Moving On

About 20 months ago God brought Aaron Gable and his incredible family to Rock Bridge to serve as our Associate Pastor with an emphasis on small group ministry. Almost immediately Aaron and I became close friends, ministry partners, and fellow "church nerds" as we like to say. Aaron's passion for reaching disconnected people, his knowledge of group ministry, his loyalty to me and our vision, and his strategic thinking quickly had him making a big difference for the kingdom at Rock Bridge.

As our church grew during this time Aaron's role changed and moved him away from direct, "hands on" ministry as he focused more on administration, operations, staff management, hiring staff, and assisting me in efficiently running the church. Over the past few months Aaron and I began to discuss if he was really serving in his "sweet spot" according to his strengths, giftedness, and passions. In the course of those conversations and through much prayer Aaron decided that being an Associate Pastor was not the most effective place for him in ministry and asked the Elders to accept his resignation and to help him and his family transition to another place of service.

After a week of prayer, the Elders granted Aaron a two-week "leave of absence" to allow him to pray and think through where God might be leading him. Aaron also asked to resign effective on Tuesday, July 15th which the Elders have accepted.

This entire process has been very difficult for me because of the close and unique relationship Aaron and I share. Initially, I did not want to see Aaron leave Rock Bridge but as he and I talked and prayed, it became clear to me that in the long-run Aaron needed to be allowed to pursue other opportunities to serve in the way God has gifted him. Selfishly, I wanted Aaron to stay but that option did not make sense in light of where our church is right now and where Aaron is on his journey to serve Christ in the most impacting way possible. So when I asked what was the best thing for the Kingdom of God and ultimately for Aaron, I came to believe that accepting his resignation with my full support and blessing was God's will.

I asked Aaron to write part of this blog with me so that you can hear his heart and know how to pray for him during this transition:

Rock Bridge is one of the most amazing churches I've ever been a part of. I know many of you share my sentiments. Who could have predicted that in such a short time a church could made such a big impact in a community? The only explanation is that God is doing a mighty work through a willing and faithful people.

With this amazing, supernatural growth, I have been so inspired personally yet challenged professionally. Our church has grown to a point where my gifts, abilities, and experiences are not the best fit in areas that are needed for the Associate Pastor position for this church at this time. This is a hard personal admission for me. I did not come to this decision easily, but through several weeks of prayer and wise counsel, I have decided to resign as the Associate Pastor at Rock Bridge. This affects me and my family deeply because of our great affection for this church and community, but we are convinced this is God's best for us and the church. We covet your prayers during this time of transition as we seek out where God leads next.

Thank you all for giving us such a great opportunity to minister alongside you to connect more people to Christ and His community in NW Georgia. -- Aaron Gable


In life I've come to learn that God has a plan and purpose for everything and He is teaching me to never doubt that He is in control. Seeing people leave is always tough but I know that God's work is going on all over the world and that He has a place specifically picked out for Aaron to serve. The Elders and I are committed to helping Aaron transition from Rock Bridge to the place we know God has for him.