Following Jesus, Together on a Hundred Acres
Perimeter Church sits on 100 acres at 9500 Medlock Bridge Road in Johns Creek, Georgia, in the middle of one of the fastest-growing corners of Metro Atlanta. From that campus, the church gathers every Sunday with a simple aim: to equip people to follow Jesus and flourish in His kingdom. That single sentence shows up on signage around the building and in printed materials, and it shapes everything from the nursery on the bottom floor to the short-term mission teams going overseas.
Two phrases appear everywhere in the church's materials. The first, "Following Jesus, together," is the motto at the top of every page. The second, "We equip people to follow Jesus and flourish in His kingdom," is the church's stated vision. Both ideas are taken seriously enough that an entire ecosystem of ministries, classes, and gatherings is built around them. The current senior pastor, Jeff Norris, was installed on September 22, 2019, after a succession plan that had been quietly in place for more than twenty years. He succeeded founding pastor Randy Pope, who served for forty-two years and who continues to teach from the pulpit.
A Story That Begins in 1977
The congregation's first service was held on Sunday, September 25, 1977, at a facility on Buford Highway. Randy Pope and his wife Carol founded the church as part of the newly established Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a denomination that had itself been formed only four years earlier, in 1973. The Popes planted the church out of a challenge to "attempt something so great for God it was doomed to failure unless He was in it." That sentence still anchors the church's vision today.
The early years involved several moves around metro Atlanta. In October 1981 the congregation moved into the Presidential Hotel while awaiting the groundbreaking of its next home. On April 10, 1983, the first service at the Spalding Drive location was held in the parking lot, since the church was still waiting on its certificate of occupancy. In July 1993 the church relocated to a retrofitted warehouse called the River Green building, and in March 1994 it broke ground for what is now the campus at the intersection of Old Alabama and Medlock Bridge Roads. The new building opened in 1996, in an area that had barely been developed. The community has grown around it ever since.
During the 1980s, Perimeter was a pioneer of the multisite church model. Randy Pope drove between multiple locations on Sundays to preach, until the church shifted strategy to planting independent, self-governing churches within its presbytery. The 1990s brought continued growth, new ministries, and an expanded vision for church planting and global impact. The years since have added a presbytery wing, additional children's space, the Cafe & Bookstore, the Bricks student building, the Hangar for middle schoolers, and a ropes course and zip lines used by Sojourn Adventures.
The history is preserved in a Story Wall near the Main Entrance of the building, and visitors are encouraged to walk through it to catch a vision for how the church came to be. A documentary called "Every Step," featuring founding pastor Randy Pope and Laura Story Elvington, tells the story in the stained-glass work that runs through the sanctuary.
Two Sunday Mornings, One Vision
Perimeter offers two Sunday worship services: 9:00 am and 10:45 am. The 9:00 am service takes place in the Sanctuary, and the 10:45 am service is held in both the Sanctuary and the Chapel, allowing worshippers to choose between two musical settings at that hour. The services are intentionally multi-generational and are designed to combine historical, liturgical, and modern worship elements. Each service invites people to reflect on the majesty, glory, and holiness of God.
The music draws from both older classics and contemporary worship. A typical week might include "Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me" and "Christ Our Hope In Life And Death" alongside "My Jesus I Love Thee," "I Stand Amazed," and "O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing." Song lists are published after each service, and a livestream of every service is available on the church's YouTube channel. The livestream begins fifteen minutes before each service, and a weekly archive of sermons is available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the sermon library.
First-time visitors are greeted by Start Here Hosts stationed around the building. They can direct a family to KidsRock for the nursery, to Building C for KidsThrive and KidsQuest, or to the Hangar for middle school ministry. For those who would like a softer first step, Sunday Brunch is offered once a month. Brunch is a catered meal where newcomers can meet ministry leaders, learn more about Perimeter, and ask questions in a relaxed setting. Children from birth through pre-K can be dropped off at KidsRock, and K-5 children can attend KidsQuest, so parents can attend unhurried. Middle and high school students are also welcome to attend alongside their families.
KidsRock: Laying the First Stones
KidsRock is the nursery and preschool ministry at Perimeter, serving children from birth through five years old. The ministry operates during both Sunday services, and parents check in at the bottom floor of the main building. The space is divided by age into color-coded halls: babies and one-year-olds on the yellow hall, two-year-olds on the green hall, three-year-olds on the orange hall, and four- and five-year-olds on the blue hall.
