Middle TN
Worship Summit
Saturday, August 19, 2023
Belle Aire Baptist Church
1307 N Rutherford Blvd
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Conference Leaders
Dr. Will Whittaker
Track: Worship Leaders/Ministers of Music
Dr. Will Whittaker is Minister of Music at Ivy Creek Baptist in Buford, GA where he leads a multi-faceted, intergenerational music ministry. He holds both the BME and MME with emphases in voice and choral conducting from Auburn University and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Church Music with specializations in worship and hymnology from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where his dissertation research focused on choral ministries in intergenerational churches. Beyond his local church ministry, Will is a frequent teacher and clinician at worship conferences throughout America and has been an adjunct Professor of Church Music at Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, GA. He is an active member in both the Baptist Church Music Conference and Metro II Music Conference. Will continues to write about his research on intergenerational worship on his blog, www.drwillwhittaker.org. Will and his wife, Deanna, have three sons.
Dr. Tony Cooper
Track: Worship Bands/Worship Teams
Tony is the Associate Professor for Worship Studies and Director of the Center for Worship at Union University. Starting with his youth group in Oklahoma when he was 15, Tony has been leading worship for the previous 30 years at churches in OK, MS, and NC. "Being a worship pastor is not just about facilitating worship each Sunday, it's also about making sure your team members lead lives of personal worship too."
Tony is married to his high school sweetheart, Jennifer. They have two children, Jace (senior-University of Oklahoma) and Mackenzie (freshman-Union University).
He double majored in Theology and in Missions at Randall University and spent numerous undergrad hours at the University of Central Oklahoma studying piano and trombone performance. He completed a Masters in Music and Worship and the Doctor of Worship Studies from Liberty University.
Matt Tullos
Track: Creativity in Worship
Matt Tullos has been writing dramatic, devotionals, sermons, videos, poems and humor since 1985. He is a monthly humor writer for Homelife.
He has served Southern Baptists as editor, teacher, consultant, specialist and coach at LifeWay, the Louisiana Baptist Convention and presently the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
Matt has been married to Darlene Tullos since 1986. They have written and performed dramatic vignettes for Fall Festivals of Marriage, The Southern Baptist Convention, Sunday School Weeks, The Drama in Worship Conference, and Winter Youth Celebration. They are the parents of four sons: Isaac, Jacob, Nathan, and Caleb.
He loves Jesus.
Megan Allen
Track: Choirs (Directors and Members)
Megan Allen, a Southern Illinois native, earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree in 2003 from Murray State University. She currently serves at the Director of the Bethel University Renaissance Choir, Resound (16 voice group) and directs the music for the Renaissance theatre program. Renaissance is very unique in that it is an extra curricular scholarship program where students are given opportunities to sing, act, play an instrument or in technical production. The groups travel to churches and serve in music ministry all over the Midwest!
Before coming to Bethel in 2017, Megan taught K-12 choral music, integration/aesthetic arts education. In 2009, Megan was given the prestigious Tennessee Young Music Educator of the Year award. She has also served as guest clinician and judge for the Illinois and Kentucky music education associations and has been an event chairman for several events the West TN Vocal Music Education Association. She has also served in music/children’s/youth ministry for over 20 years. She loves to share her passion for worship leading and singing! Megan does consulting for church choirs and worship teams! Her amazing husband Jeremy, and their beautiful children, Fisher (11) and Ruby (6) reside in McKenzie, TN. In her spare time (which is rare) Megan enjoys fitness, shopping and traveling with her family! Megan is very excited to serve the Tennessee Baptist Worship Summit in this capacity for a second year!
Dawson Hull
Track: Pianists/Keyboardists
Dawson Hull is a pianist, composer, and conductor living in Memphis, TN. A graduate from the University of Memphis, Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and Samford University in Birmingham, AL, Dawson has appeared as a featured soloist with numerous symphony orchestras. Choirs and chamber ensembles across the mid-South have performed his compositions. Dawson is the Pastor of Instrumental Worship Arts at Germantown Baptist Church where he leads the Conservatory of Music, orchestra, jazz band, and student choir. Dawson and his wife, Taneea, who is a clarinetist, have two children
Darlene Abbott
Track: Children's Choir
Darlene Abbott has served as Director of Kid’s Worship Choir at The Church at Station Hill a regional campus of Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, Tn for 15 years. On Easter she and her husband began the new campus of Brentwood called The Church at West End. She is a writer of preschool and children’s music and curriculum currently working with Semsen Muisc. She created Preschool Praisentation with Kathie Hill and has contributed to many products by LifeWay. Darlene is the creator of the Music Mom Products which include music teaching games and activities, as well as new preschool programs such as The Good Shepherd. She travels as an instructor and clinician for church workers, choir leaders, music educators, and day school teachers as well as women’s events. A graduate of the University of North Alabama, Darlene currently resides in Spring Hill, TN with her family.
Roger Britton
Track: Bi-Vocational Worship Leaders
Roger and Kathy (Howard) Britton have been married for almost 44 years. Roger & Kathy began their ministry at First Baptist, Austinville (Decatur, AL) as children's pastor and bus ministry pastor. After graduating college, God led Roger to music ministry for 15 years and the last almost 27 years Roger has been pastor at White's Creek, Rockwood, TN. Roger & Kathy have two children (Kacie Britton Hicks & Cody Britton) and two grandchildren (Cameron & Kinley Hicks). God has always been faithful to the Britton's in their ministry. For the last two years God has led Roger in his role as Bivocational Ministry Specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board (TBMB) where God is using Roger and Kathy to encourage other Bivocational minister's and wives across the state of Tennessee.
Tim Hammond
Track: Audio-Visual
Tim Hammond is a Texan by birth but grew up on the mission field in Brazil. He attended Liberty University and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary with degrees in worship, theology and leadership. Tim has been a worship pastor for over 20 years and has been a worship pastor in churches of all sizes and worship styles in VA, TN, GA, KS, MO and NC. He helped teach at Liberty University Center for Worship and developed a passion for coaching. With a passion for technology and seeing churches make use of the great tools to communicate the message of the Gospel, Tim currently works as an AV Project Manager for S&L Integrated systems in addition to leading worship at churches all over TN. Tim is married to Megan and they have 2 kids, Abner and Eden. They currently live in Spring Hill TN.
Dr. Scott Shepherd
Speaker: Opening Worship
Scott serves as Worship and Music Specialist with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. An active educator, worship leader, composer, and conductor, Scott received his education at Shorter University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the Webber Institute for Worship Studies. Scott directs the Tennessee Men’s Chorale and Tennessee Ladies Chorus and served for three years on the adjunct faculty at Union University. His family of six (The Shepherd Family) were active worship leaders and performers for many years. Scott is married to his college sweetheart, Traci, and they live in a little, West Tennessee town named Henry, just outside Paris. Together they have four children: Jordan, Iris, Gideon, and Grace.
TBD
Worship Leader: Opening Worship
Coming soon!
Campus Map
Coming soon!
Sponsors
Special thanks to Getty Music and the Music Department of Union University for their generous support of the Middle TN Regional Worship Summit.