From 55 Charter Members to a Campus of Their Own
Wildwood Baptist Church sits along Wade Green Road in Acworth, Georgia, where a steady stream of families, preschoolers, students, and senior adults has gathered since 1960. The church was officially constituted that year with 55 members. By the 1980s it had grown to more than 700 members, and in 1989 the congregation voted to relocate further down Wade Green Road. They purchased 18-plus acres and built an 800-seat auditorium with education wings. As the church kept growing, the adjacent property was acquired, adding another 15-plus acres to the campus. The expanded footprint now houses the worship center, the chapel, a weekday preschool, age-graded classrooms, and rooms reserved for youth, college, and adult Bible study.
Along the way, the church has ordained 19 members into ministry, sent out 13 families and individuals as full-time missionaries and church planters, and seen thousands baptized. Senior Pastor Ric Cadle says he gets excited when an individual grows in their understanding of who God truly is and then displays His love to others, and that outlook shapes the tone of everything from Sunday worship to short-term mission trips.
What Wildwood Believes
The doctrinal statement at Wildwood centers on the historic Baptist faith. The church teaches that there is one true and living God who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, without division of nature, essence, or being. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, true God and true man, who died for sins according to the Scriptures as a perfect representative and complete substitutionary sacrifice. All who believe on Him are justified on the basis of His shed blood. Wildwood affirms the bodily resurrection of Christ, His ascension, His present work as High Priest, Advocate, and Head of the Church at the Father's right hand, and the promise of His personal, visible return in glory.
Scripture is held to be divinely inspired by God and inerrant in the original writings, the supreme and final authority in faith and life. The church teaches that man was created in the image of God, that sin brought spiritual as well as physical death, and that each person is born again through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. At regeneration, believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ, and sealed unto the day of redemption. God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end, raise the dead, judge all men in righteousness, and consign the unrighteous to Hell while the righteous dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.
Three Sunday Services, One Mission
Wildwood's mission statement is short enough to memorize: Leading people to become believers and passionate followers of Jesus Christ. Members are taught that membership means ministry, and every believer is encouraged to use God-given talents in service to the body.
On Sunday mornings the church offers three services designed to fit different schedules and musical tastes. A traditional chapel service begins at 8:15 a.m. in the chapel to the right of the main building. Contemporary worship services follow at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. in the Worship Center, with music that ranges from a modern take on hymns to a more contemporary sound. The lead worship team includes a praise band, choir, and tech volunteers, and Pastor Steve Coleman oversees the worship ministry. The style across the morning is described by the church as eclectic, with a single goal of helping people focus on the worship of God.
Each service includes a sermon delivered by one of the pastors, focused on Scripture as absolute truth, followed by an invitation for prayer requests at prayers@wildwoodbaptist.org.
Fusion Groups: Sunday Morning Bible Study for Every Age
Fusion Groups are the heart of Wildwood's Sunday-morning connection strategy. These Bible study classes run at both 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. and use the same content at each hour so visitors can choose the time that fits their schedule. All groups meet in the Faith Center with the exception of Young Adults (Room 210) and College (Room 219). Class signs are posted outside each Faith Center classroom.
Fusion Groups are designed for every stage of life, including classes built specifically for adults age 55 and over. Visitors are encouraged to stop by the Welcome Desk in the lobby, where a host will point them toward a class that fits. The church believes that deeper fellowship and stronger support happen when people learn and pray together outside the worship service, and Fusion Groups are built around that conviction.
Preschool and Kindergarten
Wildwood is home to a weekday preschool and kindergarten that functions as a certified program of excellence for young children. The program operates with a Play-as-Learning philosophy and a Center approach to learning. Children experience colors, shapes, numbers, and letters, develop social and reasoning skills, and learn to care for others through an emphasis on Bible stories, God's love, and the teachings of Jesus as they relate to each unit. Cooking, math, and science are woven in regularly, the Zoo-Phonics program is used to teach beginning reading, and each class has two full-time teachers. Two outdoor playgrounds, weekly science labs for 3-K, music and movement classes, monthly chapel, individual and class pictures, special events with parents, and field trips for 4-year-olds and Kindergartners round out the week.
Sabrina Guthrie directs the Weekday Preschool. A member of Wildwood since 1990, she served in the preschool department for seven years before the family spent 13 and a half years overseas in Asia, where much of her ministry focused on teaching, caring for, and serving children in local orphanages. She calls shaping young lives the greatest job ever created.
