Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about Gwinnett Church.

General Questions

What is the deal with the video sermon? Will you ever have a live local preacher on Sundays?

We often use video as a means to bring relevant messages to our congregation. As long as the video technique is meaningful and helpful in our mission to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, we will continue to use video messages for preaching and a local ministry staff for ministry. If we determine another technique is more relevant and helpful in accomplishing our mission, we will adopt it.

North Point Ministries has been using the combination of video sermons and local ministry staff preaching since the summer of 2001 and so far have found them to be quite effective. From time to time, we will have live speakers for holidays, to address local Gwinnett Church topics, and to take advantage of opportunities to invite live speakers.

Since you use video sermons of Andy Stanley from North Point, who is the pastor of Gwinnett Church?

Gwinnett Church (GC) is one of the churches that make up North Point Ministries (NPM). Andy Stanley is the founder and senior pastor of North Point Ministries, which has six churches in the Atlanta area: Browns Bridge Church, Buckhead Church, Decatur City Church, Gwinnett Church, North Point Community Church, and Woodstock City Church. Therefore, the senior pastor of Gwinnett Church is Andy Stanley. Jeff Henderson is the lead pastor and leads the staff of both Gwinnett Church Sugar Hill and Gwinnett Church Hamilton Mill in its day-to-day operations and in discerning the ministry needs of those who attend both of the Gwinnett Church campuses and those who live in the community.

Who makes up the local staff?

Gwinnett Church currently has 45 employees that work in our Family Ministry, Service Programming, and Adult Ministries Departments.

You can reach us by email.

How often will Andy Stanley visit and preach?

We cannot commit to how often Andy will speak live at Gwinnett Church Sugar Hill or Gwinnett Church Hamilton Mill. All of our locations are a high priority for Andy and for North Point Ministries. He will, from time to time, speak in person at one of our Gwinnett Church campuses as his schedule permits.

I heard that Gwinnett Church is a nondenominational church? What does nondenominational mean?

It means that we are not affiliated with a denomination, such as Baptist, Methodist, etc. In organizing this church, our desire was to be an attractive environment for those who do not regularly attend church. We feel that denominational titles mean more to people who already attend church than people who don’t. We have discovered that there are more disadvantages to a denominational title than there are advantages.

Does Gwinnett Church have adult Sunday school?

Instead of providing adult Sunday school classes on Sunday mornings in the church building, we provide small group environments that meet at a variety of times during the week in people’s homes. We believe the small group is the best place for sustained life change to occur. In a small group, people study God’s Word together and are in a small enough environment to discuss the issues and challenges of life. It’s also where they pray and care for one another and where they are missed if they don’t show up.

Community groups are made up of five to six couples or five to eight individuals of the same gender. They are the places where people are personally encouraged and challenged in their relationship with God and each other.

How do I get into a small group at Gwinnett Church?

A great way of getting into a group is to participate in our next Group Launch. Visit our groups page to find out more about community groups. You may also contact groups@gwinnettchurch.org if you have any other questions.

What environments do you have for singles?

Our environment for singles is designed to be a place where singles in Gwinnett County can come and build authentic friendships and get connected. Learn more about our Singles Ministry.

Do I need to commit to attend either Gwinnett Church Sugar Hill or Gwinnett Church Hamilton Mill on Sundays?

Yes, it is important that you choose a church and commit to attending there. By committing to one location, you can truly get involved in and feel a part of what is happening in that community. You can also serve strategically in one of that church’s environments. It benefits you and the location to which you commit if you choose one church to attend.

Can my child be enrolled in a Gwinnett group and a group at another church?

For now, yes, children can be enrolled at two separate locations within North Point Ministries. When our Family Ministry environments change this, we will let you know.

When will Gwinnett Church's new building be completed?

Phase 1 of our building was completed in January 2015. Our new student building was completed in January 2018. We have recently completed construction on our second Gwinnett Church location in Hamilton Mill which opened in January 2019.

What are the service times at Gwinnett Church?

Sunday services are currently being held at 9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. at both Gwinnett Church Sugar Hill and Gwinnett Church Hamilton Mill.

How do I stay connected to the Gwinnett Church community?

We would love for you to follow us on Twitter and Instagram. You can also like us on Facebook and follow our blog.

Do you provide a sign language interpreter for hearing impaired guests?

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a sign language interpreter for our hearing impaired guests at this time.

Membership Questions

Does Gwinnett Church have membership?

Here at Gwinnett Church, we want you to know that the moment you walk through the doors, you belong here and can consider this place your church home, no title needed. Since we don’t have traditional membership, you won’t be able to “join” the church as a “member,” but we hope you become fully engaged in the life of the church. You can engage with us through serving strategically, connecting in a group, inviting others, and giving systematically. Those who are fully engaged with us are considered our members.

We describe full engagement as:

How do I become a member of the church?

We’re glad you’re interested in engaging in the life of our church. We don’t have traditional membership in the sense that you “join the church,” but we’d love to help you get connected. Our hope is for Gwinnett Church to be a place where you can walk through the doors, call it your church home, and begin to get connected, no title needed. Those who are fully engaged with us are considered our members. We describe full engagement as:

How do I become fully engaged here?

We want to be a church where unchurched people love to attend. In order to be that kind of church, we need the help of those who share our passion for leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

If you share that passion, or even if you simply love this place, you can fully engage in the life of the church by doing four things:

Why don't you have traditional membership?

Traditionally, membership has been known to represent joining a church, calling it your church home, and/or taking the first step toward involvement and volunteering. Yet the word “membership” has also carried a lot of baggage and has become an unnecessary barrier to involvement for some of our attendees.

Since North Point Ministries began, we’ve viewed membership differently – as more of a partnership and leadership position – and thus have had prerequisites to becoming a member.

Over the years, this has caused some misunderstandings and feelings of exclusivity, which conflicts with our desire to be a church where anyone can get involved and grow.

We’re glad you’re here! Please let us know how we can help you take some next steps.

What about leadership?

At a leadership level, it’s important that we’re all aligned regarding beliefs and accountability. Because we don’t have traditional membership, we ask that anyone interested in entering into leadership meet specific prerequisites that help us know we’re on the same page. Each leadership application will include questions around the person’s spiritual background, leadership background, and, for many ministries, a certified background check.

How do I become a leader? What are the prerequisites?

If you’re interested in leadership, please begin by looking through our website to learn about the different ministry areas in which you can lead/mentor. Once you’re ready, start the application here. Each ministry will have specific requirements for its leadership positions. These requirements will be listed on a landing page prior to beginning the application. Additionally, all ministry applications will state that each potential leader must:

Have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and a clear understanding of salvation.
Have been baptized after accepting Jesus as their Savior (believer’s baptism).
Have a willingness to be held accountable to their church leadership regarding matters concerning your relationship with God and others.

Once you submit your application, you’ll hear from a ministry team representative about next steps.

What if I need a membership confirmation letter for a reference?

We are able to provide a confirmation letter based on your involvement. Please contact us for more details.

What about the people who were members?

Anyone who became a member before September 1, 2015, will remain in our database as such. Moving forward, if you are fully engaged with us, please consider yourself a member.

What about voting?

Anyone with an existing membership status and everyone who has engaged fully at some point in the two years preceding the vote will be invited to participate in that specific vote.