MACON, Ga. — There are more than 200 churches of all denominations in Macon-Bibb County. Some, like Christ Church Episcopal, have been around for nearly 200 years.
"It was the first church founded in Macon. It was founded in 1825," said the church’s historian, Julie Groce.
The ornate decorations, stained glass windows, and historic wooden pews are a stark contrast to the more modern scenery at New City Church, less than a mile away.
"There just seemed to be a void and really we felt like, beyond that, God wanted us to be part of seeing our city revitalized," said Pastor Keith Watson. He helped to start New City Church 11 years ago.
Churches new and old are scattered throughout Macon, giving people a place to find peace.
Watson says that can make it difficult for new churches to start up though.
"You don’t have any money, any people, you don’t have a building," Watson said.
He says because churches are charitable organizations, the IRS gives them a pass when it comes to filing a 501c3 for tax-exempt status.
"Primarily because of the cost involved and the work involved," said Watson.
Macon CPA Steven Brewer says it would be almost impossible to track down every church because many are not registered as non-profits, don’t own property, and several smaller groups do not have anyone on payroll.
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, there are 208 non-profits registered in Macon with "church" included in the name. We compared that to other cities across the state and used U.S. Census Bureau statistics to calculate churches per capita for each.
According to that data, the city of Rome has the highest number of churches per capita, followed by Savannah, Atlanta, and then Macon.
However, it would be almost impossible to find the real answer, meaning claims saying Macon has the highest number of churches per capita in the state or country cannot be verified.
