Three acres of red Georgia clay, donated by a brand-new city in 1974 to the third church that asked for it, became the home of the Peachtree City Church of Christ. Half a century later, the congregation still meets on the same tract along Peachtree Parkway in Fayette County, a steady presence in a community that has grown up around it. Each Sunday between 250 and 350 members and visitors fill the building for a cappella worship and a verse-by-verse approach to Scripture, and each year thousands more from Peachtree City and beyond gather at Drake Field for the congregation's signature Walk4Water, which since 2020 has funded more than a hundred clean-water wells around the world.
"We Don't Answer to Any One but God"
On the church's own About page, the very first thing the congregation wants a newcomer to understand is what it is not. There is no denomination. There is no governing board above the local shepherds. The Bible alone is the rule of faith and practice, and the New Testament is the primary revelation of God's will. If the church is doing something, members have looked for it in Scripture. If they are not doing something other churches do, it is usually because they cannot find a first-century example of it.
The congregation belongs to the Churches of Christ, a fellowship of independent congregations that traces its roots to the Restoration plea of the early nineteenth century and aims to pattern every practice after the New Testament church. Beliefs stated plainly on the church's site include the sole authority of Scripture, a cappella worship (no instruments in the assembly), baptism as essential for salvation, and weekly observance of the Lord's Supper. Anyone is welcome to worship and study.
The stated mission sits beneath the church's name in large letters: "So lost people can have eternal life and saved people can have abundant life." Members describe themselves as Bible-based, friendly, and encouraging, a family of dedicated but imperfect Christians striving to build one another up rather than tear anyone down.
Sundays at 9:30, Wednesdays at 7:00
The week revolves around three weekly touchpoints. Sunday morning worship begins at 9:30 AM, and Bible classes for every age, from infants through adults, follow immediately at 11:00 AM. On the first and third Sunday evenings, the congregation gathers again at 5:00 PM. Wednesday nights bring a second Bible study at 7:00 PM. Services and Bible classes are streamed to YouTube and Facebook for anyone who cannot be present.
A first-time visitor walking in on a Sunday morning can expect a warm greeting and help finding a seat in worship or a class suited to their family. The Visitor's Center in the main foyer near the stairway is staffed with information about current classes, service times, and upcoming events. The worship style is a cappella singing led from the front, prayer, a sermon from the pulpit minister, and the Lord's Supper observed together. Communion is taken each week, in keeping with the church's belief that the New Testament pattern is to break bread together on the first day of the week.
The first practical step toward membership is simply to visit. The next step, after a period of attending, is to meet with the shepherds, get on the contact list, and discuss what placing membership would look like. The third step is to get plugged in, which can mean joining a Growth Group, a Bible class, a ministry team, or one of the annual service efforts described below.
Growth Groups: Smaller Circles Inside a Growing Church
With several hundred people in the assembly each Sunday, the shepherds recognized that meaningful fellowship can be hard to come by in a large congregation. Their answer is Growth Groups, an arrangement of about five small groups of roughly twenty members each, named for families in the congregation: the Acree Group, the Hagin Group, the McCullough/Parker Group, the Weinhardt Group, and the Watts Group. Members are assigned by the ministry and leadership team based on geography, season of life, and other factors, and the groups may be reshuffled each summer.
On the second Sunday evening of every month, September through April, each Growth Group meets at 5:00 PM in a member's home (or, on a rotating basis, at the building, where the meal is catered). A meeting is a small-church experience: singing, prayer requests, Scripture reading, a short devotional or talk, and the Lord's Supper. After the devotional, the group shares a meal together. Goals written out by the leadership team include deeper personal spiritual growth, wider involvement in the larger church, broader hospitality across homes, more honest fellowship, and a natural entry point for evangelism through inviting them into a smaller setting.
From Jesus' Lambs to Tweens: A Full Children's Wing
Children's ministry is described by the congregation as one of its "crowning jewels." The structure covers every year from birth through fifth grade.
- Jesus' Lambs (birth through second grade). The name says it all: little ones. Activities are built for the age group, including holiday parties and age-appropriate service projects.
- Tweens (third through fifth grade). Monthly devotionals, the annual week at Camp Inagehi, Lads to Leaders participation, and outings like movie nights and tubing keep this group active.
Annual children's events anchor the calendar. The Easter Egg Hunt brings families to the building for egg hunting, crafts, and lunch together. Trunk-or-Treat in the fall opens the evening with a bounce house and chili cook-off before the kids go car to car for treats, then gather around a fire for s'mores. Dinner with Santa gathers kids and their families in The Commons for dinner, Christmas crafts, cookie decorating, and letters to Santa, with teen volunteers serving as "elves."
