First Baptist Church of Alpharetta

Sound doctrine, great teaching, and wonderful people. We visited dozens of churches before finding a home here and are extremely pleased with the staff and structure.

WOE IS ME!
Although I grew up attending Baptist churches, I have primarily attended non– denominational churches as an adult. However, since landing in Georgia I was open to again attending a Baptist church. We decided to attend this church one Sunday and discovered that we really liked the Pastor and his teachings, so we stayed. As time went on we decided to get involved in a Sunday morning class and our young adults also attended a class as well.
Now, this is where things were just not okay for me: There is no diversity in this church. You will find a sprinkling of non-​whites” attending” but that seems to be about the extent of it. As we are going along, I notice that non-​traditional roles of women are not respected and that women are most appreciated when they are «in their place». This is evidenced by some of the church policies, the roles that women hold in the church and the fact that they took forever to replace the Minister of Music because they were specifically looking for a male. I think that they would rather have had a gay male than a woman. Seriously!
One Sunday, we were having a spirited discussion in our morning class and decide to break into groups and of course, they decide to do this along gender lines. I speak up in protest and ask why are we are breaking along gender lines because we are segregated enough. The men pause, but the «Stepfords» hurriedly get into position as if they have heard nothing. I chose to join the men’s group that morning but didn’t say much because I was slowly simmering. I made it to a 7.5 but I believe that this was the last time I attended this class because I just couldn’t pretend to be accepting of those «unspoken» rules. Although, my husband was caught in the headlights, he was very supportive.
My kids who were high-​school students at the time attended a Sunday morning class as well. This was a class that also included college students. Since we are a relatively close family and would discuss our classes on the way home, I would naturally ask my kids about their class. The white male who taught their class was possibly in his 80s, and his favorite subjects were hell fire and brimstone and conspiracy theories. There was a lack of meaningful discussion about Christian life and those important life lessons that young people need to hear. I was waiting for applicable lessons that really made my kids excited to attend class and actually want to learn more about the bible, but this never happened. On a couple of occasions I stood outside the door and listened for content and activity but there was none because this guy just preached «at «the students and never engaged them in a meaningful way. My kids eventually discontinued the class.
Now the final straw came when I received this e-​mail from someone who worked with the church and inadvertently exposed a policy that they have that just blew me away. As far as I am concerned it is an invasive policy that just goes too far and I can’t really speak on it because I don’t want to expose the person who sent me the e-​mail. This and the sudden departure of our favorite Pastor, led to us leaving this particular church.
Bottom line, I need a church that is open and inclusive and reflective of a wide range of people and personalities. I want my church to look like the United Nations and I don’t care if you have two heads, 40 tattoos or a nose ring because those features are superficial and I am more interested in your character and core values. I also prefer people with a pulse and an ability to think freely and in a fair and balanced way. Still looking!
EPILOGUE: While this church just did not work for me, others will find that it is a perfect fit for their beliefs and values. I met many great people who were very warm and inviting and my rating is reflective of this experience, (2 stars for the great people and 1 star for church politics and shenanigans!).