We are a Baptist congregation that holds dear the four fragile freedoms upon which Baptists were founded: soul freedom, Bible freedom, religious freedom, and church freedom. Historically, Pullen has had a strong commitment to meaningful and thoughtful worship and active lay involvement in social justice ministries. Our approach to religious education values asking the questions of the faith while affirming the basic tenets of the faith. Pullen is committed to mutual care and respect for one another, and all of God’s creation.

For more information about Pullen’s history, please see A Short History of Pullen.

Pullen’s constitution states that people may join our fellowship by the transfer of letter, believer’s baptism, or a statement of faith. Pullen accepts the traditions and rituals of other faiths and does not require a person coming from another faith tradition to be re-baptized. The expectations for membership at Pullen depend upon each individual’s conscience. We trust our members to interpret for themselves how they wish to participate in the life of their faith community, but we also recognize that the ministries of the church are dependent on the commitment of members in terms of time, energy, and resources. We do believe that it is important for people to familiarize themselves with who Pullen is and the ministries that Pullen has historically been committed to before joining our church.

There are several ways for those interested in membership to explore our church. 'Pullen 101' is a periodic Sunday morning option that meets from 9:45-10:45 a.m. in the church parlor and provides an overview to Pullen’s identity as well as its mission and ministries. 'Welcome to Pullen' is another opportunity for visitors and those interested in Pullen to get to know other Pullen members over a shared meal. This group meets the second Thursday of every month at the home of a church member. 'Welcome to Pullen' is an informal question and answer session that is meant to be help new people make personal connections. For more information call the church office. Foyers are another fun and informative way to become better acquainted with the people at Pullen. See question 8 for more information about Foyers.

A wide variety of theological perspectives can be found at Pullen. Any statement about what “Pullen believes” is almost guaranteed to do an injustice to the personal beliefs of our members. However, there are some theological themes that are predominant in our community. We stress that God is a God who creates and loves, not judges and condemns. We emphasize the life and teachings of Jesus as central to our faith experience. We affirm that the Bible is a primary source for our beliefs and practice, but it is a book to be engaged, not worshiped. These, and many other theological convictions, can be seen most readily in the language and spirit of our worship experiences.

Pullen has approximately 850 members. Between 450-500 of those folks are considered active members, meaning that those people attend at least one church gathering a month.

The PullenNews is published twice monthly and may be received via third class postal delivery or e-mail. You may request either form of delivery by contacting Norma Whitfield at nwhitfield at pullen.org or at 919-828-0897, extension 211.

As a Baptist church, Pullen has a congregational polity. This means that the whole congregation is the ultimate decision-maker. Our church constitution provides the operational framework for this process in much the same way that our state and federal constitutions govern our democracy. In handling day-to-day matters, staff, committees, and councils make a variety of decisions that affect their various areas of responsibility in the life of the church. However, when an issue is raised that affects the entire congregation—like the budget, hiring of staff, ordination of ministers, capital campaigns, and other matters that affect how we do our life together in significant ways, those questions are put before the entire congregation for a vote. Except where the church constitution requires a greater percentage, a majority vote at a congregational meeting is required to make these decisions. The Coordinating Council, which includes representatives of all of the other councils and some at-large members, sets the agenda for each congregational meeting.

Pullen is generally known as a church that believes in processing issues thoroughly so that all voices can be heard. Typically, we hold “town meetings” prior to a congregational vote so that the question under consideration can be discussed and debated in some detail before a decision is made. Although our congregational meetings still operate with voting and Roberts’ Rules of Order, many of our committees and some councils work hard to make decisions by consensus.

Most people first encounter our church when they attend a worship service. We recommend that a person who is interested in getting involved attend a Sunday school class prior to worship each Sunday. There are classes for children and youth of all ages and a variety of adult classes that have different formats and topics of study. You may choose to attend any of them and move from one to the other as needed. Attaching oneself to one of these classes provides contact with a small group of people and an environment in which to get to know them while wrestling with questions of faith. 'Pullen 101' is a periodic Sunday school class for those exploring Pullen that can be a very helpful orientation. See question 2 for more information on 'Pullen 101.'

Another way to get to know Pullen people is by participating in a Foyer. Foyers are organized by our Community of the Cross of Nails (CCN) Mission Group as an extension of our relationship with the international community of peace and reconciliation centered at Coventry Cathedral in England. At Pullen, Foyers are social gatherings designed purely to build community. Each household assigned to a Foyer hosts the rest of the group, usually 6-8 people, for a simple meal and conversation, providing a setting for new friendships to be formed.

Many Pullen people believe that the best way to get know us is to attend our Wednesday night dinner and programs. Held on Wednesday evenings during the academic year, Wednesday night activities include an inexpensive meal followed by one-hour programs for children, youth, and adults that end at 7:30 PM. Over dinner there is time to socialize and get to know others.

If you are interested in serving the church, volunteer opportunities abound. Although members of our councils must be church members, participation in our music ministries, committees, and mission groups, assisting with children’s and youth activities, and most other roles in the church do not require church membership. Most committees have a defined membership that is set by our nominations process, but all of them are open to input and assistance from new persons. You may simply read the PullenNews (bi-monthly) or Update (weekly), determine when a group that draws your interest is meeting, and attend. You may also contact a staff member to talk about your areas of interest and how to get involved.

We are aware that breaking into a new congregation is not easy for many people, so we try to ease that transition as best we can. Pullen staff and members are always happy to provide advice or assistance if you decide that you want to become involved in our faith community.

At Pullen, our goal is to create a safe, caring environment where our children and youth can learn and grow on their faith journey. On Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings, we offer age-appropriate activities that are structured to teach how our faith informs our relationships with each other, our community and the world. We have many periodic activities which help our children and youth learn more about those relationships through hands-on experiences. We also provide safe, fun social activities in which our children and youth can participate. For more specifics on activities for children and youth, check out the Children’s Programs and Youth Programs links.