Vacation Bible School is a one-day Saturday event plus Sunday worship in mid-July. The 2026 theme is "The Great Jungle Journey," an exploration of the seven C's of History, Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ and the Cross, and Consummation, for children aged 4 through rising sixth grade. Children rotate through lessons, stations, singing, games, and crafts, with a snack and lunch provided.
Student Ministry: A Faith That Becomes Their Own
For sixth through twelfth graders, the PTC Student Ministry shares the church's overall vision: "so teens can find eternal life while experiencing an abundant life." The student ministry gathers around three core values, sound beliefs (Faith), positive attitudes (Hope), and caring actions (Love). Three concrete goals drive programming: that every student be able to articulate what Jesus has done in their life, identify five Christian adults other than parents or the youth minister who mentor them, and realize their identity in the church, knowing they belong and are equipped for good works.
Caleb McGaughy oversees the Student Ministry alongside his wife Maggie, focusing on middle and high schoolers. Bible class on Sundays follows the more traditional lesson format, while Wednesdays mix interactive discussions, singing, and activities. The point is engagement with Scripture, not passive listening; students are encouraged to bring their Bibles and ask questions.
The annual calendar for students reads like a youth minister's wish list. Spring and fall retreats take the group to the mountains for a weekend of worship, games, and teaching. The summer highlight is Camp Inagehi, where the church's own pulpit minister, Chris Parker, directs one of four weeks. Exposure Youth Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, fills December with worship and team time for sixth grade through college. Mission: Atlanta, a local service week run by the student ministry, sends teens out Monday through Friday to serve alongside ministries such as i58 ministries, Bloom Our Youth, Bridging the Gap, and Tools for Empowerment, then reunites at a host home for dinner and debrief. THRV, a fall youth conference hosted by the church in collaboration with Concord Street Church of Christ, lands on Columbus Day weekend.
For parents, the church maintains an extensive Parent Resource Center organized by developmental stage. The pages walk parents through the early years (new baby through pre-K), the elementary years, middle school, and high school, with age-by-age strategy guides, parent cue conversation prompts, and prayers specific to each stage.
Walk4Water: A Hundred Wells in Six Years
The church's signature community-facing event is Walk4Water, held each April at Drake Field in partnership with Healing Hands International. The premise is simple and sobering: in many parts of the world, the average person walks four miles each way just to find water, and often the water is not safe to drink. Walkers cover those four miles in solidarity.
Since the congregation hosted its first walk in 2020 (the inaugural walk was canceled because of COVID), Walk4Water has become the church's largest annual outreach. Since 2020 alone, the Peachtree City walk has raised more than $742,000 and helped fund 98 new wells, bringing clean water to more than 155,000 people. The 2026 walk drew about 510 registered participants with 370 walking on walk day and raised around $120,000, funding an estimated 13 new wells. The previous year drew more than 500 walkers and raised over $150,000, enough for 19 wells. In 2024 the walk raised more than $200,000 and built 28 wells, and one of those wells resulted in a church plant and ten baptisms.
Walk4Water is free to participate in. Registration opens in February and runs through April, and the event is open to the entire community. The Healing Hands International partnership extends beyond the walk, including the Magi Project (gift boxes for children in poverty, distributed each fall) and occasional humanitarian aid projects, including refugee relief efforts that have reached thousands.
Camp Inagehi, Lads to Leaders, THRV, and VBS
Camp Inagehi is a 33-acre Church of Christ camp in Douglasville, Georgia, owned and operated by a board of directors made up of members from area congregations. Camp Inagehi is open to campers regardless of race, creed, or religious affiliation, and its purpose is to teach students about God in the midst of His creation. The second week of June is Peachtree City week at camp; Chris Parker and his wife Lana serve as directors for that week, and they have been involved with Camp Inagehi for 22 years. Camp is funded by fees and donations, and the church supports it through annual workdays, volunteering as staff, a yearly 5K, and giving.
Lads to Leaders & Leaderettes is the oldest and largest leadership training program used by churches of Christ. Students in third through twelfth grade participate year-round in events like speech and song leading, Bible Bowl, puppets, the Providers program (practical skills such as basic plumbing, carpentry, painting, electrical, and car maintenance), and the Wilderness Challenge (skills including character, packing, shelter, fire, self-defense, survival, map reading, and hiking). The annual Lads convention takes place on Easter weekend at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta. Ben Weinhardt coordinates Lads participation at the church.
