about US
Our Mission
Our mission is to know God deeply through His Word and to make Him known to the world. We are a church that prioritizes in-depth Bible study and biblical literacy, believing this is the foundation for all spiritual growth. From that solid foundation of knowledge, we are equipped and called to encourage one another, serve our community, and actively follow Christ's command to go and make disciples of all nations.
OUR CORE VALUES
At Oak Street, our mission is guided by four foundational pillars drawn directly from Scripture. These values shape everything we do.
1. EDUCATION: Knowing the Whole Counsel of God One of the biggest problems facing contemporary Christianity is the fact that the church at large is at an all-time low regarding biblical literacy. We believe it is important to know the entire counsel of God. Our pastor preaches a verse at a time and a book at a time, and our Sunday mornings begin and end with Bible study. (Acts 20:27)
2. ENCOURAGEMENT: Finding Strength Together It’s difficult to imagine how people who have no relationship with Jesus can combat personal struggles alone. We strive to offer musical praise that people will find inspiring and help them overcome the difficulties and disappointments in life. Oak Street’s members are dedicated to ministering to other church members with failing health or other challenges. (Romans 8:31)
3. EQUIPPING: Prepared for the Work of Ministry In addition to our emphasis on regular Bible study, Oak Street has both internal and external speakers to train our members how to study the Bible, how to lead Bible studies, and how to share the good news of Jesus Christ with people who need to hear about Him. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
4. EVANGELISM: Sharing the Good News Missions and evangelism are at the heart of Oak Street. We follow the commission given to the church by the Lord Himself by providing church members with tools such as tracts, Evangecubes, and other training methods. We also support local ministries, as well as local and international ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention. (Matthew 28:19-20)
OUR BELIEFS
We are a cooperating church of the Southern Baptist Convention. Our core beliefs are summarized in the Baptist Faith and Message, which outlines our shared understanding of Scripture.
At the very center of our faith is the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We believe that without surrendering to Jesus as Lord, people will never understand the importance of this commitment. Without this surrendering, people will never be filled with God’s Holy Spirit, who indwells the minds of only true believers. Once someone has completely surrendered control of his/her life to Jesus, salvation occurs, and discipleship begins.
Our priorities in church life
So, how do we achieve these goals? Methodologies may change, but the message never will. Here is a list of the biblical processes and priorities that guide our church.
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Worship: This is where we place music, preaching, prayer, giving, and anything else that gives praise to our Lord Jesus Christ. Our goal in worship is that it would be pleasing to our Lord. We are not concerned about being an entertainment center.
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Membership: People who have active membership at Oak Street can participate and vote in our quarterly and special business meetings, as well as the Lord’s Table (communion), which we open to all believers in the Lord Jesus regardless of church affiliation.
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Stewardship: Giving is an important element of worship. Church members should be responsible stewards of the resources (time and money) that God entrusts to them.
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Friendship: Church membership is normally the immediate source of long-lasting friendships among Christians and can often spill over into the community to enable evangelistic efforts.
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Discipleship: In order to be a follower of Christ, several factors, including evangelism training and even some basic apologetics tools, can be beneficial. Bible study is indispensable for discipleship but should also be paired with modeling patterns of behavior.
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Partnership: Oak Street works in tandem with other local churches for events like Vacation Bible School and Disaster Relief. At the same time, we work in cooperation with other church members to make sure certain roles are completely filled within the church.
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Scholarship: Bible study is a necessary ingredient in the spiritual growth process. Since our church is multi-generational, sermons are aimed to appeal to senior adults as well as children and youth who are just beginning their walks with the Lord.
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Relationship: The top reason why churched or unchurched people attend church is because someone with whom they have a relationship invited them. We believe that sheep make sheep.
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Fellowship: This pertains to the things we have in common as believers. We don’t have to have donuts to have fellowship, but we should always be about doctrine.
Our church is led by both vocational (Pastor and staff). The pastor is charged to be the under-shepherd and overseer, and the writer to the Hebrews warns that pastors must give an account to God for the church’s activities.
Pastor
Jack Greenoe
Jack L. Greenoe has been Pastor at Oak Street Baptist Church since February 2024. He has earned an M.DivBL and a Ph. D. from Southwestern Seminary, where he also taught on an adjunct basis for nine years. He has served as Pastor of Grace Community Baptist Church in The Colony, TX, on staff at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX and served in lay leadership at First Baptist Church in Euless, TX and Northrich Baptist Church in Richardson, TX. He has been a Research Fellow for the Ethics and Philosophical Economy Center and has presented 12 papers to the Evangelical Theological Society. He
was on the committee to update the recently published 2020 edition of the New American Standard Bible, and taught a doctoral seminar at Midwestern Seminary in 2022. He was Co-CEO of CGMG in Addison, TX from 1989-2018. He and his wife Gail have been married since 1980. Gail is an artist whose work can be seen on her website gailgreenoestudio.com.
Director of Students and Recreation
Jericho McGowan
Jericho is a Junior at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) studying Information Systems with a minor in accounting set to graduate in Fall 2025. His hometown is Jonesborough, TN where he has lived his whole life. God has placed a significant burden on his heart for student ministry and discipleship through his time serving on leadership at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on ETSU’s campus. His future plans entail pursuing ministry further by pursuing a formal education and
obtaining a Master of Divinity.