Bell Shoals Baptist Church

Bell Shoals started as a group of 17 men who met at Stowers Funeral Home in February 1961.[2] Shortly after, in March 1961, they acquired two acres (0.81 ha) of land to build their sanctuary, and 80 members joined.[2][3] There are now 8,000 members and four other campuses.[4] One of their campuses, Bell Shoals Baptist Apollo Beach, started with 12 members and now has over 400 members. [5]

Bell Shoals has children, youth and adult ministries.[6] In their community, Bell Shoals has partnered with Give 'em Heaven Ministries, Good Samaritan Mission, Manna on Wheels, Metropolitan Ministries, the Community Issues Council, Friends of Internationals, LifeCare Network, Tampa Port Ministries, Inc. and Workplace Paracletes.

Bell Shoals also hosts hosting concerts and large Christmas productions. In 2013, Bell Shoals hosted a concert featuring Natalie Grant and Sandi Patty.[7] In December 2017, Bell Shoals hosted its annual Christmas production, which featured a 175-person choir and a 35-piece orchestra.[8] In February 2018, Bell Shoals held a concert featuring American Idol finalists Scott MacIntyre and Jeremy Rosado to raise money to benefit victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.[9]

In 2007, protests gathered around Bell Shoals Baptist Church and accused the church of discriminating against gay men and woman. Forrest Pollock, then pastor of the church, denied these claims and invited the people to attend church.[10]

Bell Shoals Baptist Church has hosted several candidates forums. In 2014, candidates' answers to questionnaires that Bell Shoals sent out to voters raised controversy. While some politicians saw this as a violation of law, Bell Shoals claimed that they were not endorsing any candidates, just educating voters on the political stances of their candidates.[11]