THRV is a fall youth conference for middle and high schoolers hosted each year at the Peachtree City building on Columbus Day weekend, in collaboration with the Concord Street Church of Christ. Its tagline captures its aim: leading the next generation to encounter the vibrant fullness of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Shepherds, Ministers, and a Small-Staff Church
The church is led by five shepherds, the biblical term the congregation uses for elders: Andy Garner (oversees ministry and office staff, education, finance, and facility projects), Lew Foshee (benevolence, campus security, special projects, worship assignments, leadership development, evangelism, and the secretarial staff), Todd Wilson (growth groups), Ken Weinhardt (youth, worship, and community outreach), and Joseph Jennings (most recently added in September 2024). They are assisted by an extensive team of deacons and ministry leaders serving across every area of church life, from Children's Education to Building & Grounds.
The preaching team is led by Chris Parker, who joined the church as a member, was brought on staff, and now serves as pulpit minister. Caleb McGaughy leads the Student Ministry and periodically assists on the preaching team. Ben Weinhardt, Ken's son, oversees the College and Young Professional ministry. Together, the ministers emphasize practical, applicable Bible teaching for every stage of life.
Supporting staff include Regina Jennings (Financial Secretary), Toni Anderson (Church Secretary), and Maggie McGaughy (Communications Coordinator).
Missions, Near and Far
The congregation supports a global slate of missionaries and ministries, listed on the church's missions page. Long-term partners include Pedro and Otoniel Morales in Nicaragua, Ricky Gootam in India, Sao Joseph in West Africa (Sierra Leone and Liberia), Hiram Njiru in Kenya, and Scott Shanahan in Italy. The church also supports The Jenkins Institute (which serves those in ministry), Apologetics Press (defending New Testament Christianity through printed and digital materials), Raintree Village in Dasher, Georgia (a Christian community serving children affected by abuse, abandonment, and neglect), and Rainbow Omega in Alabama (serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities).
Closer to home, members travel one day each month during the school year to the Lakewood Church of Christ to help teach elementary Bible classes. The Atlanta Inner-City Ministry (AIM) receives some financial support. Twice a year, the church hosts Giveaway Day, an event open to the wider community where donated items, furniture, decor, equipment, clothes, baby items, and more, are given away free of charge. Drinks and snacks are served, and a personal invitation is extended to return the following Sunday for worship.
Each November, the church conducts a "Dollar Per Day" collection, a special missions offering selected by the missions committee. The church also helps fund scholarships at Freed-Hardeman University and Faulkner University for students pursuing ministry careers, and runs a Disaster Relief effort through the Churches of Christ disaster relief network, sending food, water, and supplies to disaster-stricken areas through partner churches.
From Newborn to College: A Whole-Family Approach
Few details illustrate the church's whole-family philosophy better than its ministries list. At the youngest end, Jesus' Lambs cares for birth through second grade. The Hilltoppers ministry serves empty nesters and anyone who enjoys fellowship with believers, with regular trips to the theater and Atlanta attractions. The Men's Ministry gathers Christian men for regular outings and bi-monthly breakfasts and encourages them to lead spiritually in home and church. The Ladies Ministry gathers women year-round for Bible study (Tuesday mornings during the school year), fellowship events, seasonal studies, and occasional sewing days that produce items for the Magi Project. The Ladies Bible Class celebrated its widows with a special spring luncheon one year and studied the book of Esther together the next. The College and Young Professional ministry under Ben Weinhardt specifically ministers to young adults entering college or starting careers.
Three free Bible correspondence courses are offered to anyone interested in learning more at home. A School of Evangelism runs free classes that train members to share their faith. A Dorcas Sewing Ministry sews products for Healing Hands International.
How to Step In
The Visitors' Experience is led by Deacon Dan Mong, and the church keeps a Visitor's Center in the main foyer for newcomers to ask questions and pick up information. An online visitor form (linked at ptcchurch.com) lets the office know to expect you. Prayer requests can be submitted online; they may be kept private or shared with the shepherds, who gather to pray over them. Giving is available online through the church's giving platform or by mail to the building address; in-person contributions may be dropped in the foyer collection box. Services and Bible classes are livestreamed to YouTube and Facebook for those unable to attend in person.
The 50-year milestone is a point of reflection for the congregation. As one of the founding-era members put it on the church's history page: "The early Peachtree City church was church in the very best sense of the word." The same group, with new generations added, continues to gather on the same three acres of land that the city gave away in 1974, still calling people home to Christ one Sunday morning at a time.