The rooms are safe, clean, and filled with age-appropriate toys, books, music, and crafts. A nursing mothers' room is available for use. Ritz crackers and water are provided for toddlers and preschoolers, and any child with allergies can be accommodated by informing the KidsRock staff at check-in. Check-in and check-out procedures are secure, and all volunteers are Ministry Safe approved and background-checked.
The program is staffed by both paid staff and trained volunteers, and parents are welcome to serve. The goal of KidsRock is to assist parents in laying a Christ-centered foundation in the hearts of their young children, and volunteers are encouraged to pray for the children in their care and for their families.
KidsThrive and KidsQuest: Elementary Years
Elementary children in kindergarten through fifth grade attend either KidsThrive or KidsQuest on Sunday mornings. KidsThrive is a discipleship-focused ministry that meets at 9:00 am during the school year in Building C. Within small groups, children in grades K-5 learn Bible truths in chronological order and engage in Scripture and catechism memorization through a program called Got Truth, which encourages families to memorize and retain God's Word and good doctrine.
KidsQuest is a high-energy worship environment designed for the same age range, held at 10:45 am beginning in mid-September. In this large-group setting, children discover biblical truth through dynamic teaching, engaging music, and exciting activities. KidsQuest is staffed by volunteer leaders and a student and adult-led worship team that meets weekly for rehearsals. Parents can sign up for serving roles including Snack Assistant, Backstage Leader, Tech Leader, Check-In Leader, Grade Leader, and Special Needs Buddy.
For older elementary children, a children's membership class prepares kids in grades 1-5 to engage in the sacraments of communion and baptism.
GloryKids: A Place at the Table for Every Child
GloryKids is Perimeter's special needs ministry, designed to help kindergarten through fifth-grade students with special needs participate fully in the church's children's programming. With advance registration, a child can have a buddy in either KidsThrive at 9:00 am (September through May) or KidsQuest at 10:45 am. Buddies guide, befriend, supervise, and love the children in their care.
The ministry offers a sensory room for children who need a short break from group programming, whether for sensory seeking or sensory soothing needs, and buddies accompany the child to the sensory room. For children who are medically fragile or who may not benefit from a large classroom setting, buddies can be provided in a self-contained classroom. Advance registration is required so that the team can match each child with the right buddy, and Ly Medeiros serves as the staff contact for the program. A separate community group also provides support and fellowship for families with special needs.
Middle School: A Faith of Their Own
Perimeter's middle school ministry serves students in grades 6 through 8. The weekly large group gathering, called Middle School Life, takes place on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am in the Hangar. The ministry is built around three environments: Link, Life, and Lead. Life is the weekly gathering for growing in relationship with God and others; Link is a fun once-a-month event for inviting friends; and Lead is a track that helps students serve and grow as leaders.
Two out-of-town retreats, a Fall Retreat and Surge in January, are held each year, along with Rush, the summer student conference for grades 6-12. The Middle School Fall Retreat is held at Woodlands Camp in Cleveland, Georgia, and includes lodging, transportation, meals, and a swag item. Scholarship assistance is available for families who need it. To help students fully engage, the retreat is a tech-free experience; phones are collected at check-in and returned at the end.
Student Discipleship Groups are also a significant part of the middle school ministry. Groups of 6 to 8 students meet weekly on Sunday nights, led by trusted adult leaders who model F.A.I.T.H. (being Faithful, Available, Interdependent, Teachable, and Hungry for God). These groups are designed for students who are ready to prioritize spiritual growth, and they run from mid-September through early May.
High School: Learning to Live Out Their Faith
Perimeter's high school ministry serves students in grades 9 through 12. The weekly gathering, called High School Connect, takes place on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm beginning in September. Small group discipleship meets on Sunday evenings, and one out-of-town retreat is offered per year. The student-led Rush conference is also open to high schoolers each summer.
The student ministry team is led by Ryan Carson, Pastor of Student Ministries, with Anna Park as Director of Middle School Ministry and Mia Fry as High School Engagement Coordinator (Girls). The team emphasizes that student ministry is a partnership with parents, and families are encouraged to walk through the rhythms of weekly gathering, small group, retreats, and worship nights together.
