With July 1 just a few weeks away, churches around metro Atlanta are having to make the decision whether or not to allow weapons carry permit holders to bring their guns to Sunday services.

Under the new law, churches would have to “opt in” in order for those who can legally carry to be able to take their guns to church.  Otherwise, it would still be a misdemeanor to bring a weapon into a house of worship.

Even though the Southern Baptist Convention lobbied in favor of the law at the State Capitol this year, many of those same churches that have larger congregations have chosen not to allow guns.

“We’re choosing not to opt in—we’re not going to give permission to our congregation members to carry open or concealed weapons,” says Aaron Coleman, Director of Facilities, Safety, and Security at Snellville First Baptist Church.

The congregation of nearly 5,000 has had a security team in place the past eight years which includes both uniform and undercover officers.

“Protecting the flock is the phrase we use,” he says. “We have seen several incidents here where it has proven to be a tremendous benefit to us.”

Coleman tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish the leadership of the church has made the decision not to allow other carry permit holders to bring their guns because it could lead to confusion in the event of an active shooter situation.

“The bad scenario and the nightmare it would be if, in fact, there were several people that popped up with weapons (and) you wouldn’t know the bad shooter from the good shooter,” he says.

Coleman says their security team trains regularly to deal with such situations.

Gwinnett’s largest church, 12Stone which is non-denominational, has taken a similar stance on the new law.  It too has its own security force and will not “opt in”.

Atlanta’s Archbishop has also said guns will not be allowed in Georgia’s Catholic churches.