For Sunday mornings, Dockside Preschool serves children from 6 weeks through Pre-K. The 3- to 5-year-old class, Dockside Live, includes age-appropriate Bible lessons, weekly memory verses, crafts, structured game time, and snack. Twice a year the preschool hosts a child dedication service in which parents commit to raising their child in a God-honoring home. The church is quick to note that this is not a christening or baptism and does not secure a child's salvation.
Safety is built into every layer. All teachers and volunteers pass a comprehensive background check and participate in ongoing training, preschool leadership is CPR trained, and the KidCheck check-in system is used to keep children safe.
Kidz Place for K through 5th Grade
Kidz Place is Wildwood's ministry for kindergarten through fifth grade, and its purpose is built on 2 Peter 3:18: Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. On Sundays at 9:30 a.m. children meet in age-graded classes, and at 11:00 a.m. they gather for Kidz Place Worship. On Wednesday nights the focus shifts to teaching kids what it means to be passionate followers of Jesus Christ. Byron York leads Children's Ministry. He earned a Master's of Ministry from Conservative Theological University in 2025, has served as a counselor at Camp Kaleo, and teams with his wife Raquel, who has worked for many years as an educator with children who have special needs.
Youth and College
The Student Ministry serves middle school, high school, and college students and is led by Pastor Alexander Sharpe, who felt a call to preach at an early age and graduated from West Coast Baptist College in 2017 with a Bachelor's of Religious Education in Pastoral Theology. He and his wife Grace have served in youth ministry throughout their lives and have spent nearly a decade in full-time ministry together.
Middle and High School ministries share the same weekly rhythm. Sunday mornings include a 9:30 a.m. gathering in the Worship Center and an 11:00 a.m. Fusion in Room 212, and Wednesday nights feature Teen Bible Study at 7:00 p.m. in Room 212. The High School ministry emphasizes deep friendships and continued growth through daily obstacles, while the Middle School ministry focuses on the major transition into the teen years.
The College Ministry meets at 9:30 a.m. in Room 211 for Fusion, at 11:00 a.m. in the Worship Center, and on Wednesday nights at 8:15 p.m. in Room 212 for College Bible Study. The group also tries to meet off campus for fun outings at least once a month.
Life University on Wednesday Nights
Wednesday nights at Wildwood are a midweek recharge. The church describes Wednesdays at Wildwood as the answer to the question of what to do when getting together once a week is just not enough.
From 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., Life University offers a rotating slate of six-week Bible studies for adults. Recent and current studies have included a six-week walk through the Book of Romans that highlights the gospel's teaching on faith, grace, daily life, God's plan, relationships, and eternity; Louie Giglio's Goliath Must Fall, which looks at the threats of fear, rejection, addiction, anger, and comfort; an exploration of how the Old and New Testaments were written, collected, and preserved; and Max Lucado's Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine. Each session opens with a fresh line-up of options so there is always a new study to join.
At the same hour, students gather for Teen Bible Study, the worship choir rehearses in the Choir Room, and the College Ministry meets at 8:15 p.m. for its own Bible study. Rehearsals are open to anyone who wants to sing; no audition is required for the choir.
Women of Wildwood
The WOW Ministry, or Women of Wildwood, exists to disciple and equip women for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until it reaches unity in the faith. That mission comes straight from Ephesians 4:11-13, the ministry's key verse.
Studies, retreats, and fellowship events fill the calendar. A recent women's Bible study, When You Pray: A Study of Six Prayers in the Bible, brought together voices like Kelly Minter, Jackie Hill Perry, Jen Wilkin, Jennifer Rothschild, Jada Edwards, and Kristi McLelland for a multi-week look at prayers in Scripture. Pamela Rockett serves as a contact for the WOW Ministry.
Men's Ministry
The Wildwood Men's Ministry is built on one man investing his life in another and walking with another. The approach is meant to effectively minister to men in the church and the wider Acworth area and help them come to know Christ in a deeper way.
Bill Eidenire heads up the Men's Ministry and the deacons. Once a month, the men of Wildwood gather to grill, fellowship, and study the Word with a different speaker each month. Tickets are available at the Welcome Desk two weeks ahead of time, and first-time guests attend free.
Men of Faith meets on the second Saturday of each month and works on small projects for single mothers, widows, widowers, and elders. Kendall Daniel and Pete Damon lead this effort.
Senior Adults
Wildwood's Senior Adults are a vibrant part of the church family. Several Fusion Group classes are designed specifically for those age 55 and over, meeting at both 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Anyone interested can stop by the Welcome Desk to find a class that fits.
