Holston
Baptist Association
Harnessing Kingdom Potential Through Cooperating Churches
Welcome to our About Us page! Here, you can learn more about our distinctives, our commitments, and our staff! If you want to learn more, or if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to any of our staff members (whose contact information can be found on this page, under “Our Staff”), or reach out to us using the contact information at the bottom of our page!
Our Distinctives
Our Mission
Our Mission is Harnessing Kingdom Potential through Cooperating Churches.
Our Strategy
We accomplish our mission by engaging fields, equipping leaders, and expanding Kingdom impact.
Our Values
Our values drive both our mission and our strategy:
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Multiplied Resources
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Church Vitality
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Gospel Mobilization
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Intergenerational Relationships
Our Commitments
This section exists to provide clarity surrounding the cooperative and doctrinal commitments of the Holston Baptist Association and our churches.
We believe that cooperation is strengthened by conviction. The following commitments reflect both our shared mission and the basic theological framework that helps shape our ministry, partnerships, and identity in Christ as expressed in His Word.
Follow the links below for more information on each of our commitments:
Southern Baptist Convention
Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Baptist Faith & Message 2000
The Chicago Statement
The Danvers Statement
The Nashville Statement
The HBA is an association of Southern Baptist churches. cooperating with the SBC for missions, church planting, theological education, and gospel advancement.
We partner with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board to equip and support our churches through statewide cooperation.
The BF&M 2000 is the doctrinal standard of the SBC, summarizing biblical teaching on Scripture, God, salvation, the church, and life in Christ.
A doctrinal statement affirming biblical inerrancy, stating that the Bible is without error in its original manuscripts and fully trustworthy.
A doctrinal statement affirming biblical manhood and womanhood, upholding equal dignity and complementary roles.
A doctrinal statement on biblical sexuality, addressing marriage, gender, and sexual ethics according to Scripture.
Formal adoption of the Chicago, Danvers, and Nashville Statements remains pending, subject to a vote of the HBA Messengers at their next scheduled meeting in October 2026.
Dr. Troy Rust
Associational Mission Strategist
Holston Baptist Assocaition
Raised on a farm in Logan County, KY, Troy came to faith in Christ at the age of 12, and became involved in missions at the age of 13. Although he went on to major in music at Austin Peay State University, God was simultaneously using the Baptist Student Union to call him to fulltime Christian ministry. A two-time graduate of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv, 2000; PhD, 2009), he served local churches for 25 years, including nearly 19 years in the pastorate, serving churches in Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina. In 2016 he began serving as a bi-vocational Associational Mission Strategist in North Carolina and became the full-time AMS for Holston Baptist Association in November of 2020. He and his wife Amy have been married since 2000 and have 9 children, 6 girls and 3 boys.
Contact Troy:
Matthew Powell
Ministry Assistant
Holston Baptist Assocaition
Matthew Powell has served as Ministry Assistant for the Holston Baptist Association since February 2025. A member of Central Baptist Church in Johnson City, he has been actively involved in Southern Baptist life through service as an IMB missionary to Eastern Europe, leadership in the ETSU Baptist Collegiate Ministry, and involvement in Disaster Relief and various local church ministries. He is currently pursuing a degree in Biblical Education at Graham Bible College while serving at the association. Matthew and his wife, Joanna, have one son. In his role, Matthew works to support the association’s churches in a variety of ways, including providing pulpit supply, assisting with documentation and parliamentary questions, facilitating background checks, and offering general administrative support as needs arise.
Contact Matthew:
Our Staff
Anna Huggins
Director of Ministries
Johnson City Baptist Center
