A Congregation of the PCA on the Southside of Atlanta
Tucked along Carriage Lane in Peachtree City, Georgia, Carriage Lane Presbyterian Church gathers each week as part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The congregation has set its sights on being a covenantal community that trains up gospel-centered disciples of Jesus Christ who see a lifestyle of worship as their highest calling and who are being equipped to serve and extend the Kingdom of God to the Southside of Atlanta and the world. That vision shapes everything from Sunday morning in the sanctuary to Wednesday nights with the children and a Friday-morning classroom full of English language learners.
What to Expect on Sunday Morning
First-time visitors usually arrive about fifteen minutes before the service begins. Greeters are at the door to welcome, answer questions, and help families check in children through the church's electronic safety system. The parking lot wraps around the building, with visitor spots, handicapped spaces in the cemetery-facing lot, and closer-in spots reserved for expectant mothers, families with infants, elderly guests, or anyone recovering from surgery. Most people dress in business casual, though others arrive in dressier or more relaxed clothing.
The service itself follows a thoughtful, gospel-shaped liturgy. Scripture readings, prayers, congregational singing, tithes and offerings, and a sermon form the core of the gathering, with the Lord's Supper observed on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. The musical style is a balanced blend of traditional and contemporary, weaving psalms, hymns, and newer songs into the flow of worship. Morning services run about an hour and fifteen minutes.
Children are welcome to stay in the service with their families; for those who prefer it, a nursery is available for infants through two-year-olds. There is also a training room for parents who want to help little ones learn how to worship, along with Children's Church for ages three through second grade during the sermon.
Sunday School meets from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. for all ages, and on the first and third Sundays of the month the church gathers again at 5:00 p.m. for an evening service that runs about an hour and includes communion.
What Carriage Lane Believes
The church takes its stand on the Bible as the inspired and inerrant Word of God, the ultimate authority for faith and practice. As a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, it adheres to the denomination's constitutional standards - the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, and the Book of Church Order - while holding those documents subject to the Scriptures themselves.
Carriage Lane confesses belief in the Holy Trinity, the total inability of sinners to save themselves, salvation by God's sovereign grace through the finished work of Christ, the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit, the covenant faithfulness of God across generations, and the bodily, visible return of Jesus to judge the living and the dead. The church also articulates a complementarian view of men and women, defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, affirms the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, and embraces the Danvers and Nashville Statements as biblically faithful.
Five core values shape the congregation's life: doctrine (faithful, winsome teaching of reformed theology), worship (a lifestyle of worship that includes a balanced blend of contemporary and traditional music and faithful observance of the Lord's Day), growth (the centrality of prayer, the whole gospel of justification and sanctification, and the nurture of children and youth), community (the visible local church, intergenerational relationships, and loving church discipline), and witness (reaching the community with the gospel, planting PCA churches, and supporting missionaries).
Children's Ministry: Equipping Parents to Disciple
The children's ministry exists to come alongside parents in the spiritual nurture of their children. Staff and volunteers all pass background checks, agree to the church's policies, and use an electronic check-in system. Nurseries are staffed by a full-time worker along with church-member volunteers and are organized for infants, crawlers, toddlers, and two-year-olds during both Sunday School and worship.
Sunday School classes use a reformed and covenantal curriculum that walks each child through the entire Bible once every seven years and points to Christ in every part of Scripture. Classes are divided by age: 3- and 4-year-olds, kindergarten and first grade, second and third grade, fourth through sixth grade girls, and fourth through sixth grade boys. Preschool Praise and Children's Church give younger children a worship experience designed for their stage, while the Wednesday-evening Covenant Kids program for ages three through sixth grade runs September through April. Each week includes the Hymn of the Month with the choir, a lesson, a craft, and games, often built around a character trait families can practice at home.
Youth Ministry: Know, Treasure, and Share Christ
Carriage Lane Youth Ministry (CLYM) welcomes students in grades 7 through 12 and aims to make disciples who Know, Treasure, and Share Christ. Students gather for Sunday School from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. in the Cove, then return on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for Youth Group. Sunday-afternoon Discipleship Groups (D-Groups) run from after worship until 2:00 p.m. during the school year, and a summer calendar adds Bible studies, retreats, mission trips, service projects, and recreation. Throughout the year, students also take part in frequent social outings, weekend retreats, conferences, and outreach activities such as Snow Cones in the Park.
