Berean Bible Church exists because of the vision of Dr. Rodney Massey and the power of Gospel. In the summer of 2015, Pastor Rodney met with a launch team of about 30 people to discuss the possibility of creating a multi-ethnic church right here in Gwinnett County. Compelled by this vision, the launch team began to pray for both a location in Gwinnett county and a church building to meet. Miraculously, God provided both within a matter of days.
In God’s sovereign plan, that first meeting was held at Bay Creek Community Church in Loganville Georgia. It just so happened that an elder at Bay Creek sat in on that first meeting. After hearing Pastor Rodney’s vision for Berean, he left and contacted the other elders at Bay Creek. In July of 2015 Bay Creek Community Church officially voted to dissolve and merge with Berean Bible Church. Just like that the Lord provided Berean not only with a building but a growing family.
Early on it was amazing to watch what the Lord was doing. That first year Berean saw a remarkable amount of growth. What originally started as a small group of 30 people grew to about 200 in one year. Berean was a young church but steadily growing as the months passed. By 2018, Berean had grown to over 300 weekly and there was a real excitement for what the Lord doing.
Tragically, on December 6, 2018, Pastor Rodney was traveling to church and was struck and killed in an automobile accident. In so many ways, our Berean family was utterly broken and devastated. Yet, despite the tragedy, Berean’s foundation was built on Christ and the unshakeable truth of God’s Word. The Lord carried our church in the following months. In April of 2019, Berean called Dr. Jamie Merritt to be the next Lead Pastor at Berean.
As our church continues to grow, Berean will never forget the influence and investment Pastor Rodney made on our lives. Rodney was committed to the clear practical teaching of God’s Word as it is key to victorious living. Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” We hope our story gives you a glimpse of our Berean family and if you are new to our area we hope you come visit. Most importantly, we hope you come to know and love the Jesus that our church is built on.
-Founding Pastor Rodney Massey