Civil Engineers
These ministries span differences in politics, race, and (most amazingly) denominational distinctives.
6 Stories of Today's Bridge Builders
April 1, 2005
Unite! for a Hands-On Gospel
Atlanta, Georgia
To most observers, Perimeter Church in Atlanta was a model of church growth. One church in multiple locations continued to see phenomenal growth after two decades, but to senior pastor Randy Pope, something was missing.
"I looked at the example of Jonathan Edwards," Pope says, "and I found that the most effective churches emphasize three areas: the head, which is good theology and a biblical foundation; the heart, or a passion for worship and for reaching the lost; and the hand, meeting the needs in our community.
"Many churches are one-prong churches. At Perimeter, we had a good combination of head and heart, but it just hit me: we were really missing the hand," Pope explained. "When we reached our 25th anniversary, we said, 'We're going to add substantially to the hand.' Part of our vision is to be externally focused, to get outside the four walls of the church."
In spring 2003, Perimeter's leaders shared their vision with leaders from Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, a predominantly African American congregation. The result was the formation of Unite! and the first Compassion in Action Weekend and Celebration, which saw 4,500 people from over 30 churches join in service projects throughout needy northeast Atlanta.
"We said to Hopewell, 'What if we do this together?'" says Chip Sweney, Perimeter staffer and director of Unite! "One of the reasons Unite! works so well is that we're not a separate organization trying to pull churches together. We are the churches, working together."
Unite! now includes nearly 70 churches in relationship with more than 40 community agencies. Unite! churches sponsor a host of ongoing service opportunities, along with monthly prayer meetings, pastors' ...
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