Harvest Church

In the fall of 2013, Forest Hill Baptist Church, located at 3645 Forest Hill-Irene Road, was faced with decisions about its future.  With a traditional style of worship as well as an aging congregation, the church became unable to attract younger families.  Without the capacity to move and build new, and without selling the property, the answer came through a friend of Pastor Don Marston, who knew of Forest Hill’s desire.  Marston met with Kennon Vaughan, the founder, and leader of a non-denominational Christian discipleship organization called “Downline.”  He was looking for a place to launch a new church, placing an emphasis on the discipleship principles that Downline had been teaching for years. Forest Hill Baptist agreed and voted to ask Harvest to form a partnership.  The commitment would allow Forest Hill Baptist to leave a legacy of helping to launch a Christ-centered, Gospel-driven, discipleship-oriented church. 

In September of 2013, a core group of about 140 members remodeled the Forest Hill gymnasium into a beautiful worship center.  Harvest officially launched in October and drew about 500 people.  In November 2015, Forest Hill and Harvest agreed to a transfer of property, allowing Forest Hill to remain in the current facility without any debt or responsibility for the upkeep of the property.  Forest Hill then began to support mission efforts in addition to the continual support of Southern a Baptist mission efforts. 

For more information:  https://harvestmemphis.org