Go Farther to Fulfill the Great Commission
Thank you for your faithful prayers over accepting of the gift of The Rock Baptist Church property. We are thrilled to share that the November 2nd vote was overwhelmingly in favor—well exceeding the 67% approval required by our bylaws.
We look forward with gratitude and anticipation to see what God has in store as we take this next step together. The Ministry Advisory Council will begin meeting on November 16 to prayerfully consider how we will use this property going forward. We expect this process to continue through March 2026.
Please refer to our list of frequently asked questions for answers to the most common questions. If you have further questions, please send an email to Pastor Chip Yeager. We will continue to post updates as the process moves along.
Together, let’s continue to Go Farther in fulfilling the Great Commission through this new opportunity God has provided.
We look forward with gratitude and anticipation to see what God has in store as we take this next step together. The Ministry Advisory Council will begin meeting on November 16 to prayerfully consider how we will use this property going forward. We expect this process to continue through March 2026.
Please refer to our list of frequently asked questions for answers to the most common questions. If you have further questions, please send an email to Pastor Chip Yeager. We will continue to post updates as the process moves along.
Together, let’s continue to Go Farther in fulfilling the Great Commission through this new opportunity God has provided.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the proposal?
After years of decline and struggle to recover after the COVID pandemic, The Rock Baptist Church, located on Sandy Creek Road at Highway 74, has closed. They held their final service on October 5. To preserve their investment for Great Commission ministry, they would like to gift their church property to our church. After review and discussion, the Ministry Advisory Council (MAC) recommended accepting the property and on November 2, the church voted to accept the property.
When will the transfer of ownership be complete?
We anticipate the transfer of ownership to be completed by November 30.
When Will Use of the Property be Decided?
The Ministry Advisory Council is prayerfully considering all proposed options. They will begin meeting together on November 16th and plan to reach a decision by the end of March 2026.
What is the valuation of the Gifted Property?
The property was professionally appraised at $2,080,000 by the Buckhead Advisory Group on April 8, 2025. It was inspected by National Property Inspections on July 30, 2025. We have a copy of both reports.
Why did the Rock Church gift their property to FBC Peachtree City?
We learned of the closing of the Rock Baptist Church through a conversation with the Associational Mission Strategist for the Fairburn Association, Jimmy Kinnaird. Pastor Joey then reached out to the pastor of the Rock Church, who shared plans of the sale of the property. When the sale fell through, the Rock Church reached out to Pastor Joey and offered their property as a gift to our church so that the resources or proceeds from its sale could be preserved for Great Commission ministry. The previous sale agreement included covering closing costs, real estate fees, and paying a portion of the pastor’s severance.
What will it cost FBC Peachtree City?
The property is being gifted to us, and in return, we will cover the closing costs, realtor fees, and 9 months of the pastor’s severance – which together totals $97,500. As a church, the property is exempt from property taxes, and we do not plan to undertake any renovations.
There is a cemetery on the property, which will require some basic maintenance, like mowing the grass. A perpetual fund with the Georgia Baptist Foundation was established to manage these costs. The fund has over $45,000 in the account.
Carrying cost based on basic monthly bills given to us by the Rock Church, including utilities, will be between $2,000 to $3,000.
There is a cemetery on the property, which will require some basic maintenance, like mowing the grass. A perpetual fund with the Georgia Baptist Foundation was established to manage these costs. The fund has over $45,000 in the account.
Carrying cost based on basic monthly bills given to us by the Rock Church, including utilities, will be between $2,000 to $3,000.
Has the Rock Church attempted to sell the property previously?
Yes. Once the Rock Baptist Church decided to close their doors, they hired a real estate company with every intent to sell the property. Within the past year, there were three offers. The first offer was declined because it was a low-ball offer. The second offer they accepted, but due to the county refusing to rezone the property, the sell fell through. The church then accepted a third offer, which came from another church. Due to financial concerns by the bank, the purchasing church could not secure the necessary loan, so the deal fell through yet again. The third offer was set to close in October 2025.
The Rock Baptist Church set a date for their final service on October 5, 2025 with every intention to closing their books and dissolving their nonprofit status by December 31, 2025. Once the third offer fell through, the church voted to gift the property rather than continue attempts to sell it because the church was beyond ready to dissolve and move on.
The Rock Baptist Church set a date for their final service on October 5, 2025 with every intention to closing their books and dissolving their nonprofit status by December 31, 2025. Once the third offer fell through, the church voted to gift the property rather than continue attempts to sell it because the church was beyond ready to dissolve and move on.
How will we use the property? What is the long-term plan and liability to our church?
While we do not have a final plan for the property currently, we do have two most likely scenarios.
First, we have a pastor who is interested in constituting and planting a new autonomous church in the area between Hwy 74 and Trilith. In this option, once the church is constituted and set up as a nonprofit ministry, we would have the option of gifting the property to them. In such an instance, our financial and legal obligations would cease upon the transfer of property.
In option two, we would sell the property and take the proceeds of the sale to fund our global mission and church planting strategy. In such a decision, we would likely still help fund a new church plant in the area, but also create a financial springboard to plant other churches around the world.
Currently, upon a positive vote to receive the gift, the MAC, with the support of the Stewardship Team, will finalize a plan of action by the end of March 2026.
We are not planning to use the property as a satellite campus.
Regarding the liability of our church, we would have to pay the carrying cost of utilities, insurance, security until the property is deeded over to the new church plant or until the property is sold. We are estimating that this would likely take us into the second quarter of 2026. Currently, the carrying cost, based on the Rock Church’s bills, will be between $2,000 and $3,000 a month. We anticipate that we will have these expenses for 6 to 9 months.
First, we have a pastor who is interested in constituting and planting a new autonomous church in the area between Hwy 74 and Trilith. In this option, once the church is constituted and set up as a nonprofit ministry, we would have the option of gifting the property to them. In such an instance, our financial and legal obligations would cease upon the transfer of property.
In option two, we would sell the property and take the proceeds of the sale to fund our global mission and church planting strategy. In such a decision, we would likely still help fund a new church plant in the area, but also create a financial springboard to plant other churches around the world.
Currently, upon a positive vote to receive the gift, the MAC, with the support of the Stewardship Team, will finalize a plan of action by the end of March 2026.
We are not planning to use the property as a satellite campus.
Regarding the liability of our church, we would have to pay the carrying cost of utilities, insurance, security until the property is deeded over to the new church plant or until the property is sold. We are estimating that this would likely take us into the second quarter of 2026. Currently, the carrying cost, based on the Rock Church’s bills, will be between $2,000 and $3,000 a month. We anticipate that we will have these expenses for 6 to 9 months.
What were the results of the FBC Peachtree City congregational vote?
On November 2, FBC Peachtree City voted overwhelmingly in favor--well exceeding the 67% approval required by our bylaws.