About Us
Welcome to our About Us page! Here, you can learn more about our distinctives, our staff, and our member churches. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us using the Contact Us page.
Our Distinctives
Mission: What We Do
Our Mission is Harnessing Kingdom Potential through Cooperating Churches.
Strategy: How We Do It
We accomplish our mission by engaging fields, equipping leaders, and expanding Kingdom impact.
Values: Why We Do It
Our values drive both our mission and our strategy:
- Multiplied Resources
- Church Vitality
- Gospel Mobilization
- Intergenerational Relationships
Our Staff
Dr. Troy Rust
Associational Missions Strategist
Raised on a farm in Logan County, KY, Troy came to faith in Christ at the age of 12, and became involved in missions at the age of 13. Although he went on to major in music at Austin Peay State University, God was simultaneously using the Baptist Student Union to call him to fulltime Christian ministry. A two-time graduate of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv, 2000; PhD, 2009), he served local churches for 25 years, including nearly 19 years in the pastorate, serving churches in Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina. In 2016 he began serving as a bi-vocational Associational Mission Strategist in North Carolina and became the full-time AMS for Holston Baptist Association in November of 2020. He and his wife Amy have been married since 2000 and have 8 children, 6 girls and 2 boys.
You may reach Troy at troy@holstonba.org .
Matthew Powell
Ministry Assistant
Matthew has served the Holston Baptist Association as Ministry Assistant since February of 2025. A member of Central Baptist Church in Johnson City, Matthew is well acquainted with Southern Baptist life, having served as a Missionary to Eastern Europe with the International Mission Board, a volunteer with TN Baptist Disaster Relief, a Leader in our own ETSU Baptist Collegiate Ministry, and in various ministries within Holston Baptist Churches including Family Ministry, NextGen Ministries, Men’s Ministry, Missions, & Outreach. He is a student at Northeast State Community College, and aspires to complete an MDiv and DMin at Southern Baptist Seminaries. He is passionate about Baptist Cooperation, and hopes to leverage his position at the Association to push pastors and churches to work in cooperation for the glory of God and the building up of our many local bodies.
You can reach Matthew at mpowell@holstonba.org
Anna Huggins
Baptist Center Director
Anna supervises the volunteers and events that happen at the Johnson City Baptist Center. She coordinates mission groups, special outreach events for the residents, and connects with our volunteers. Anna coordinates special projects to meet the community needs such as: Christmas in August, backpacks, Thanksgiving meal, Christmas gifts, clothes closet, and more.
You may reach Anna at anna@holstonba.org.