Staff Transitions

Dear CrossView,

Sunday was one of the best days and one of the hardest days in my life as a pastor, but I realized through it all that change is sometimes hard. But, at the same time it could be the best thing to happen if it’s God’s will!

I regret to inform you that this past Sunday, Jonathan and Holly Drake made an important decision to resign as worship leader at CrossView. We are going to miss Jonathan and Holly in a huge way. Jonathan was not only a good friend but a joy to work with. The Lord used Jonathan in my life personally and professionally to challenge me as a Christian in so many different ways. I’m sure that this decision “no matter what it may seem like” was not a spur-of-the moment decision. He has been wrestling for sometime if God really wanted him in Rockmart. Having to commute everyday was hard and their house in Villa Rica would not sell allowing them to get more involved in Rockmart. But sometimes our plan is not God’s plan. During the Innovate Church conference, that our staff attended two weeks ago, Jonathan was moved by God into the direction that He had been calling him and unfortunately it was not with CrossView. I believe this was a tough decision for Jonathan that he didn’t take lightly. I know this decision was not an easy one for him, but the right one if he is following God, which I believe he is.

Jonathan and I both love Jesus and we both love His church. We both want to see people come to know Christ and we both believe the best day of the church is yet to come! Jonathan felt like he would hinder the unity and the vision of CrossView if he stayed when God was moving his heart into a different direction. I respect him so much for that! However, I write this to you with much hurt and pain because I hate to see them leave. But, on the other hand I rejoice, because Jonathan wants to be where God wants him to be!

I would have hoped his resignation would have been a public resignation where we could have prayed over Jonathan and Holly and their journey with God. Jonathan thought it would be better this way. But, it leaves the door open for speculation. So if you’re a spectator you’re saying, “well what’s the scoop? Why didn’t you tell us on Sunday?” The truth is, I didn’t know myself until Sunday afternoon. I spent most of the day confused and upset while trying to wrap my brain around everything, because I didn’t see this coming. After much thought, I came to realize that is the way God designed Jonathan. It would have been much harder for him and his family to address his leaving publicly. So it was better this way for him and Holly. As a staff we want the best for Jonathan and Holly. There was no plan to replace Jonathan. To be honest, we had hoped that he would stay with our church for the rest of his life. We all love them and we often joked about when we got old we were going to be some Rocking Sr.’s. LOL. But the truth is our plan is not always God’s plan, but God’s plan is the right plan! So with all that said, I would ask you all to pray for Jonathan and Holly as they prepare to face a new chapter in their lives. Pray that they will continue to seek God in everything they do. Also, continue to pray for CrossView as we prepare to make some decisions with worship. To avoid any further miscommunication or misunderstandings please contact us directly so we can address any concerns you may have. You may contact the office over the next few weeks. We would love to help you have some closure in this because our best days as a church are ahead! God is going to continue to do some amazing things among us! And lives will continue to be changed! I find hope in this verse:

Romans 8:28 We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God, and are called according to his purpose for them.

Love you all,

Pastor Danny