In the fall of 1980, a small group of East Cobb families began to meet together to pray about establishing a church in their community. The congregation of First Baptist Church of Marietta became the parent church of the new mission giving both prayer and financial support. Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta financially supported the new mission as well. The group began meeting for regular morning worship and Sunday School in the fall of 1980 in rented office space in the East Cobb Medical Center on Johnson Ferry Road.

In December of 1981, the Johnson Ferry mission church raised $120,000 as a down payment on its present tract of land and called its first full-time pastor, Bryant and Anne Wright came from Second Baptist Church, Houston, Texas, where Bryant had served as Singles Minister.  In March 1983, having outgrown the space in the Medical Center, the congregation moved across Johnson Ferry Road to leased space in Regency Park.  Meanwhile, construction began on the first phase of the permanent building at 955 Johnson Ferry Road.  Johnson Ferry Baptist Mission was constituted as Johnson Ferry Baptist Church on September 23, 1983, with 373 charter members.

March 24, 1984, is a date which all who attended worship at Johnson Ferry will long remember.  That first Sunday the Chapel, built to seat approximately 500 people, was filled to overflowing with a crowd of more than 700!  By the very next Sunday, the church was once again conducting two morning worship services and very quickly had to return to a schedule of two Bible study hours.  The Lord continued to bless the church with both numerical and spiritual growth.

Throughout the next several years, space continued to be a challenge.  An educational building was added; three morning worship services became a necessity; adult Bible Study classes moved to off-campus locations.  In December of 1987, construction began on a 1,750-seat Sanctuary, a Fellowship Hall and additional classrooms.  The Sanctuary was dedicated in January 1989, and has provided a wonderful setting in which to worship while supporting musical events such as The Easter Story, leading Christian artists and concerts by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.  God has indeed blessed our church.  In 1996, additional education space was built to allow Sunday Bible Study classes to return to campus and allow for future growth.  Expansion of hallways and lobbies within the existing facility was also provided to relieve the crowded conditions experienced each Sunday.

Johnson Ferry has had a strong missions emphasis from the very beginning and presently gives 18.5 percent of budgeted receipts to missions causes.  We have sponsored seven mission churches in Cobb County and north Atlanta and co-sponsored five church plants.  Cedarcrest Church is the newest church start in January 2005 with a campus in northeast Paulding County. Personalizing missions is important to the members of Johnson Ferry.  Last year more than 1,300 members went on 62 mission trips to 25 nations around the world.