Faith Missions: Alaska, Haiti, Kenya, and Thailand
Wildwood's Faith Missions Offering supports 21 different ministries, some financially and others through volunteers and physical assistance. The church sends short-term teams to four ongoing partnerships:
- Alaska. Teams travel to Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, closer to mainland Russia than to mainland Alaska, where they take on small construction projects, interact with local people, and lead Bible studies.
- Haiti. Wildwood has worked with Pastor Olistin over the past several years to help build the Onaville Orphanage in Onaville, feed the children, and provide clean water. Sponsoring a child or giving to the Faith offering helps sustain the work.
- Kenya. Since 2015, teams have traveled to The Hope Center in Oyuma, an orphanage of about 55 children whose parents were largely lost to AIDS. Each year the team brings supplies and gifts, leads devotions, runs activities, fixes bicycles, and reaches out to the surrounding village with conferences for men and women.
- Thailand. Wildwood's first ministry opportunity in Thailand began in January 2018. The work centers on Bible distribution to Chinese tourists and extends to at-risk kids, women escaping prostitution, jail ministry, and slum ministry through Light for Asia.
The missions philosophy comes straight from the pastor's teaching: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. The Faith Missions Offering allows the congregation to participate in worldwide evangelism even when they cannot travel themselves.
Online Campus and Sermon Archive
For those who cannot attend in person, Wildwood's Online Campus streams services live every Sunday at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. on multiple platforms, including Facebook Live, YouTube, and the BoxCast app for Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon FireTV or Fire Stick. Online gatherings use a chat feature so family members can connect during the service. A 24/7 on-demand sermon library and an archive at SermonAudio.com make every previous message available, divided by series.
The livestream team is staffed by volunteers who run cameras, audio, and video. Anyone with interest in joining the tech team can reach out to livestream@wildwoodbaptist.org.
Pastoral Staff
Ric Cadle, Senior Pastor. Ric came to full-time ministry in 2001 after several years in business. He served for nine years at a church in Indiana before becoming Wildwood's senior pastor in 2010. He is described as a people-person, a gifted counselor, a dynamic teacher, and a visionary leader, and is also a sought-after speaker for men's conferences and marriage retreats.
Steve Coleman, Pastor of Worship. A 1989 graduate of the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in Music, Steve came to Wildwood in 1999 after stints in audio-visual production and worship ministry in North Carolina and Florida. He is passionate about helping people connect with God through worship and mentoring other worship leaders.
Alexander Sharpe, Student Ministry. Alexander grew up in youth ministry and graduated from West Coast Baptist College in 2017. He and his wife Grace focus on the middle school, high school, and college ministries.
Byron York, Children's Ministry. Byron oversees Children's Ministry and develops activities for families with young children. He holds a Master's of Ministry from Conservative Theological University.
Sabrina Guthrie, Weekday Preschool Director. Sabrina leads the weekday preschool and kindergarten.
New Here?
Wildwood welcomes first-time visitors with open hands. The church encourages people to come as they are and dress in what feels most comfortable. Guest parking is available right at the front of the church as you pull in. From infants through fifth grade, children have a place of their own: Dockside Preschool for ages 6 weeks through Pre-K and Kidz Place for kindergarten through fifth grade.
The church serves the Acworth, Kennesaw, and Woodstock area, and the office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The phone number is 770-428-2100 and the email is info@wildwoodbaptist.org. A plan-a-visit link connects visitors with someone who can have a welcome gift ready on Sunday morning.
Giving and Getting Involved
Wildwood teaches that everything comes from God and that giving is a way to partner in what He is doing around the world. As you give faithfully and willingly, the world is changed for the glory of God: the Gospel is preached, lives are touched, people are fed, bodies are healed, churches are built; and you, in turn, are blessed by God so that you can give again.
Online giving is available through the church's giving page, and members are encouraged to consider a Faith Missions Pledge Card to support the 21 mission partners. Anyone ready to serve can take a spiritual gifts assessment to help identify where they fit, and the church welcomes volunteers for the First Impressions Team, Worship Ministry, Preschool, Children's Ministry, and Student Ministry. Every Sunday-morning volunteer goes through a background check and is supported by ongoing training.
Wildwood Baptist Church has been a steady presence on Wade Green Road for more than six decades, and the congregation's prayer is that the next chapter will bring even more people into a relationship with Jesus Christ, both across the street and around the world.