At Palmetto Baptist, pastor opens his home to prospective members

Palmetto’s new members and discovery class began in November 2022. Since then, 212 people have participated, and 196 have elected to join.

The goal, Brewer said, is personal connection. His wife, Emily, said hosting prospective members for dinner helps make that possible. “And it’s a biblical example,” she said. “Jesus sat around tables and broke bread with people. We want to be Jesus all the way around.”

To become a member, each candidate completes two classes on campus, followed by a one-time dinner in the Brewers’ home. Classes are offered quarterly.

Traditionally, Lee said, prospective members might walk forward at the end of a church service and ask to join. They’d be asked if they had been saved and baptized, and, after answering yes, the church would vote on whether to receive them.

“Never seen them before, don’t know their names and nobody knows where they come from,” Lee said.

The Brewers felt it was important to build relationships first through conversation.

The first class covers the church’s four C’s: Christ-like behavior, cooperative spirit, competent skills, and cultivating teams. Those principles form the basis of Palmetto’s church culture. The second class focuses on church operations, including serving opportunities.

During the two classes, prospective members learn about the church’s identity as Southern Baptist, Georgia Baptist, and part of the Fairburn Baptist Association. Participants also provide basic information, complete a spiritual gifts survey, and discuss whether they are interested in serving in the church.

“It’s not a commitment,” Lee said.

The dinner, he said, is different from a classroom setting.

“We eat dinner, and we get to know each other around the table,” he said. “We try to have everybody go around and share their story about where they’re from, and what they do. If they’re couples, how did they meet? It’s just kind of light conversation.”

By the end, guests are no longer strangers.

“They’ve had two classes together at church, they’ve sat down around our table, we’ve eaten, we’ve told our stories, and we’ve laughed,” Emily said.

The conversation after dinner includes theological beliefs and what Lee called “the non-negotiables.”

Lee said Emily is the “secret sauce” at the dinners.

“She really makes sure we stay on track with the personal history of how we were raised in the church or not in a church,” he said. “Those personal family touches. It allows us to be real with them.”

Palmetto averages about 750 members and 400 regular attendees.

Of the 196 people who have elected to join, 36 prayed to receive Christ and committed to be baptized. Some have received Christ but have not yet been baptized and become members.

“People started getting saved because they started being honest and real and saying, ‘I’ve never actually accepted Jesus as Savior. I’ve always just gone to church, and that’s been the extent of my belief, and I know I need church,’” Lee said.

He said every other new members class has included someone accepting Jesus as Savior, and almost every class has included someone acknowledging they had not been baptized.

“New members class has as many or more salvations and baptisms as a result than VBS or any other ministry of our church,” he said.

Breaking down walls

During the dinner, participants sometimes share personal details, including addictions, that they might not normally share in a church setting.

“Eating with someone really breaks down walls,” Lee said. “Food is comforting. You share food together, then you share something important.”

Emily said one member who came through the class loved it so much that she now makes desserts for the class as her ministry.

“It’s just really special all the way around,” she said.

Kylie Sims is one of those members. She has been part of Palmetto for a year and a half.

“Everybody was so welcoming,” Sims said. “You knew that it was a family. They showed me love.”

Sims said she had attended megachurches in college but never knew the pastor and could not get in touch with him. That personal connection mattered to her as she searched for a church.

“You never could have a personalized conversation with the actual pastor,” Sims said. “That was really important to me in my next church. When I was a teenager, I knew the pastor.”

She said it was meaningful to see Brewer not only as a preacher, but as a person willing to open his home.

“It was just nice to see that the pastor is also human and has a family and is willing not to just preach to us on Sundays, but is willing to open his doors up on a weekday to love on the community,” Sims said. “It was an amazing experience.”

Sims said she wanted a church that was biblically sound, and through the new members class, God revealed that to her.

Lee said the classes also help staff members learn who people are and where they live, which can open doors for ministry.

“We’ll find people that live in different communities, and we’re like, ‘Oh, we don’t have anybody from that community. How can we serve your community?’” he said.

New members often leave the classes and dinner with new friendships.

“You’re sharing a common bond, and you’re sharing a common space, even for a short time,” Lee said. “There’s something about your class or your group going through it together that you recognize. We did this together. We’re in this together. It worked out to be kind of like a great small group that lasted just a few weeks. They were immediately drawn to each other in a lot of ways.”

Lee said he hopes the process helps bring unity to the church.

“I’m hoping it sends a message that even the senior pastors and staff are people who are willing to sit and talk and not try to run things from behind the scenes without ever talking with anybody,” he said. “But instead, the conversation is always happening, and we’re here to be on the journey together.”