congratulations to Revolution…
i know i’m a day late and a dollar short but…CONGRATULATIONS TO REVOLUTION CHURCH, CANTON, GEORGIA, NAMED A NEW PASTOR YESTERDAY! WELCOME JASON GERDES!
most everyone knows the struggles that Revolution has endured since May of this year. some thought that Revolution would not make it without the pastor that started them. in case you have been off the planet for the last 7 months, the pastor had a moral indiscretion and left. some churches, especially church plants would have caved.
i want to give props to a few folks. first, and this is going to surprise you, it is a testimony to the former leadership that he built a church of people that in spite of his failures, did not fail. i continue to pray for the former pastor. pray that he has genuinely repented, and will be restored to ministry one day. God has given him great gifts in communicating the gospel to lost men. the church needs more like him if he is living in a right relationship to God and has accountability to someone other than himself.
second, i want to give a shout out to Tim, Preston, Chad, Thad, and the rest of the staff at Revolution. CONGRATULATIONS! when some thought you guys would fold up and give up, you hung in there. GREAT JOB! these guys have endured some pretty harsh criticism and judgment. they have endured the questioning of their leadership. they have endured doubt. they have endured questions about their maturity, leadership, character, etc. etc. but they have won the battle. they held the church together when in human terms they could have folded and no one would have blamed them. i applaud you guys. thanks for making “church” happen every week.
Jason Gerdes, i got to spend a couple of hours with him as Revolution and Jason was seeking God’s will. Jason has led a student ministry at one of the premier church plants in America. his student ministry was as large as Revolution Church. he has recruited and built leaders. he has dealt with difficult people. he has been through some of his own storms. God has prepared him for such a time as this. he is not the former pastor by any stretch of one’s imagination. but he is a man that God has prepared to lead this team.
i know some of you out there thought you were the man. i know some of you personally. i read some of your plans. some of them looked good, but Revolution is a different church. all of those i knew that sent in their ideas or resumes, or indicated through email that you would like to be pastor of Revolution or have your church take Revolution as a campus, etc. it was just not the right plan. i spent some hours with the staff over the last few months. i really love some of you guys but it just wasn’t in God’s plan.
i have already heard that one of the guys that wanted to be pastor of Revolution has criticized the selection of Jason to both the former pastor and the current leadership. just a word, scripture warns men who would tear down a servant of God, perhaps you should be praying instead of criticizing.
i’m praying for Jason. praying for wisdom, grace, mercy, the gifts of leadership and discernment, praying that he will be full of the spirit at every meeting and every worship service, and every time he steps in the pulpit he will have a word from God, praying that he will love Canton more and more. i’m going to leave you with a parting word from Jason, “I want Canton to be shocked by Revolution’s love for them, not by our words.” Jason, as we say in GA, sic’em.
