About Mount Paran Church

We are here to give the world hope in Christ as we fulfill Jesus’ call to, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation!” (Mark 16:20)

Our Vision + Values

Our ministry aims to make disciples of Jesus Christ through three core values:

  • Help people grow up in their relationship to Jesus and to know the word of God for life application. “Grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

  • Build lasting friendships and true fellowship as the people of God and a community of faith. “They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).

  • Serve others, in the church and the community, by love in action. “Each one of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).

Our Faith

A building is only as strong as the foundation on which it rests.

The church is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ our Lord and the word of God. John the apostle said our foundation is, “The word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Rev 1:9). The Bible is the foundation for our church ministries and missions. The Apostles’ Creed written about A.D. 700 sums up the Christian faith. We believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into Hades; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

  • We believe in the Bible as God’s only inspired, inerrant and authoritative revelation of himself and his will given to us (2 Tim 3:16-17).

  • We believe in one God, eternally existing in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:7; Matt 28:19).

  • We believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God (John 1:1-14), his virgin birth (Matt 1:18), his sinless life (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15), his miracles (Acts 10:38), his substitutionary death as the only sacrifice for the sin of the world (1 John 2:2), his physical resurrection from the dead (Luke 24:39), his ascension to heaven as our high priest (Heb 4:14), and his promise to return to rule and reign as Lord (1 Thess 4:16-18; Rev 20:6).

  • We believe the new birth is the only way to eternal life. When we are born again, our sins are forgiven, we are delivered from sin and judgment and have eternal life. A person experiences the new birth through faith in Christ and repentance from sin (Luke 24:46-48; John 1:12; 3:3-8; Acts 2:38-39; Eph 2:8-9).

  • We believe in divine healing provided through Christ’s atonement (1 Peter 2:24). God promises healing (Exo 15:26). Prayer is the pathway to healing through the anointing with oil and laying hands on the sick in the name of Jesus (James 5:13-15). Healing also means living healthy in every area of life (1 Thess 5:23).

  • We believe in the person and work of the Holy Spirit lives within us (1 Cor 6:19) and gives us power for life and ministry (Acts 1:8). We believe in the Holy Spirit baptism for power when we ask and receive this special gift by faith and in all spiritual gifts (Luke 11:13; Acts 2:1-4; 1 Cor 12:1-11). The Holy Spirit makes us more like Jesus, empowers us in prayer and gives us spiritual direction (2 Cor 3:18; Rom 8:14, 26-27).

  • We believe we are to grow in grace and knowledge of Christ. Spiritual growth is also called sanctification (holiness) and spiritual formation in the image of Christ (2 Peter 3:18; Gal 4:15; 1 Thess 4:3). The greatest evidence of spiritual maturity is love (John 13:34-35).

  • We believe in Jesus’ promise of eternal life in heaven (John 3:16; 4:1-3). Heaven is a real place and a sure promise (2 Cor 5:1). We face the final judgment with peace and confidence because we will stand before God in the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor 5:21; Rom 5:9; 1 Thess 5:9; 1 John 4:17). We believe in eternal judgment for the ungodly who reject the saving grace of God (Heb 9:27; Daniel 12:2; John 5:28-29; Rev 20:4-6; 11-15).

  • We believe in the sacraments of holy communion or the Lord’s Supper (Matt 26:26-30; 1 Cor 11:23-26) and water baptism as a confession of faith in Christ (Matt 28:19; 1 Peter 3:20-22). (This overview is provided for teaching not an official creed as found in the Church of God, Statement of Faith).

Our Pastor

A note from Pastor Cooper…

“We share a passion to reach the city of Atlanta for Christ. I was born in Atlanta and Barbie grew up in West Palm Beach. We met on a blind date and have been in love since day one! We invest our lives in our family and in our church family. Mount Paran is our home and our passion. We enjoy working out together, riding bikes, and going to our favorite Atlanta restaurants. We love our two miniature dachshunds — Mikey and Beau and take them everywhere we go. Barbie is a diligent student of the Bible and a powerful teacher of God’s word. She has passion to inspire women to reach their potential in Christ. I love to preach the gospel and to teach the word of God in a down-to-earth manner. I also enjoy pastoral counseling and working with people and families. I enjoy being an author and musician to inspire people to experience God more fully through reading and music. We are fully committed to the Mount Paran family and mission and hope that you will partner with us as we give the world hope in Christ!”

David Cooper Signature

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Worship Times

Sundays on-campus and online at 9 & 11am

Rebroadcast times: Sundays at 4,6 & 10pm

Mondays at 7pm, Wednesdays at 8:30pm

*MP Family (12 weeks - Elementary) services available at both the 9 & 11am service, and MP Youth (Middle/High School) available at the 11am!