Griffin First Assembly of God, a Pentecostal church at 2000 W. McIntosh Road, has earned a place of distinction. It is one of the 101 fastest-growing Protestant churches in the United States.

According to a survey produced by Outreach Magazine, a publication dedicated to Christian evangelism, and author and pastor Ed Stetzer from Lifeway, First Assembly placed 98th on a list of 101 churches. According to a press release from First Assembly, the survey included all Protestant denominations and calculated the results by taking numerical and percentage growth into account.

First Assembly also came out well in its denomination and region. The survey listed it as the fifth-fastest-growing Assembly of God church in the United States and in the top 40 churches of all denominations in the Southeast.

According to documents supplied by Deborah Rabern, secretary to the pastor, the church had a morning attendance of 904 in 1994. By 2000, its morning attendance had grown to 2,201 and by 2006, its morning attendance had grown to 3,845. The young adult ministry that meets on Tuesday night has an average attendance of 60 to 75 and the Wednesday night classes and support groups have an average weekly attendance of 2,237.

“I think the area we live in, people are interested in spiritual things,” said Thom Davis, media pastor at First Assembly. “They know there’s something deeper than life can offer.”

“Everything is just excellent,” Rabern said. “There’s something for everybody. The congregation is a great mix of all ages. The music is just fantastic.”

She described the music as a “vibrant” mix of contemporary music and old-style hymns and different tempos.

“The preaching is just really straightforward gospel, presented in a fresh way,” she said. “The facilities are wonderful. The people are so friendly and warm and there are all sorts of small groups to be a part of. It’s just a wonderful place to be.”

Paul Weiner is a Hampton resident who recently joined First Assembly.

“I felt that they were truly a blessed church in their missions outreach and their service outreach and that the pastor definitely preached the word of God,” he said. “I had attended another church in the area and never joined because I didn’t have that feeling of commitment of the church body.”

Bill Ruffin, a Barnesville resident, is also a new member.

“This is the first church I’ve been in where the presence of God was just so thick,” he said. “There’s just a powerful presence of God in that place.”

He also praised Pastor Randy Valimont, saying that he preached the Bible without cutting corners. Ruffin also said that despite the church’s large size, it is a friendly place. He had attended a small Baptist church growing up and was initially leery of such a large organization.

“It felt like I found home when I found the place,” he said.

He said everyone is friendly and the preachers are accessible.