West TN
Worship Summit
Saturday, August 12, 2023
Englewood Baptist Church
2239 N Highland
Jackson, TN 38305
Conference Leaders
Dr. Tony Cooper
Track: Worship Leaders/Ministers of Music
Tony has been leading worship since he was 15 back at his home church in Norman, OK. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Missions and Theology Randall University; additional music performance studies in Piano/Voice/Trombone performance at the University of Central Oklahoma; a Master of Arts in Music & Worship and a Doctorate in Worship Studies from Liberty University. Tony has been serving churches for 20+ years in OK, MS, and NC. Positions have ranged from worship leader at a church plant, bi-vocational for a revitalization, full-time at a mid-sized church, and Associate/Director of Bands at a larger church. Tony and his wife, Jennifer, were married in June of 2000. They have two wonderful children.
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.
Dennis Allen
Track: Pianists/Keyboardists
Dennis has served in church music ministry positions in four different states. He and his wife, Nan, have also written hundreds of compositions for children, students and adults in a writing career spanning forty years. They are three-time winners of the GMA Dove Award for their projects and their musicals, collections, orchestrations, dramatic works and individual songs have sold well over three million copies worldwide. Dennis was also a Associate Professor of Worship and Church Music at Truett McConnell University for seven years. He is currently a music associate at Judson Baptist Church in Nashville, playing keyboard in worship services and accompanying the orchestra.
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!
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.
Phil Jenkins
Track: Audio-Visual
Phil Jenkins is the co-owner of Internally Sound. Offering complete technical production services from concept to the final product, they provide cutting edge technology for all events and installations. Their event services include complete production management: drawings, production advance, and management of sound, lighting, video, and staging. From Ballrooms to Arenas, Church Auditoriums to Stadiums, we can put together a technical system that will meet your needs and your budget.
Internally Sound’s installation services include design and installation of sound, lights, video, and projection, but it is their training and support that allow them to truly take care of their customers. If your installation is a theater or a church auditorium … new construction, renovation, or just technical upgrades, they can design and install a system that will be reliable and serve you well for
Roger Britton
Track: Bi-Vocational Worship Leader
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..
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. He directs the Tennessee Men’s Chorale and Tennessee Ladies Chorus and served for three years on the adjunct faculty at Union University. Recently, he served as an interim pastor and an interim pianist…but not at the same time. His family of six (The Shepherd Family) were active worship leaders and performers for several 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.
Mark Willard
Worship Leader: Opening Worship
Mark Willard received his Bachelor of Music with emphasis in Music Theory and Composition from Samford University in 1997. He received a Masters Degree in Worship Leadership and Theology from the University of Mobile in 2020. Mark served as Worship Pastor at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, for 21 years, and he has just completed his first year at Englewood Baptist in Jackson, TN.
At both Sherwood and Englewood, Mark has worked with hundreds of volunteers who serve in various roles within the Worship Ministry. He is working to develop a multi-generational, worship experience at Englewood, and he believes that it is important for all generations to worship God together. Mark has made a very intentional choice to educate future generations in worship leadership. He oversees the training of middle school and high school students who have a passion for leading worship, with a balanced approach to both traditional and contemporary worship styles.
Mark has written and produced seven original worship projects. He was a songwriter for Lifeway Worship from 2011-2017. He received the “Songwriter of the Year” award from Lifeway in 2013. He is a Dove Award winner and three-time nominee. Mark is writing and producing songs for Englewood Worship's first album release later this fall. Mark has also composed music for film, including the musical scores for Sherwood Pictures’ Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Fireproof and Courageous. Mark and his wife, Katy, have been married for 24 years, and they have 4 children, Rebekah, John Mark, Anna and David.
Campus Map
Coming soon!
Sponsors
Special thanks to
Getty Music and the Music Department of Union University for their generous support of the West TN Regional Worship Summit.