FBC Woodstock and Roswell Street unite to become one church in two locations

By J. GERALD HARRIS, The Christian Index

Sunday, August 10, 2025

WOODSTOCK, Ga. — What began as a casual conversation between Jeremy Morton, pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, and Dan Moran, a member of Morton’s church who was serving as the transitional pastor of Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta,  culminated with the union of the two churches.

Roswell Street Baptist Church, founded in 1944, became one of Georgia’s first mega churches under the leadership of Pastor Nelson Price, who served as the pastor for 35 years.

During Price’s tenure as pastor of the Roswell Street Baptist Church, a massive church campus was developed, including a 4,000-seat worship center, the second-largest sanctuary in the Southeast at the time of its completion. From 1963 until 1998, the church flourished during his pastorate.

First Baptist Church experienced significant growth during the years of Johnny Hunt’s ministry and constructed a 7,500-seat worship center that was completed in 2005. Morton became the pastor in 2019, and the church has continued to flourish under his ministry.

In recent years, Roswell Street Baptist Church has struggled to maintain its numerical and financial strength amidst a demographically changing community.

When Morton and Moran met for coffee in January 2025, Roswell Street’s transitional pastor described the plight of the church he was serving, and at the same time, Morton emphasized that God was impressing upon his heart the need to have “increased faith.”

Moran responded, “The situation at Roswell Street could very well give you an opportunity to see if your faith can be challenged and increased.”

The two pastors began to discuss the possibility of engaging and absorbing the Roswell Street church and establishing a union between the two churches.

Over the next several months, there were many meetings to discuss the possibility of establishing a partnership, an alliance that would challenge Morton’s faith and ensure a positive future for the Roswell Street Baptist Church and a winning proposition for both churches and the cause of Christ.

Moran explained, “This isn’t just about one church being absorbed by another. This is a God-led opportunity that will honor the legacy of Roswell Street while equipping us to expand the mission of God with greater strength and unity for the future.”

As the discussions continued, the pathway to a partnership became more inviting and distinct. After a series of town hall meetings to weigh the matter with prayer and careful deliberations, the Roswell Street church put the matter to a vote on July 27. The Marietta Daily Journal reported that “450 people voted by 87.5 percent to fully come under the responsibility and shepherding care of First Baptist Church Woodstock.”

The vote included deeding their debt-free property to First Baptist Woodstock. Most voters agreed that the best way to secure the future of their ministry was to unite with Woodstock’s First Baptist Church and trust God with the future.

“Our leadership concluded that we could do more together than we can do apart," Morton said. "God has given us the perfect opportunity to increase our faith."

He explained that,  “Consequently, we did not need to vote on the matter, because there was no liability on our part. We saw no red flags from our vantage point. We have just seen it as an opportunity to trust God in a significant way.”

Morton continued, “Christian Norman, one of our associate pastors, will become the location pastor at the Roswell Street location, but several of us on our staff will also preach there periodically. I will look forward to preaching there occasionally.”

Norman, age 34, said that he is both “nervous and expectant” as he thinks about his new ministry role. “When I think about the sacred responsibility of preaching and the spiritual weight of that privilege, as well as the history and legacy of the Roswell Street Baptist Church, I get a bit nervous."

However, he continued, "that is balanced by the expectancy and the excitement I sense in launching out into this new role."

Norman sees a bright future for both churches. “I believe that this partnership will help both locations and that the people at Roswell Street will be positioned to reach many people for Christ," he said. "We do many things like sports events and English as a Second Language at First Baptist Woodstock to impact Cherokee County for Christ, and I think we will likely do about 90 percent of what we do in Woodstock on our campus in Marietta."

For his part, Dan Moran  "will become a part of our staff to help us with the transition that lies before us. In the next six months, we will spruce up the Roswell Street campus to make it a bit more inviting. We will spend time teaching the people and helping acclimate them to the culture of our church in Woodstock. We will reach out to as many people as possible in the Marietta area to become a part of our ministry on Roswell Street."

Services will continue at Roswell Street, leading up to a " ’relaunch’ in the spring of 2026 with 100-200 of our members at Woodstock adding their presence and influence on God’s work there on Roswell Street.”

Roswell Street Baptist Church will receive a new name, but the ‘relaunch’ could very well usher in a new era of growth and influence fueled by the faith and vision of the Woodstock pastor, his staff, and congregation.

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Caption: Pastor Jeremy Morton announces Christian Norman, who stands with his wife Kayla, as the location pastor for the Marietta campus of FBC Woodstock, on Aug. 3, 2025. (Photo/FBC Woodstock)