Statements
Mission
Tennessee Baptist Children's Homes (TBCH) ministers the love of Christ to children in crisis through compassionate campus residential homes, foster care homes, and support services for them. Since 1891, our Residential Care Program has provided Christ-centered homes for children who are not in state custody and whose families cannot provide the care they need. Christian couples serve as house parents in these family-style homes for up to eight, school-age resident children. Through our George Shinn Foster Care Program, TBCH partners with the Tennessee Department of Children's Services to provide certified foster families and homes for younger children in state custody. TBCH also works with churches and other organizations to create a network of local resources in communities across the state to assist families with children needing in-home support through our Family Care Program. By connecting families to counseling services, parenting training, and other church ministries, the lives of children and the trajectory of their families can be changed for the better. TBCH is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), a national organization that sets standards for quality service and examines an organization's service and financial accountability to donors, clients and the public. Children at TBCH from trauma backgrounds are able to work through negative coping skills and experience a secure home through voluntary, charitable gifts. Your gift for Tennessee's children in hard places through The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and The Big Payback will help TBCH offer Tennessee's children safe homes, healing, and a new path to their futures.
Background
Tennessee Baptist Children's Homes, Inc., was established in downtown Nashville more than a century ago when a group of women worked to begin Tennessee Baptist Orphan's Home in 1891. In 1911, land was purchased and the Orphan's Home was moved to what is now Brentwood. For many years, hundreds of children were served at this one location. In 1950, the ministry opened a second campus in Memphis and in 1954 another campus opened in Chattanooga. By the 1950s most of the children in residence were from at-risk homes, not orphans, so members of the Orphan's Home's 1953 Board of Trustees renamed the ministry Tennessee Baptist Children's Homes to more accurately reflect its work. Throughout its history, TBCH has continued its commitment of ministering to dependent and displaced children from hard places and their families regardless of faith background.
Today, TBCH has residential homes on three campuses statewide in Millington, Brentwood, and Chattanooga as well as more than 60 foster care homes statewide. Though TBCH is a ministry of the churches of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, we are responsible for all of our expenses and funding. Every gift to assist children in the care of TBCH is important, needed, and an investment in Tennessee's children today and in future generations.
Impact
Tennessee Baptist Children's Homes cares for Tennessee children from hard places and from all races and economic means through our residential and foster homes and family services with little or no cost to a child's family and without the use of government funds. In 2022, TBCH cared for 222 children statewide: 75 children in residential care and 147 children in foster care; the TBCH Middle Tennessee Campus--one of three TBCH residential locations statewide--daily provides homes and guidance toward a life of positive independence for Tennessee's school age children in crisis. TBCH provides children with a nurturing home setting along with excellent educational and recreational experiences. These services also benefit Tennessee communities by helping children avoid state custody and the use of limited state and federal resources.
One of the goals of TBCH is to meet the needs of each child through thoughtful, loving Christian principles that will help them to develop their God-given potential in life. Another goal is to reunite children with their families where possible and to help each child become a productive citizen of his/her community. In 2023, TBCH goals are to raise funds for building new homes for children on the Middle Tennessee, West Tennessee and East Tennessee Campuses. The TBCH Middle Tennessee Campus has been located at 1310 Franklin Road in Brentwood since 1912. TBCH has an on-going, no-cost contract with Tennessee's Department of Children Services to provide Foster Care Resource Homes. TBCH trains and certifies these foster families and monitors these foster homes each year.
Needs
Children from hard places have many needs requiring immediate, intentional, and intensive care. The most pressing need at TBCH is funding the day-to-day operating expenses of providing this level of residential and foster care homes for the multiple needs of Tennessee's children in crisis. Funds are also needed to build residential homes for children and provide additional program support for them. With the implementation of the TBCH Foster Care program, families and churches are needed to provide Christian foster homes for children. Families interested in foster care should contact their nearest TBCH location.