Adult Discipleship: Sunday School, Bible Studies, and Small Groups
Adult Sunday School meets at 9:15 a.m. on a quarterly schedule and includes offerings such as a study of Jerry Bridges' The Discipline of Grace and a careful look at Jonathan Edwards' The Religious Affections. Additional Bible studies run on Wednesday evenings and Friday mornings, and the church supports Precept studies such as Romans.
Small groups of six to twelve people meet throughout Fayette and Coweta counties on various days of the week for fellowship, prayer, and mutual encouragement. A Young Adult Fellowship gathers on the second and fourth weekends of the month for dinner, an activity, or study at rotating homes. A weekly Prayer Meeting meets Thursdays from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall, and a Bible Readers Group meets on the first and third Thursdays at 1:00 p.m. in Chapter & Verse for encouragement and discussion as the group reads systematically through Scripture.
Women's and Men's Ministry
Women's Ministry centers on helping women grow in personal knowledge of Christ, equipping them for ministry, and fostering meaningful relationships. The annual theme rotates each year, and programming includes Wednesday-evening and Friday-morning Bible studies, smaller Discipleship Groups that meet in homes for deeper accountability, and Connect Gatherings several times a year. Hospitality Houses offer further opportunities for fellowship in smaller settings around a table.
Men's Ministry anchors itself in the weekly worship of the Lord and supplements it with a Wednesday-evening Bible study on the seven "I AM" statements of Jesus, accountability groups, quarterly men's breakfasts around the church grounds, and an annual retreat. Special dinners and conferences are scheduled throughout the year for fellowship and teaching.
Music Ministry
Congregational singing is the heart of musical worship at Carriage Lane. The Music Ministry is committed to a balanced blend of styles, drawing on psalms, hymns, and newer songs to engage the whole congregation. A weekly playlist is shared so families can listen to and sing with the songs before Sunday morning. Those who want to serve can join the Worship Team as singers, instrumentalists, or A/V technicians, or sing in the choir and seasonal ensembles.
Outreach, ESL, and Missions
The congregation takes seriously its call to reach the surrounding community and the world. The ESL program has just completed its seventeenth year at Carriage Lane, during which more than 1,700 student enrollments from forty-six countries have passed through. Six or seven classes, running from very beginner to advanced conversation, meet on Fridays during the academic year (September through April), and students are welcome to join a weekly Bible study, attend a summer Coffee & Conversation gathering, and bring their children to Vacation Bible School.
Good News Club, a ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship, has been hosted at Carriage Lane since 2005 and offers an after-school program of Bible lessons, scripture memorization, missions stories, songs, and games. Once a month, the church joins the residents of Magnolia Senior Living Center on the second Thursday at 2:00 p.m. for a brief worship service of prayer, song, and a short message. During warm summer months, members and friends serve snow cones in local parks and engage in conversations about the gospel. The church also partners with Real Life Center, Fayette Samaritans, Fayette Pregnancy Resource Center, Southwest Christian Care, Wellspring, and other local mercy ministries.
The missions program supports more than thirty missionaries serving locally, nationally, and around the world. The annual budget is funded through Faith-Promise commitments gathered during Missions Week and the month of March. Short-term trips have included ongoing relationships with Joni & Friends and a long-standing ministry partnership in Cherokee over the past twenty years.
Led by Pastors, Elders, and Deacons
The pastoral staff is led by Senior Pastor Jay Bruce and Associate Pastor Tim Gwin. Alex Trygstad serves as Director of Worship & Music, Kim Cunningham directs Women's Ministry, Caleb Sprinkel directs Youth Ministry, and Spencer Muzio serves as Children's Ministry Director. The Session of eighteen elders oversees the spiritual life of the congregation, while nineteen deacons serve the mercy, financial, and facility needs of the church. Elders typically meet on the fourth Tuesday evening, and the Diaconate gathers on the third Sunday afternoon.
Chapter & Verse and the Building
Chapter & Verse is the congregation's volunteer-run, non-profit bookstore, a welcoming space filled with carefully chosen books and resources for following Jesus. It also houses a self-service cafe and a comfortable seating area for fellowship between events. The congregation has worked hard to retire its building loan and remains committed to debt-free ministry projects as good stewards of God's resources.
Joining the Carriage Lane Family
Sunday morning worship is at 10:30 a.m. at 101 Carriage Lane, Peachtree City, Georgia. Sunday School for all ages meets at 9:15 a.m., and a monthly evening service fills the 5:00 p.m. hour on the first and third Sundays. Services are livestreamed, with the stream beginning around 10:20 a.m., and bulletins and sermon recordings are available online. Gifts can be made online, and anyone planning a visit is welcome to let the church know they are coming so a greeter can be ready to welcome them at the door.