Dr. Jeffrey Alan Lovingood was saved, baptized and called to serve the Lord while at First Baptist Church Cleveland, TN. Having been in ministry since the age of 18, in every church where Jeff has served, he has led the way in reaching beyond church culture and engaging the community. The churches he has served over the past 36 years are: Intern, First Baptist Church. Cleveland, TN; Youth Minister, First Baptist Church. Royce, TX. (While attending seminary); Youth Minister, First Baptist Church. Ruston, LA; Youth Minister, First Baptist Church. Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Youth Minister, First Baptist Church. Cleveland, TN; Youth Minister, Idlewild Baptist Church. Tampa, FL; Youth Minister, First Baptist Church Concord. Knoxville, TN; Senior Associate Pastor for Spiritual Development, Long Hollow Baptist Church, Hendersonville, TN. 2002 – 2014. Under Jeff’s leadership, Long Holllow was consistently recognized for being in the top churches for children, student and adult baptisms; the church has grown from a little over a 1,000 members to a multi-site church with 5 campuses and a membership of 12,000 averaging 7,000 weekly attendance in attendance for all campuses. Jeff currently serves as Senior Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church, Cleveland, TN. (June 2015 to present) – First Baptist Cleveland is the 6th largest church in Tennessee with an attendance of approximately 3,500.
Jeff’s education, awards, and achievements include: High school graduate, Bradley High School; All-State football player, Bradley High School; BA, Carson Newman College; played football and baseball while at Carson Newman College; was a part of three National Championship football teams while at Carson Newman College; Masters of Arts in Religious Education, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Doctorate of Divinity at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Served as President of the Metro Youth Minister’s Conference (The youth pastors associated with this conference represent 25,000+ students and 300,000+ church members.); currently a Trustee at Carson Newman University; received the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award for Student Ministry; Adjunct professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Author of Make it Last, Proven Principles for Effective Student Ministry; and Chaplain of the University of Tennessee football team under Coach Phil Fulmer
Jeff was born in 1963 in Detroit, MI. He has been married to Rachel Tollett Lovingood for 30 years. Rachel is an author and speaker. They have 3 children: Trevor, is married to Erica and they have a 2yr old daughter Londyn Willow and a 5 month old son, Leo. Trever is the Campus Pastor at is Bridgepoint Downtown Campus. Kelsey, who has her PA license, and is married to Luke Harper, the Student Pastor at Cross Church Fayetteville Campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Luke and Kelsey have a 2 month old girl named Layla. Riley, their third child, is attending the University of Tennessee on a football scholarship.