Their dream to start a church began to surface during Nathan and Carrie Dean’s second year of seminary when Devita Parnell of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship stopped them in the parking lot of Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology and asked them if they had ever thought about starting a church. That day, their love for the church and their entrepreneurial zeal found each other.

In April 2008 they began seriously exploring some of the key questions of church starting: who, what, where, how, when and why. Between work and school they spent their off hours collecting demographic data, raising prayer support, going on prayer walks, asking theological questions, gathering expert advice and critiques, researching church starts, formulating plans and talking with local community members and leaders.

After graduating from McAfee in May 2009, the Deans decided to work in Edgewood, a growing and transitioning neighborhood east of downtown Atlanta that is home to nearly 17,000 economically, racially and educationally diverse people.

"Composed predominantly of single adult and single-parent households, this is a community that has great potential for Christian ministry," Nathan said. "An estimated 80 percent of the people within a one mile radius of the center of Edgewood are not actively involved in church (13,450 people)."

The Deans want to change that statistic with a new church and are "getting to know the people and the rhythm of the neighborhood," Carrie said. "We are not aiming to start by a specific date, but focusing on establishing a reputation of trust and hoping to gather a core group of 10-12 people from the neighborhood who want to be a part of a missional church.

"Our intention is to be a church that is connected and relevant to its community," Carrie said. "All our efforts in the Edgewood neighborhood share the goal of developing positive relationships as well as growing in our understanding of the people, culture and community rhythm of Edgewood," she said.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship's mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.