Today’s Marietta Daily Journal presents some interesting facts, culled from the recently published 2009-10 edition of The Atlanta Business Chronicle‘s annual Book of Lists. Columnist Joe Kirby writes:
Two generations ago, Catholics were as rare as hen’s teeth in Cobb. Now, they’ve just about taken over the joint.
The largest church in Cobb is St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church on King Springs Road in Smyrna, pastored by the Rev. James Kuczynksi, with 19,780 members, according to the ABC. It also ranks as the second-largest church in the metro area, behind only the Rev. Eddie Long’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, which has more than 25,000 members.
In third place in the metro area is First Baptist of Woodstock, with 17,000 members, followed by another Catholic house of worship in Cobb, Transfiguration Catholic Church on Blackwell Road in east Cobb, headed by the Rev. Msgr. Patrick Bishop, with 15,277 members.
All told, six of the metro area’s 10 largest churches are Catholic, according to the ABC – one more indication of the demographic changes that have swept across Georgia in recent decades.
How does Sunday attendance compare? Catholic parishes are somewhat different in having a firm, default geographical base for membership. If a Baptist moves into Suwanee, he doesn’t automatically join a church in the area.
Interesting. Thanks for posting. I always hear about how Atlanta is a hub for Mega-Nondenominational churches.