The Church at Ponce & Highland is a multiracial, pro-LGBTQ, economically diverse church in intown Atlanta dedicated to radical inclusivity, thoughtful spirituality, and caring community.
We are poor, rich, black, brown, white, young, old, families, empty nesters, young couples, singles, straight, gay, trans, outgoing, shy, tattooed, old-fashioned, cutting edge, pierced, normal, weird, believers, doubters, lifelong Christians and brand new to church.
We are united by a sincere desire to pattern ourselves after the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We don’t pretend to have all the answers, or have our lives completely together. We are committed to bringing grace, compassion, kindness and justice into the world, one small act at a time.
Radical inclusivity means that, recognizing that we are all “one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28) we affirm our equality in the family of God and in this congregation regardless of social status, education, race, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental ability, physical ability, position, or any other distinction.
Thoughtful spirituality means encouraging doubt and questioning, inviting good questions instead of insisting on answers, and listening more than we speak. In a typical sermon, you may be challenged and hear something new – but will never feel manipulated or ordered around. We share honestly, explore new ideas, and encourage hard questions.
Caring community means taking care of each other, serving people experiencing food insecurity and homelessness, and promoting worker-owned cooperatives. We drive each other to doctors appointments and support each other during hard times. We also take care of the Atlanta community around us, and seek healing for our world, and try to promote new ways of living together.
We are a place to get in touch with Atlanta’s roots while embracing its future. Founded in 1914, we marked our transformation by changing our name from Druid Hills Baptist Church to The Church at Ponce & Highland in 2015. We have changed and evolved through the decades. Yet we remain committed to our diverse neighborhood, and to following Christ in a changing world. Today, we are a growing church, open to all, that combines a century of history with cutting-edge theology.
We are one of the last Baptist churches in downtown Atlanta. Some people are surprised that we are Baptist, because we are unequivocally pro-LGBTQ. For us, being baptist means affirming four freedoms: the freedom of each person to respond to Christ’s call, the freedom of each of us to interpret Scripture, the freedom of each church to chart its own course, and freedom of religion for all faiths.