Staff File Photo by Tim Barber
Dr. John Wyatt, pastor of First Baptist Church of Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., walks through the new atrium lobby as Logan and Moore employee Darrell Edwards follows during an expansion of the church.WHAT MAKES US SPECIALAccording to the Glenmary Research Institute and its book “Religious Congregations & Membership: 2000,” Hamilton County has one of the lowest numbers of churches per 10,000 people in Tennessee. With 12 churches per 10,000 people, it is tied with Knox, Madison, Rutherford and Williamson counties and ranks ahead of only Davidson, Montgomery, Shelby and Sumner counties.
Staff File Photo by Dan Henry
The congregation gathers for worship at Collegedale Seventh-day Adventist Church.Chattanooga’s largest churchesHere are the largest churches, based on membership, of 12 religious bodies in Hamilton County. The list is based on the largest number of individual congregations in a five-county Chattanooga metropolitan area, as reported in the book “Religious Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000.”ASSEMBLIES OF GOD – Calvary East Ridge, 146 members (2009); Bethel Temple, 160 (2007).BRAINERD UNITED METHODISTCHURCH OF CHRIST – East Brainerd, 900-1,000 members (2007 estimate).CHURCH OF GOD – City Church, 1,096 members (2009).CHURCH OF GOD OF PROPHECY – Hickory Valley Fellowship, 167 members (2009).CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE – Grace, 279 members (2009).CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN – First, Chattanooga, 597 members (2009).EPISCOPAL – St. Paul’s, 1,927 members (2008).PRESBYTERIAN (CHURCH IN AMERICA) – First, Chattanooga, 1,642 members (2008).PRESBYTERIAN (USA) – Rivermont, 528 members (2008).ROMAN CATHOLIC – Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 3,420 members (2009).SOUTHERN BAPTIST – Abba’s House (Hixson Central Baptist), 6,819 members (2008).UNITED METHODIST – Christ, 3,770 members (2009).
Building a family life center is not like erecting a field of dreams, said Dr. John Wyatt. Just because you build it, they won’t necessarily come.
However, because First Baptist Church of Fort Oglethorpe planned ahead when it built such a center in 2009, the congregation is reaping the benefits.
“We want to involve people as much as possible,” Dr. Wyatt said. “I’m optimistic that the future (there) will be good.”