WOODSTOCK, Ga. (BP) – Roswell Street Baptist Church, one of the larger Southern Baptist congregations in Georgia as well as the SBC in its heyday, will soon become a campus of First Baptist Church in Woodstock.
First Woodstock pastor Jeremy Morton made the announcement during his sermon August 3. At the same time, a video of him welcoming Roswell Street Baptist members played in that church’s worship center 12 miles away.
“With increased faith, our ‘yes’ is on the table to seek first the kingdom of God in Cherokee County and now at the heart of Cobb County like never before,” Morton told those at First Woodstock.
Associate Pastor Christian Norman will serve as location pastor at Roswell Street.
“With integrity and a pastor’s heart, he’s going to represent Christ – because that’s who he is,” said Morton. “He’s going to represent me. And he’s going to represent you.”
The same text and theme will be preached at Roswell Street and Woodstock, Morton told Baptist Press, with him being piped in to preach on the screen only in rare occasions.
“We are fortunate to have a strong team of preachers, and I am fully committed to having live preaching at both locations,” he said.
There will also be times that he will preach in person at Roswell Street, he told church members on Sunday.
A meeting will be held on Aug. 17 for those interested in making the Roswell Street location their home for worship and ministry. Morton encouraged perhaps 100-200 of those listening to his message to make that choice. A “special re-launching” of the location is anticipated for next spring.
‘A breakthrough of some kind’
Morton told First Woodstock members that a January meeting over coffee with Dan Moran, who was serving as Roswell Street’s transitional pastor, began the process of adding the new campus.
“Dan shared with me his burden about learning of the decades-long decline that was occurring at Roswell Street,” Morton said. “Though he knew the church had enormous potential for a bright future, the congregation really needed a breakthrough of some kind.”
Roswell Street’s members voted “at precisely 87.5 percent” to join First Woodstock, he added. Even as the Roswell Street location receives a new name and becomes part of First Baptist, Morton insisted on honoring those who were part of the Marietta church for so many years.
“Those precious people who’ve remained faithful even though the church has declined have trusted us with something they’ve given to, prayed for and wept over for decades,” he said. “If God increases our faith, we really believe we’re headed for the sweetest, most exciting days of our ministry on earth.”
Morton welcomed Norman and his wife, Kayla, to the Woodstock stage for his official introduction into the role.
“We’re overwhelmed with gratitude,” Norman said. “I’m nervous, but I’m also expectant because I believe that God has great plans for the heart of Marietta.”
A booming start
Roswell Street Baptist Church launched in 1943, the same year the Air Force Plant No. 6 was handed over to the Bell Aircraft Corporation to aid production for World War II. Over the next two years, the Bell plant would employ more than 28,000 men and women while producing 668 B-29 Superfortress planes.
Nelson Price served as senior pastor of Roswell Street from 1968-2002, when the church reached nearly 9,500 members in 1992 and worship attendance was at 4,000. After membership had dropped to 7,044 in 2000, Price’s successor, Ernest Easley, led a rebound that saw that figure routinely above 9,000 through 2014 and worship attendance at 1,250.
Easley left in 2015 to accept a teaching position at Union University. Michael Lewis became pastor the next year and led a renewed missional focus on the international community that had grown nearby. That brought the launch of the church’s International Learning Center, partnerships with five apartment communities and a local high school, and a revamped college ministry.
“The outcomes were truly remarkable – Gospel conversations, baptisms and cross-cultural bridges built in the name of Jesus,” said Lewis, who accepted a call as lead pastor of Sarasota (Fla.) Baptist Church in September 2022. “But like so many others, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 hit us hard. The international community, in particular, was heavily impacted, and our church – already aging – saw attendance and engagement slow to recover.”
Future hope
“My heart is still full from the missional steps we took, and I’m also deeply aware of the challenges we faced in the aftermath,” Lewis said. “It’s a both/and reality – joy in what God has done and sorrow for the struggles along the way.”
Worship attendance had fallen to 818 in 2019. Last year, the church averaged 424 in weekly worship. Meanwhile, undesignated giving slipped from $5 million in 2005 to less than half that, $2.3 million, in 2024.
Overall, said Lewis, his season at Roswell Street “was very positive with lots of discipleship groups growing and community impact.”
“I am excited for the future,” he said. “Pastor Jeremy Morton is a visionary leader, and he will lead the church forward to reaching people with the Gospel. The church is essential to that specific location in Cobb County.”
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