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 ...