Churches in Atlanta

The African American church heritage

No aspect of Atlanta's religious life is more historically significant than its African American church tradition. Atlanta is the home of the Civil Rights Movement's spiritual infrastructure — the churches that provided the meeting halls, the moral vocabulary, the leadership, and the courage that transformed America:

• Ebenezer Baptist Church, Sweet Auburn — the church where Michael King Sr. and Jr. both preached; the spiritual home of the Civil Rights Movement; a National Historic Site. The current congregation continues active ministry under Rev. Raphael Warnock (now U.S. Senator). Hearing the history of this pulpit is an encounter with American history.
• Big Bethel AME Church, Sweet Auburn — one of Atlanta's oldest African American churches; founded by former slaves after the Civil War; its neon sign "Jesus Saves" has been a Sweet Auburn landmark for generations.
• Wheat Street Baptist Church, Sweet Auburn — historic civil rights congregation adjacent to Ebenezer.
• Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church, Southwest Atlanta — major Black Baptist congregation with strong community ministry.
• New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Lithonia — one of the largest Black mega-churches in America under Bishop Eddie Long; continues to be a significant congregation in the eastern suburbs.
• Ray of Hope Christian Church — Atlanta's largest openly affirming Black church.

The suburban evangelical megachurch scene

Atlanta's explosive suburban growth since the 1970s produced a megachurch landscape unlike any other in the South:

• North Point Community Church, Alpharetta — founded by Andy Stanley; one of the most influential and widely attended churches in America, with over 30,000 weekly attendees across multiple campuses. North Point's model of seeker-friendly, family-oriented evangelical church has been widely imitated across the country.
• Passion City Church, Buckhead — founded by Louie Giglio; grew out of the Passion conferences that shaped the worship preferences of millions of college students; young adult focus; one of the most musically influential evangelical congregations in America.
• First Baptist Church of Atlanta, Buckhead — historic SBC congregation; large campus; Charles Stanley's longtime pulpit.
• Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, Marietta — large evangelical congregation in the northern suburbs.
• Perimeter Church, Johns Creek — theologically Reformed (PCA) megachurch; one of the largest PCA congregations in the country.
• Mt. Paran Church of God, north Atlanta — large charismatic/Pentecostal congregation with decades of history in the city.

Urban church planting in Atlanta

Atlanta's gentrifying urban neighborhoods — Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park, East Atlanta, Grant Park, West Midtown — have attracted a new generation of evangelical church plants:

• Church of the Apostles — Anglican church in the Buckhead/Sandy Springs area; high-church liturgical tradition in an evangelical context
• Redeemer Church of Atlanta — Presbyterian church plant in the Tim Keller mold; young professional focus in midtown
• Renovatus Church — Wesleyan church plant known for arts integration and social engagement
• Crossroads Church — multisite non-denominational church with strong intown presence

Catholic Atlanta

The Archdiocese of Atlanta has grown dramatically with the city's population boom — from a small diocese serving a handful of historic parishes to a large archdiocese serving the fastest-growing Catholic population in the Southeast:

• Cathedral of Christ the King, Buckhead — the mother church of the Archdiocese of Atlanta; stunning Romanesque building; significant arts and music tradition
• St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Hapeville — one of Atlanta's oldest Catholic parishes
• Spanish-language Catholic Masses — available at numerous parishes across metro Atlanta, reflecting the growing Hispanic Catholic community

Frequently asked questions

What is the "Atlanta church world" known for?

Atlanta is primarily known for two things in American Christianity: its extraordinary African American church heritage (rooted in the civil rights era) and its suburban evangelical megachurch culture (exemplified by North Point, Passion City, and their national influence). These two streams rarely interact directly, but together they make Atlanta one of the most significant church cities in America.

Is Atlanta good for young adult Christians?

Exceptionally so. Between Passion City Church's young adult focus, the church plant ecosystem in neighborhoods like Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park, and the presence of major Christian universities (Emory, Morehouse, Spelman, Georgia Tech with active campus ministries), Atlanta has one of the richest environments for young adult Christian community in the South.