Just as the Christian church has done many wonderful things throughout history, says the Rev. Richard Mark Lee, it also has done many terrible things, such as targeting, judging and condemning various individuals and groups.

On Sunday, Lee plans to apologize for these past wrongs in a sermon at his church, Sugar Hill Baptist, known as The Family Church. Some of the groups Lee said he'll apologize to include gays, women seeking abortions and couples who live together outside of marriage.

"For too long, we're been known for the issues we're against, not for the God we're for," said Lee, 38.

Lee makes it clear he's not speaking for, or against, the conservative Southern Baptist Convention, to which his church belongs. He doesn't know if there will be some fallout from his sermon.

One religious scholar is heartened by the gesture.

"If this is an evangelical church with roots in the Southern Baptist Convention, this is a bold and distinctive move, and one that I would honor and respect," said Tom Ogletree, professor of theological ethics at Yale Divinity School.

The "bumpersticker mentality" that seems to govern how people identify themselves clearly isn't benefiting anyone, said Lee, who has led the church for seven years and has a doctorate from the Southern Baptist Theological Convention in Louisville, Ky.

Some people in the Christian church are more interested in promoting their political and personal interests than their Christian values, he said.

Some churchgoers have condemned gay people, picketed abortion clinics or ignored the poor and homeless, Lee said. If Jesus were alive today, he would minister to these groups, Lee says.

"Why is the gospel of love dividing America? The unchurched world views us as judgmental and homophobic," says Lee. "I don't think God is going to ask what label we wore. He's going to ask what did we do for Jesus."

Hoschton resident Jimmy Wilson has been attending the Family Church with his wife Diane for five years. He says he's not surprised his pastor would tackle such a difficult topic as apologizing.

"His message is it's not about us, it's about God," Wilson says. "We need to be changing lives, and that's what our church's ministry is about. It's about reaching out to other people."