Discover Cornerstone.
Our Mission
At Cornerstone Church our mission is to reveal Jesus Christ to the world and the people of Rhea County by loving people, investing in community, inspiring hope and ensuring they are equipped to have a successful constant relationship with Christ.
We aspire to create a place where people can feel loved, accepted and forgiven so they may experience the transforming power of Jesus Christ.
Our Vision
Core Values
DISCIPLESHIP
We value spiritual growth as we follow Christ, we help others follow Him too. As we know Him, we make Him known.
DIVERSITY
We believe that a church should be a reflection of the kingdom of Heaven. Our multi-ethnic, multigenerational congregation is a place where all peoples, from every tribe, nation and tongue, can come together to worship the King of Kings.
KINGDOM CULTURE
Culture shapes what and how we believe. The coulter of Cornerstone Church is not something we create but its something we relentlessly seek.
GENEROSITY
We believe God has called us to be the most generous church in Rhea County and aspire to be the most generous church in America. It is one of our greatest joys to give of the resources that have been entrusted to us.
COMMUNITY
Part of our role in the kingdom is to relationally pursue those around us and seek to love them well. Our hope is for the church to reflect the community we are in.
COMPASSION
Following the way of Jesus and understanding the Gospel helps us to understand the way we should care for others and contend for justice.
KINFOLK
We are family so, it is our desire to be a reflection of Heaven in that every generation, ethnicity, and background are welcome after all we are the family of Christ.
WORLD IMPACT
We understand that God’s calling on our church is to go beyond our four walls when serving others. We are constantly looking for opportunities to honor God by serving all Rhea County and to extend our service to other parts of the world.
MORE OF GOD IS OUR CORNERSTONE
The core of our heart at Cornerstone is to see and experience God’s move in every service, every gathering and in every life.
A PLACE TO CALL HOME
Cornerstone Church believes there is a place for you. In every service, every gathering, at every life group or on every team there is always room for one more. One more friend, one more family member, one more heart changed and one more life transformed.
Lead Pastors
Pastors Terry & Beth Trussell
Pastor Terry Trussell
I have lived in Tennessee all of my life. I grew up in Hixson, TN with my parents B.T. & Wilma Trussell and two brothers Danny and Mike. We were in the family restaurant business for more than thirty years as the owners and operators of The Country Place Restaurant and I ran my own barbeque restaurant for eight years before Beth and I moved to Atlantida, Uruguay to work as missionaries.
From 2012 to 2022, Beth and I planted fifty churches across the country of Uruguay, provided respite to pastors and their families, and mentored new pastors and church staff of the churches that were being built.
Beth and I have three wonderful daughters: Autumn, Olivia, and Sydney. We have three amazing sons-in-law: Michael Murray, Adam Aziz, and Carlos Sarti. Our children have blessed us with our grandchildren: Madeline, Axel, Cora, John Michael, Lynnlee, and Graham.
I consider myself a crazy football fan with a strong affection for the Tennessee VOLs and the Colts.
Pastor Beth Trussell
I am a preacher’s kid so that means I am not really from everywhere. I was born in Pulaski, TN but have lived in Denver, CO Nashville, TN Townsend, TN and Chattanooga, TN. I graduated from Lee University in Cleveland, TN. I love to paint and create, scrapbook, read and watch movies in my free time.
God has blessed us with three beautiful daughters. Autumn, our eldest daughter, lives in Murfreesboro, TN with her husband Michael, and their children Maddie, John Michael, Lynnlee, and Graham. Autumn is a Vacation Specialist and Michael serves in ministry at their home church, Standing Stone Ministry. Olivia, our middle daughter, lives in Chattanooga, TN with her husband, Adam, and their son, Axel. Adam and Olivia serve as the Executive Pastors of Worship and Ministries at Metro Tab Church. Our youngest daughter Sydney, her husband Carlos, and their daughter Cora, live in Hixson, TN and are the pastors of Abba’s House Español.
We Believe...
- In the verbal inspiration of the Bible.
