#28... Our Churches

What We Love...

Churches and religious institutions help bind the social fabric of most communities.  Historic Roswell is no different.  There are no less than seven churches in the historic district and one synagogue  Most of which are historic themselves with several of the ones along Mimosa Street dating back to the 1830's.  The older buildings have given way to much larger chapels to house the congregations that have grown over the past ~170 years.  

For the most part, the churches are picturesque (especially the First Baptist and Presbyterian churches on Mimosa) and contribute well to the historic district making it an interesting place to be.

What We Don't Love...

The parking lots..  Especially the Presbyterian church with its parking lot along Atlanta Street.  That's a huge missing tooth in the historic district that contributes to the gap between the square and Canton Street.

The sheer size.  These days, churches have gotten on the economies of scale bandwagon and really have found the need to get bigger to stay relevant.  This isn't a problem with our Historic Roswell churches per se... as it is happening everywhere and there are some pretty small churches here as well.  We feel that large churches really take away from the small town feel and end up contributing to worship becoming more like an entertainment experience.  I'm not ranting on that form of worship (to each his own) but it doesn't contribute to a small town feel as much as smaller less regional churches do. At least there's nothing as large as the North Point Community Church in our little neighborhood.

image: BM Masonry