About Us

In 1975, a 26 year old Barry Burns and his 23 year old wife, Ann, were living in Winston-Salem, NC. In September of that year, they responded to a Divine call on their lives to return to Johnson City to help establish a supernatural, regional church. In those days, Charismatic Churches were virtually non-existent. With an unquenchable zeal and a big vision, the handful of young pioneers literally learned as they went. Over the course of the next 37 years, the lives of thousands would be touched with the reality that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Pastors Barry & Ann Burns had both discovered personally that in Jesus Christ, there was much more than religious tradition had conveyed. The mandate from God in 1975 was to establish a place where the Word of God was taught without compromise, where the Holy Spirit and His present day ministry in and through the people of God was welcomed, where uninhibited worship to Jesus Christ is encouraged and practiced, a place where believers become disciples of Jesus Christ, walking in His superabundant Grace.

Foundations are of the utmost significance and will ultimately determine the outcome of any endeavor. The foundation of Cornerstone Church is not built upon a schism or a splinter from another work, but is built upon a mandate from God. From a local elementary school gymnasium to a downtown storefront to our present location, this ministry is recognized in East Tennessee as a landmark of integrity, stability and truth. Cornerstone Church sites on a hill off Interstate 26 at the northern entrance of Johnson City, Tennessee.

What can we imagine?

A city set upon a hill, a light in the darkness, a refuge from the storms of life, where the grace and unconditional love of God, the cause of Jesus Christ, is championed by people, with such influence and with such passion that the world around us is drawn to Jesus

A place where ordinary people, each equipped for ministry, growing in maturity, accomplish extraordinary things because the presence of Jesus and the revelation of His love is the central reality in our lives

A church where the ministry of the Word of God declared in clarity and without apology, where the extravagant, contagious worship of the Savior and where works of benevolence and kindness toward humanity cause us to have worldwide impact

A body of many members, understanding who we are in Jesus Christ, taking our rightful place of authority, motivated by the love of God, moving in the power that is only provided by the present-day ministry of the Holy Spirit bringing miraculous help to those who otherwise would be without hope

A people who are dedicated to honoring the generation ahead of us, while working hard to invest ourselves in the generations following us – leaving a rich spiritual legacy of the Truth we have found, which will live on

A ministry, where all are activists, passionately unified in heart, purpose, and word, cherishing the promise of all that God can accomplish through us together as we sacrifice what needs to be in order to accomplish His agenda for His Kingdom

A family that cultivates an environment that feels like home for people of all walks of life, ages and races. An all-inclusive community whose unconditional love for people is only secondary to our love for God, and is known for putting it to practice

These are broad brush strokes. The details are found in you – your gifting, your talent, your contribution, your leadership. Can you see yourself in these paragraphs?

God has given it. We have imagined it. The power to accomplish it lies in unity – all at once together.