Central Baptist Church in Douglasville, GA

Website: www.cbc-douglasville.org.

Services: 8:45, 10:15 a.m. Sundays

Worship Style: Blended

Average Sunday Attendance: 700-800

Minister: Steve McFall

Denomination Affiliation: Southern Baptist

Mission statement:

“To be a family of totally committed followers of Jesus Christ who are reaching others for Christ throughout Douglas County, Georgia, our nation and our world.”

History:

Members celebrated the church’s 100th anniversary in 2007. Central began with five acres of donated land, an offering of $5.10 and 13 charter members, and now has approximately 42 acres, an annual budget of $1.7 million and more than 2,500 members.

Pastor’s path:

The northeast Alabama native had earned an associate’s degree in business before realizing that ministry was where God was leading him. At age 22, he enrolled at Samford University, where he met his future wife and completed his final two years as an undergrad. After graduation, he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas, graduated in 1990, and became pastor of a church in Idaho.

After 5 ½ years in the northwest, McFall returned to pastor a church in his hometown before moving to Central as student pastor in 2007. He was voted to become senior pastor on Dec. 12, 2010.

“The people were so excited, I felt like I was on a football team walking out on the field” is how McFall described the moment he came back in the room after the vote.

Ministries:

Successful spring and fall Upward soccer programs draw 300 children each season. Upward basketball and cheerleading is offered for grades K-6, with Impact basketball targeting middle schoolers.

Proceeds from the Dayspring 5K annual road race are given to a local public elementary school. “That’s just one way we invest in our community,” McFall said. Central also hosts an annual golf tournament, another offering that makes the church’s sports program well known in the community.

The student ministry has separated middle (grades 6-8) and high school youth, “because their needs are so different socially, academically and spiritually,” said McFall, and a fulltime interim student pastor is on board until a permanent one is found. The groups come together for big events, like a Super Bowl party, or New Year’s celebration at Malibu Grand Prix.

The church hosts a weekly preschool, Mother’s Morning Out, Celebrate Recovery, GriefShare, and Financial Peace University.

“For the last three years we’ve had this motto, Making Family Central,” said McFall. “Three years ago, we wanted to encourage our families to get control of their finances through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. We had 350 to 400 people go through that, which was a God thing because it was right before the bottom fell out of the economy.”

Central also hosts a Hispanic congregation that meets on Sunday afternoons with 30-40 in attendance.

Thoughts from the pastor:

“Church or being a Christian really isn’t a religious thing to me. It’s a personal relationship with a living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We do this so we can introduce people, that they might establish a personal relationship with Jesus.

“My theme verse is John 15:11, which says I’ve told you these things so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be made full. Jesus recognizes that we have earthly joys. There are joys in life. But He is the one who can make it full.”