Justin Pratt

A native to Knoxville, Tennessee and the son of a Baptist deacon and a praying mother, Justin was brought up in church his whole life. He was saved at the age of 15 years old on December 22, 1996 and totally surrendered his life to the Lord at the age of 17 at a Bible camp in Williamsburg, Kentucky. On January 21, 2001 at the age of 19, Justin surrendered his call to preach at Valley View Baptist Church.

After graduating from Fulton High School in the class of 1999, he attended Roane State Community College where he played baseball for one year. After a year of junior college and a year at the University of Tennessee his path was changed, and he started Bible College just south of Atlanta, Georgia. In the spring of 2002, Justin transferred to Crown College of the Bible and Theological Seminary. During this time, God opened many doors of opportunity, and Justin traveled near and far as a part-time evangelist and student.

Having been licensed and ordained by Valley View Baptist Church in 2004, he left and became the pastor of Riverview Baptist Church in Clinton, Tennessee, where he served for 3 years. God truly blessed the ministry there and the church grew under his leadership. It was also during this time that he met his beautiful wife Hannah. In August of 2007, Justin accepted the call to become the pastor of Valley View Baptist Church in Knoxville.

He was called to be the Senior Pastor in the early part of August 2007 and began as the pastor of Valley View Baptist on August 19, 2007. His responsibilities have included the preaching duties of the churches he has pastored, the management and leadership of the ministries offered by the churches, communication and counseling, planning for ministry outreach, as well as the planning of special outreach events. Justin also has accreditation and certification through the International Conference of Police Chaplains, and serves as chaplain for the Knox County Sheriff’s Department and the Knoxville Police Department.

On Sunday, December 3, Justin preached his introductory sermon at Clear Springs Baptist Church. That evening, he was elected as senior pastor. His first sermon, "Shoulder to Shoulder, Heart to Heart," as pastor was on Sunday, December 17.

Justin is described by many as a 21st century preacher with the voice of an Old Testament messenger. His old-fashioned flavor of preaching is loved by people of all generations and ages. In each message you will find deeply rooted doctrine, broken down in a practical digestible manner, and delivered with an enthusiasm that is contagious. You will find his preaching to be very encouraging, uplifting, and unwilling to compromise truth. While the hard truths of scripture will be consistently addressed, you will find it done with a heart of compassion and a spirit of love.

Justin and his wife, Hannah, were married on August 8, 2008. Hannah is cosmetologist by trade but now is a stay-at-home mom. They have three beautiful children. Their daughter Lydia was born in July 2010, their sons Lincoln and Asher were born in April 2014 and April of 2017. He and his family reside in the Gibbs community.

Education: Bachelor of Pastoral Theology degree from The Crown College in Powell, Tennessee in 2006.