The Bricks Collective
In August 2026, the student ministry launched Bricks Collective, a worship collective designed to develop students as worship leaders through coaching, rehearsals, spiritual formation, and community. Auditions are open for vocals, drums, keys, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and bass. The time commitment includes Wednesday evenings and quarterly equipping meetings that include rehearsal on certain Sundays after church. Older students help lead the way, and younger middle schoolers have the opportunity to shadow, learn, and eventually serve alongside them.
Bricks Collective released its first original song, "Breathe," on August 14, 2026, on all major streaming platforms, featuring musicians who are students, staff, and alumni from the ministry. The song was written and sung at the previous year's Middle School Fall Retreat.
Discipleship: The Heartbeat of Perimeter
Discipleship sits at the center of Perimeter's ministry. The church's stated mission is to "form gospel-rooted disciples of Christ who make and train disciples," and the small group ministry is the primary vehicle for that mission. Adult discipleship groups for men and women meet weekly during the school year, from September to May, in groups of five to six people. The model is life-on-life and highly relational; members describe it as a place where they are known, encouraged, and challenged in their faith.
Separate interest forms exist for those who want to join a group and for those who want to lead one. The men's ministry exists to "move men from isolation to connection," and the women's ministry offers Bible studies, Moms Connect, Women in the Workplace, and a Women's Monthly Book Study. Community Groups run in parallel as more relaxed, Christ-centered gatherings for building relationships across the metro area.
Men, Women, Marriage, Harvesters, and Young Adults
Perimeter's adults and families ministry includes dedicated tracks for every stage of life. The Young Adults ministry serves those ages 20 to 33, with regular gatherings and a Young Adults Launch lunch that introduces newcomers to the ministry. The Marriage ministry includes Right Start (a five-week marriage preparation class), Marriage Mentoring (one couple meeting with another couple monthly from a biblical perspective), and Walking in Hope, a community of women whose spouses have struggled with pornography or sexual sin.
Harvesters is a long-standing Sunday morning community of singles and couples that meets for fellowship and coffee at 8:30 am and teaching at 9:00 am. The program has been a steady part of Perimeter's ministry to adults living alone or without young children at home. The Women's ministry also gathers through Bible studies and the Women's Monthly Book Study, and the Men's ministry offers its own discipleship groups and seasonal events.
Outreach: From the Front Lawn to the Ends of the Earth
Perimeter organizes its outreach work into four streams. City Impact helps members and attenders build connections in the city where they live through prayer, relationship-building, and fellowship gatherings. Community Outreach engages the church with strategic local partners serving poverty, justice, family, and education needs. Global Outreach promotes kingdom flourishing beyond the United States through partnerships with missionaries, churches, and Christian leaders in other countries. Church Planting is committed to training men who have been called to plant churches, with a vision of "churches planting churches."
Short-term mission trips, called GO Journeys, are organized through Global Outreach. The church also supports long-term missionaries and partners in countries across the world. Each year, the church also directs relief giving through the Perimeter International Relief Fund; in 2026, all donations to that fund in September were directed to Nepal Disaster Relief, distributed through World Relief and Samaritan's Purse.
Kingdom Investments
Kingdom Investments is Perimeter's grant-making ministry, multiplying donor gifts through matching funds, strategic ministry partnerships, and the launch of new ministry ventures in the areas of mercy, justice, and kingdom growth. The church is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and undergoes an annual independent audit.
Recent grants have funded new classroom furniture at City of Refuge's Christ-centered school in Atlanta, the Foster Care Program launch at Eagle Ranch, a pharmacy launch at Ethne Health in Clarkston, the renovation of City Church of Manchester in England, a building remodel at Spectrum Autism Support, a multipurpose tent construction in Ukraine through Reaching Beyond Ourselves, clean water production in the Dominican Republic through Water at Work Ministry, and the translation of Thirdmill curriculum into Kiswahili, French, and Amharic.
Perimeter School and Camp All-American
Perimeter School is a private K-8 covenant school that operates on the church's campus. The school offers small class sizes, a robust academic program, and a distinct approach to equipping a child's mind and heart. The school office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 3:15 pm, and admissions can be reached at 678.405.2307. Substitute teachers are regularly hired through the school's employment page.
