The Vision:
The vision of the Greenforest CommunityBaptist Church is to build a biblical community of loving relationships whose members daily and devoutly love, follow, and model Christ.

Chruch History
The Greenforest Baptist Church in Decatur Georgia was founded in 1958, with services for the 135 chartermembers being held in the Wadsworth Elementary School on Greenforest Drive. The church was incorporated on June 5, 1959. Land was purchased adjacent to the school on Shamrock Drive and the church buildings were built in the early to mid 60's.

For many years the church membership increased with the majority of its members coming from the neighborhood surrounding the church. During the early 1970's membership at Greenforest began to decline, due primarily to the racial transition of the neighborhood. As more and more whites moved from the neighborhood and subsequently from the church, more and more blacks moved into the neighborhood and a few joined Greenforest. In 1977 what was evolving as a gradual racial transitional experience intensified into what has been termed "The Exodus Experience." On one Sunday nearly all white members, including the pastor, moved their membership from Greenforest Baptist Church. This obviously was a sad day in the life of the Christian church. The remaining congregation operated under a partial mission status for approximately 18 months under the watchful care and support of the Atlanta Baptist Association. In 1979 Rev. George O. McCalep, Jr. was called to serve as pastor of Greenforest. He followed the interim pastorship of Rev. John Cross who was assigned to the position by the Atlanta Baptist Association.

Under Pastor McCalep's leadership the deed to the property was regained from the Association, thereby moving the church from the partial mission status to a full congregationally-owned and autonomously-governed Baptist church. During the past 20 years, under Pastor McCalep, Greenforest has grown from the 25 members present when he came, to over 4,000 members. In addition, the annual budget has increased from $13,000 in 1979 to $2.1 million. Evidence of high levels of stewardship of time, money and talent can easily be identified throughout the congregation. Combined ministry budgets total $5 million.

Greenforest has been appropriately called a melting pot of the spiritually restored. The new heterogeneous congregation includes new converts, seasoned converts, restored converts wounded by previous church experiences, restored backsliders, staunch Baptists (both conservative and liberal), former Catholics, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Pentecostals and Methodists. Our diversity is due in part to Pastor McCalep's broad biblically-based theological ministry; his God-given ability to relate to diverse personalities, and a strong vision from the Lord to heal the wounded body of Christ (The Church).

Because of the demand for space to serve the current ministries, and to allow for the addition of future ministries, it became evident that the Shamrock Drive location was totally inadequate for present needs and future growth. In June1988, with an occupancy date of July 1989, Greenforest purchased the Mt. Carmel Christian Church. This spacious $5.6 million facility sat on 16 acres with a sanctuary that seats 2,000, two classroom buildings, a gym/family life building, ballfield, picnic grounds and playground.