Divergent615

Not your typical church planting movement.

Real change does not come from coloring inside the lines. That's why Midtown is reimagining church planting—with curiosity, creativity, and conviction—to bring the church to life in fresh ways, reach the city with good news, and spark renewal in every neighborhood.

Divergent615 is Midtown planting both traditional and nontraditional churches in Nashville.

Divergent615 is a reflection of what has always driven us at Midtown: humble faith, open hands, vulnerability, and the courage to follow God into the unknown. We’re calling church planters who dare to dream—who believe the gospel belongs everywhere—from chapels on Sunday mornings to gyms on Friday nights, and all the spaces in between. And that journey isn't done alone.

At Divergent615, we don’t just send church planters—we walk with them. Through pastoral cohorts, ongoing mentoring, and built-in accountability, we create a community that empowers leaders to thrive.
Our name

Our name is inspired by George Washington Carver’s bold approach to farming in the 1800s. His divergent thinking restored exhausted soil and transformed barren landscapes, bringing abundance where others saw limitation. We want to do the same for our city by bringing fresh vision and gospel creativity to how we plant churches in Nashville's 615 area code.

di·ver·gent

(adj.) tending to be different or develop in different directions.

Divergent thinking breaks free from doing things the way they have always been done to find the answer that is needed today.

How It Works

Through Divergent615, we create innovative models for churches that are connected to community and led by humble, hungry, and smart church planters.

We believe in going together. Our team-based approach ensures that no one does ministry alone. We not only develop church planters, but we also develop and deploy staffing and resources to promote a healthy, thriving ministry from day one.

Divergent615 is Midtown’s way of planting both traditional and nontraditional churches in Nashville:

Traditional Church Plants

Church Planting Apprenticeship

Coming soon

Pastor In Residence Program

Coming soon

Midtown on Mission Curriculum

Coming soon

Top of a building with a blue sky in the background.

Nontraditional Church Plants

Napier Kitchen Table
Artist Worship Night

Coming soon

Crossfit Gym, Eleventh Element

Coming soon

5th Year Fellowship Program

Coming soon

People walking down a street.
We’re creating a different kind of movement
to renew the church and reach our communities.
Why Divergent615

We’re called to spread the gospel.

In the Great Commission, Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples.” This is at the heart of our mission at Midtown and why we created Divergent615.

We need to do this in today’s day and age.

The Great Commission wasn’t just for ancient Christians. It’s for us; it’s for today. One could argue that it’s more important than ever as we face growing secularization and deep spiritual hunger.

We’re uniquely equipped to do this at Midtown.

Over the past 20 years, Nashville has evolved into a thriving metropolis with a booming economy and vibrant culture. The city's rapid growth presents an incredible opportunity for gospel impact. The story of Midtown is also one of growth—and answering God’s call to go. For us, that looks like planting traditional and nontraditional churches across the city.

Testimonials from church planters

For me, especially planting Midtown West during COVID, I would not have been okay without the community of pastors and others at Midtown. We leaned on them tremendously, and it became exciting rather than being led by fear of the unknown.

MATT AVERY, WEST NASHVILLE

Church planting would have been impossible without the support of a larger church family at Midtown. Having coworkers and friends to lean on, learn from, and iterate with made all the difference.

JONATHAN NASH, NAPIER KITCHEN TABLE

At Midtown, I was able to receive mentorship, training, support, and care while I did the hard work of growing and helping other people grow. I benefited from the ideas of other pastors, their input, their direction, and their experiences while being grounded spiritually. Having a group of people helping make decisions was a huge gift.

BRANT BONETTI, EAST NASHVILLE
Arrow icon
Arrow icon
Our history

Gospel transformation—one church at a time.

2000

Twenty-five years ago, Midtown Fellowship started as a church of 15 people in a living room dreaming about the future.

2001

Midtown Fellowship began meeting in downtown Nashville, eventually growing to over a thousand people.

2007-2020

That growth led to a pivotal decision–one that has defined who we are today. Instead of building a mega-church, we multiplied by planting smaller, community-focused churches that remain connected across the city.

Today

Midtown now has six locations across Nashville: 12 South, Granny White, East Nashville, West Nashville, Crieve Hall, and Napier.

Future

Our vision is that every Midtown congregation would plant churches throughout Nashville, for the sake of the gospel. We’re doing this through Divergent615, a program that gives shape to this vision.

Arrow icon
Arrow icon
Support divergent615

Divergent615 is about planting churches. But most of all, it’s an invitation to awaken people to be on mission for Jesus.

Our dream is that Divergent615 will be a gospel movement that sweeps through lives and neighborhoods—saturating Nashville with healthy, gospel-centered churches. We know this dream is big, but we believe in it because it’s God’s vision—and he’s inviting us into it. Will you join us?
Give to the vision
Apply for a church planting apprenticeship

Join us as as we seek to follow Jesus into every corner of Nashville.

Contact us

Thank you!
Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sign up