November 10, 2025
DANIELSVILLE, Ga. — Trinity Baptist Church is making a big impact in a small town. Though Danielsville’s population is fewer than 700, the congregation has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, leading to the completion of a new worship center.
The building reflects both God’s blessing on the church and the vision of longtime pastor Robby Brown, who returned to his hometown in 2000 and has shepherded Trinity faithfully for the past 25 years.
Brown explained, “I came to Trinity following a difficult season in the life of the church. There had been a split, and the people remaining were healing from past hurts and seeking the Lord." He said the situation forced him to focus on church health rather than church growth. "Honestly, I thought this might be a temporary stop on the way to church planting or pastoring a church in a more metropolitan area.”
Brown continued, “The focus on church health proved to be key. In 2002 we participated in the Hebron Institute of Church Growth with the folks at Hebron in Dacula,” he explained. “This allowed me and some of our leaders to learn more about church health, vision, and growth strategies from Larry Wynn, Billy Britt, Steve Parr, and other leaders at Hebron in those days.”
He described Trinity’s growth in the years that followed as “slow and steady,” with the congregation adding 10 to 15 people to its average attendance each year. But he emphasized that progress required time and patience. “Coming to Trinity when the church was 18 years old and had experienced two splits meant that I had to earn the trust of the congregation, and the church had to build its reputation in our rural community. Longevity was a key.”
The “Core Values” for the church were established and placed on the church’s website. They are: (1) We are Big on the Bible, (2) We love God and enjoy worshipping Him. It’s all about Him, (3) We still believe in the power of prayer, (4) We are all about the family, (5) Small groups are how you really connect, (6) Our neighbors, the nations, and the next generation need to know, love, and serve Christ, (7) God is worthy of our best.
Brown said Trinity’s core values “went from being aspirational to actual” during the 2010–2020 decade, when average attendance grew from about 250 to 400. Worship services moved from the sanctuary into the Family Life Center, while the old sanctuary was renovated into a children’s center.
“There wasn’t a big jump in any particular year. But disciples were being made,” Brown explained. He credited the momentum to members “catching the vision” and to strong staff teamwork: “We have tremendous chemistry and work as a team. John Maxwell once said, ‘A’s hire A’s and B’s hire C’s.’ I am not so sure that I am an A, but God has placed some A-plus guys around me.”
By 2020, the Family Life Center was filled on Sunday mornings, and the church launched a campaign to build a new sanctuary.
Then came COVID.
However, Brown saw the pandemic that was sweeping across Georgia and the nation as an opportunity to organize and conquer. After participating in a Zoom meeting between Georgia Baptists and the Governor’s office, the decision was made not to have in-person worship services for a few weeks. Brown explained to some of the church leaders that things needed to change if they didn’t want the church to plateau with an attendance of 400.
The pandemic pushed Trinity to strengthen its online presence, Brown said, which led to new members joining after finding the church on digital platforms. “COVID gave us the motivation to invest in that and the time to make it happen,” he explained.
Social distancing requirements also forced the church to move to two services, something leaders had previously resisted, which created options and room for growth, Brown said. The shift also expanded Life Group opportunities, with meetings tied to each service, plus additional options before, after, and in homes.
“When the days of social distancing faded, we were past the 400 hurdle and did not have the space to go back,” Brown noted. Trinity now sees more than 600 on high-attendance Sundays, with 1,200 people present for Easter weekend services this year.
The new worship center will accommodate 600 people, because Brown concluded that the two services have worked well and reflects good stewardship. People entering the sanctuary will find a large foyer that is conducive to good fellowship before, between, and after the worship services. It will also provide an ideal place to promote various ministries and events sponsored by the church.
Brown added, “The new sanctuary will allow us to max out our campus one day with about 1000 worshipers in two services. Our Family Life Center will triple the space for our Kids Center. Our former offices are being remodeled into the new nursery space. And the Kids Center will be remodeled into office space."
The new building, Brown said, is only a worship center, foyer, and prayer room. "But the relocation is opening so much space for growth in other areas. Ten classrooms and a fellowship hall that were unusable during worship because of their proximity to the platform in the Family Life Center are now going to be available again during both services.”
The new facilities and the renovated space will provide an incredible place for worship, prayer, fellowship, and Bible study. Thanks to the faithful giving of the Trinity church family and God's provision, the $4 million building is paid for, and the church incurred no debt.
On Sunday, Aug. 24, 700 people came together to worship for the first time in the church’s new sanctuary.
Looking ahead, Brown said Trinity’s growth strategy includes multiplying beyond its current campus. “I would like to see us plant a couple of satellite locations when we approach maxing out our campus, if not before,” he said, noting his interest in team preaching models over livestreams. “If God has called us to multiply churches or campuses, He has certainly called us to multiply preachers.”
He emphasized that Trinity is not personality-driven but is built on equipping leaders. “Our entire pastoral staff is doing a fantastic job at reproducing disciples who can do what they do,” Brown explained. While many, including his son Kent, have gone out to serve other churches, Brown envisions placing teams in satellite plants and pursuing “church replants and revitalization efforts with some of the future leaders that God is raising up at Trinity.”
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