husband, Brandon, in 2004. They have two sons, Brock and Ethan.
Shayn’e grew up in the church, often helping her parents serve others, and she carries that same heart for service into her own family. She hopes her boys will grow up loving the church and learning to serve others with the same love and compassion. Her family began attending Northside in 2017 after being introduced through the Mom’s Morning Out program. They quickly felt blessed by the church community and officially became members in 2021. Shayn’e is thankful for the opportunity to support the ministry at Northside and is passionate about keeping things organized and running smoothly so the staff and church family can focus on worship, service, and discipleship.