2023 brings economic challenges affecting communities across our country and in Tennessee. The generous support, acts of service, and prayers of caring people will allow TBCH to continue to provide children with Christian homes and support services. The children are doing well in school, building relationships with house parents, some are getting adopted, and some are experiencing activities like catching fish or riding horses through gifts of any size--all made possible by compassionate, voluntary gifts. Thank you for helping TBCH care for children in crisis!
CEO Statement
Tennessee Baptist Children's Homes has a lengthy history of service. We are one of the largest non-governmental providers of residential child care in Tennessee. Several distinguishing characteristics of TBCH are briefly stated: 1. TBCH has been a faith based ministry since its inception. 100% of our funding comes from individuals and entities that place high value on Christian principles and values. TBCH is fiscally responsible and conservative in the use of funds entrusted by individual donors, foundations and businesses for the care of children. 2. The TBCH model of how a family should relate to each other has proven to be very successful in helping the children in our care to break the cycle of abuse, neglect, and abandonment that they have seen for most of their lives; 3. Whenever possible, TBCH seeks to work toward the reunification of the children in our care with their nuclear family. This is reflected by our 20 month average length of stay of a child in TBCH care. 4. When a child reaches the age of 18 or graduates from high school, they do not have to leave our care unless they elect to do so. As long as they are successfully pursuing additional education, TBCH works with each young man or woman to help them accomplish their educational goals. At TBCH we know that productive citizens and family leaders begin with education and training. We embrace the idea that every person's life has a path or a trajectory. At TBCH we attempt everyday to positively impact the life trajectory of each child (and their family) in our care.
Board Chair Statement
The Tennessee Baptist Children's Homes (TBCH) have served a wide range of family needs since 1891 including residential care on our campuses across Tennessee. TBCH does not accept government funding so this ministry is financially supported by organizations, churches and individuals who care about children in crisis and the future generations of children in Tennessee. Each child in care is placed with house parents in a family type environment. There is a dedicated team of child care professionals on each campus to help meet a wide range of challenges from physical, emotional, and social needs of each child. One of the goals of TBCH is to meet the needs of each child through thoughtful, loving Christian principles that will help them to develop their God given potential in life. TBCH provides a warm, secure, haven of love and acceptance for every child in our care. Most children respond quickly to this environment and make needed behavioral changes in their lives. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of success stories of broken lives that have been gloriously reconstructed as God has provided through the time and financial investments of caring people. Only Heaven will reveal the blessings and victories of this loving ministry. May I encourage you to invest in some of these broken lives that need to be repaired.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Children's and Youth Services |
| Secondary Category: | Human Services - Group Homes |
| Tertiary Category: | Human Services - Foster Care |
Areas Served
TBCH residential and foster care facilities serve children in crisis in West, Middle, and East Tennessee:
The Ranch, 9224 Quito Road, Millington, TN 38053Phone: (901) 872-0839; TBCH Middle Tennessee Campus,1310 Franklin Rd, Brentwood, TN 37027 Phone: (615)376-3190; and TBCH East Tennessee Campus, 6623 Lee Highway, Chattanooga, TN 37421 Phone: (423) 892-2722. Use these regional phone numbers for TBCH's The George Shinn Foster Care Program. For TBCH Family Care, call (615)585-1318.
| TN - Bedford |
| TN - Cannon |
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Clay |
| TN - Coffee |
| TN - Cumberland |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - DeKalb |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Fentress |
| TN - Franklin |
| TN - Giles |
| TN - Hickman |
| TN - Houston |
| TN - Humphreys |
| TN - Jackson |
| TN - Lawrence |
| TN - Lewis |
| TN - Lincoln |
| TN - Macon |
| TN - Marshall |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Moore |
| TN - Overton |
| TN - Perry |
| TN - Pickett |
| TN - Putnam |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Smith |
| TN - Stewart |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Trousdale |
| TN - Van Buren |
| TN - Warren |
| TN - Wayne |
| TN - White |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