Camp All-American is Perimeter's day camp program, offering sports, art, and outdoor adventure activities all summer long. The camp draws on the church's world-class facilities, including the ropes course, climbing towers, and zip lines used by Sojourn Adventures, the church's outdoor adventure ministry that runs team-building experiences for schools and corporations year-round.
The Fellows and Residents Programs
Perimeter runs two leadership development tracks for young adults sensing a call to vocational ministry. The one-year Fellows Program places young adults in full-time ministry roles within a specific ministry area of the church, with hands-on experience, mentorship, theological training, and a cohort culture. Tracks include Camp All-American, Communications, Children's Ministries, Community Outreach, Discipleship, Perimeter School Communications, Production, Sojourn Adventures, Student Ministries, Weekend Experience, Women's Ministry, Worship, and Young Adults.
The two-year Resident Program is graduate-level training that leads to a Master of Divinity degree and focused preparation for long-term ministry leadership. Both programs are salaried and include benefits such as health insurance and paid vacation. Neither program provides housing, and the church does not sponsor work visas for participants. Applications for fall 2027 are currently being accepted.
Beliefs and Vision
Perimeter holds to the doctrinal standards of the Presbyterian Church in America. The church affirms the inspiration, infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture; the Trinity; the majesty and sovereignty of God; creation out of nothing; the creation of men and women in God's image; the fall of all mankind into sin; salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone; the application of salvation through the Holy Spirit; and the return of Christ to judge the living and the dead. The Westminster Confession of Faith and the Heidelberg Catechism are the church's confessional standards.
The church's vision is to see people come into right relationship with God, self, neighbor, and creation as they experience His kingdom and express it to the world. The mission is to form gospel-rooted disciples of Christ who make and train disciples. The posture of the church is one of radical dependence on God.
Perimeter's "do" values are Worship, Belong, Grow, and Bless. Its "be" values are Love, Integrity, Faith, and Truth. The church describes itself as committed to a lifestyle of faithful worship in personal lives and corporate gatherings, to being a place where all people feel welcomed, wanted, noticed, and needed, to being formed into mature followers of Jesus in mind, heart, and action, and to sharing the good news of Jesus in word and deed near and far.
Care: Counseling, Shepherding, and Recovery
Perimeter Counseling offers Christ-centered, clinically informed counseling that works alongside the church's shepherding and discipleship ministries for holistic spiritual, physical, and emotional care. The shepherding elders and shepherdesses desire to come alongside members who are struggling or need wisdom. A prayer ministry encourages the church to live in a posture of radical dependence, and members are invited to share prayer requests with the prayer team.
Rethinking Recovery is a comprehensive care initiative that connects members and the community with resources for substance abuse, mental health, eating disorders, and other challenges. Celebrate Recovery has met at Perimeter for twenty-three years, supporting individuals age 16 and older facing harmful life choices. Parent Connect is a confidential support group for parents of teens or adult children involved in self-destructive behaviors. Walking in Hope is a community of women affected by a spouse's struggle with sexual sin.
A Crisis Resources page provides hotlines and emergency services, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline, the 988 Lifeline, the 24/7 Rescue Hotline, and a long list of local food pantries, shelters, healthcare clinics, recovery programs, and job training partners across metro Atlanta and Gwinnett County.
Giving and the Cafe & Bookstore
Generosity is woven into the life of Perimeter. The church offers several ways to give: online, by text (text GIVE followed by the amount to 678.466.7091), by stock, ETFs, and mutual funds, from a Donor-Advised Fund, by a Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA, and in cryptocurrency. Cash gifts can be dropped in the secure Offering Boxes by the Security office or the Bookstore, and checks can be mailed to the church address. Every ministry at Perimeter is funded through a single fund, and audited financial statements show that giving is generally allocated as follows: Families (41%), Outreach (29%), Care and Community (19%), and Operations (11%).
The Perimeter Cafe & Bookstore serves drinks Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 3:45 pm, with a Sunday rotation. It is staffed by part-time baristas and serves as a meeting place for the church family and a resource for books and gifts. The church also offers weddings and funerals as part of its pastoral care ministry, walking alongside families in both the joyful and grief-stricken seasons of life.