May 15, 2025
Hoschton sits just beyond the edge of Atlanta’s suburbs. It’s the small-town Georgia living experience that many across our state enjoy. With fewer than 5,000 residents, it’s easy to see it as little more than another exit with a Cracker Barrel. But God is doing something new in this community.
In August 2023, Pastor Tyler Recker planted Antioch Church with a vision to see the people of Hoschton and Jackson County come to know Jesus. After serving in leadership at New Branch Community Church in Dacula, where attendance was overflowing and even the basement had to be repurposed for worship, Tyler sensed it was time to start something new. Though he initially pointed to others to lead the effort, he found everyone pointing back at him.
Twenty-seven families joined him, and on August 13, 2023, Antioch Church launched. Within their first year, they welcomed 10 more families, revealing the evidence of a spiritual hunger in the area. Located in Jackson County, the second-fastest-growing county in Georgia, Antioch is meeting a growing need. Tyler saw the opportunity and responded to God's call.
74 miles away, in Douglasville, God is doing another new work.
Home to 36,000 people, Douglasville is diverse: 64% African American, 22% White, 8% Hispanic, and a mix of other ethnic groups. With nearly 1 in 10 residents speaking Spanish, Pastor Javier Lopez recognized a unique ministry opportunity. Partnering with First Baptist Church Douglasville and Pastor Tim Akin, he planted Go Iglesia Douglasville in November 2023. In their first year, 40 people were baptized, a clear sign that God was at work among the Spanish-speaking community.
The need was so great that in November 2024, Pastor Javier helped start another Spanish-speaking congregation: Go Iglesia Powder Springs. They're now raising up leaders and looking for a pastor to continue in this work that is already bearing fruit. Pastor Javier says, “Church planting can be intimidating... so do it with other churches!” His partnership with FBC Douglasville demonstrates how established churches can help launch new ones. And FBC Douglasville isn't done—they’re planning to plant another church in Atlanta soon.
Travel 270 miles southeast to Savannah, and you’ll find yet another example of God doing something new.
Savannah was founded decades before the Declaration of Independence, but something new is happening in one of Georgia’s oldest cities. Pastor Kevin Connell started Cross Community Church there with just his family of five. Sent out by Kingsland Baptist Church, Kevin had a burden to reach one of Georgia’s most unchurched zip codes: 31419.
Since he began 18 months ago, he has seen 15 people come to faith and now reaches 40 people monthly. Kevin’s heart for church planting grew through short-term mission trips. Over a series of trips, he felt compelled to leave the comforts of a staff position at an established church and serve on the leading edge of starting a new Gospel work.
Over the past several months in serving as Convention President, I have often heard people comment about church planting as though it is reserved for the urban centers of our state. If you look closer, you’ll find that church planting is reaching people in cities, towns, and small communities every where! This is one of the benefits of SEND GEORGIA, the partnership that the Georgia Baptist Mission Board has with the North American Mission Board. Through this effort resources, training, assessments, and support for church planting have never been more accessible to start new churches in every corner of Georgia.
Consider this: with a population of 11.2 million, if every Georgian attended church this Sunday, each of the 3,600 Georgia Baptist churches would need to welcome over 3,000 people to worship! To reach everyone everywhere across our state, we need more churches.
Maybe your church should consider planting a church. Maybe you should consider being a church planter.
Take your next step in church planting by attending the Send Lab this November in Alpharetta. Click this link for information and to register.
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Steve Browning is president of the Georgia Baptist Convention, and lead pastor of First City Church in Alpharetta.