- In one God eternally existing in three persons; namely, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
- That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary. That Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. That He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor.
- That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins.
- That justification, regeneration, and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
- In sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Christ; through the Word, and by the Holy Ghost.
- Holiness to be God’s standard of living for His people.
- In the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart.
- In speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
- In water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
- Divine healing is provided for all in the atonement.
- In the Lord’s Supper and washing of the saints’ feet.
- In the premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.
- In the bodily resurrection; eternal life for the righteous, and eternal punishment for the wicked.
- We believe that all of Scripture and all of life finds its’ epicenter in the person of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the good news that no matter what has happened in the past, there is hope for the future because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We never graduate from or outgrow the Gospel. Every situation, every issue, and every problem we face find its’ answer in the Gospel. For this reason, all our worship, all our teaching, and all our ministry point us to the good.
Doctrinal Commitments
The following Doctrinal Commitments represent the core beliefs of the denomination as outlined in Scripture.
- Repentance. Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19.
- Justification. Romans 5:1; Titus 3:7.
- Regeneration. Titus 3:5.
- New birth. John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 3:9.
- Sanctification subsequent to justification. Romans 5:2; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 13:12.
- Holiness. Luke 1:75; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Hebrews 12:14.
- Water baptism. Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:9, 10; John 3:22, 23; Acts 8:36, 38.
- Baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to cleansing; the enduement of power for service. Matthew 3:11; Luke 24:49, 53; Acts 1:4-8.
- The speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance as the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Ghost. John 15:26; Acts 2:4; 10:44-46; 19:1-7.
- The Church. Exodus 19:5, 6; Psalm 22:22; Matthew 16:13-19; 28:19,20; Acts 1:8; 2:42-47; 7:38; 20:28; Romans 8:14-17: 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; 12:12-31; 2 Corinthians 6:6-18; Ephesians 2:19-22; 3:9, 21; Philippians 3:10; Hebrews 2:12; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 1:6, 7; Revelation 21:2, 9; 22:17.
- Spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:1, 7, 10, 28, 31; 1 Corinthians 14:1.
- Signs following believers. Mark 16:17-20; Romans 15:18, 19; Hebrews 2:4.
- Fruit of the Spirit. Romans 6:22; Galatians 5:22, 23; Ephesians 5:9; Philippians 1:11.
- Divine healing provided for all in the Atonement. Psalm 103:3; Isaiah 53:4, 5; Matthew 8:17; James 5:14-16; 1 Peter 2:24.
- The Lord’s Supper. Luke 22:17-20; 1 Corinthians 11: 2 3 – 2 6.
- Washing the saints’ feet. John 13:4-17; 1 Timothy 5:9, 10.
- Tithing and giving. Genesis 14:18-20; 28:20-22; Malachi 3:10; Luke 11:42; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9; Hebrews 7:1-21.
- Restitution where possible. Matthew 3:8; Luke 19:8, 9.
- Premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the dead saints and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1.
- Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years. Zechariah 14:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Jude 14, 15; Revelation 5:10; 19:11-21; 20:4-6.
- Resurrection. John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15; Revelation 20:5, 6.
- Eternal life for the righteous. Matthew 25:46; Luke 18:30; John 10:28; Romans 6:22; 1 John 5:11-13.
- Eternal punishment for the wicked. No liberation nor annihilation. Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 3:29; 2 Thessalonians 1: 8, 9; Revelation 20:10-15; 21:8.
We Are the Church Of God...
Cornerstone Church is an active member of the Church of God Denomination in Cleveland, Tennessee. The Church of God is incorporated in the state of Tennessee as a not-for-profit organization and is recognized as a 501 (c) (3) corporation under the Internal Revenue Code (U.S.A.) or the corresponding sections of any prior or future Internal Revenue Code. The current edition of the Minutes of the Church of God General Assembly contains a Journal of the most recent meeting of the International General Assembly and a Supplement that includes updated church polity statements, rules of church order and discipline, and these bylaws. Each state and/or region is governed by an appointed State Overseer who gives oversight to churches related to their specific state/region.