making it simple for people to connect to God and each other
Jared Pickard / Campus Pastor
Our campus pastor is Jared Pickard. Born on December 22, 1980, to Dr. & Mrs. Jerry (Terri) Pickard, he and his 2 younger sisters, Jana and Jeni, were raised in a Godly home and were heavily involved in each of the 3 churches Dr. Pickard served as Senior Pastor. Jared spent the majority of his adolescent life in Milledgeville, Georgia, watching his father passionately pastor and lead the congregation of Northside Baptist Church, where he still serves as Senior Pastor to this day.
At the age of 8, Jared began to ponder questions about God and heaven, right and wrong, sin and death, etc. For years he had seen people walk down the aisle at church to do one of three things: 1) rededicate their life to Christ , 2) give their heart to Jesus, or 3) join or move their membership to the church. So one night after hours of thinking on these matters, little Jared called his dad into his bedroom and told him that he wanted to “move his membership to God.” While that might not necessarily have cut it from a doctrinal standpoint, Jared is convinced that on that night, God smiled and called him His son.
Having been saved at such a young age, Jared had a lot of knowledge to gain and ‘real life” to experience. His teenage years consisted of sports, playing the drums, and hanging out with friends. During these years, he battled peer pressure and deeply desired the approval of friends and acquaintances.
Between the ages of 19-22, he served as Minister of Youth at a small Baptist church in Milledgeville and saw God move in mighty ways. His youth group experienced incredible growth and saw numerous people come to know Christ and grow in their relationship with Him. Unfortunately, at this stage of life, Jared was still an immature, impulsive young man who didn't know how to deal with the hurt and confusion of trying to find himself in this world. After experiencing a break-up and a broken heart for the first time, he decided to resign from his position. He slowly began to use his hurt as an excuse to live in rebellion to God. Over the next four years, Jared formed a chemical dependency to drugs and alcohol that would ultimately leave him completely broken. At the age of 26 and under the counsel of his family as well as the solicitor general of Baldwin County, Jared completed both a six week and twelve month Christ Centered Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Program.
During his time in rehab, Jared completely surrendered his life to God and learned to find his value only in Jesus Christ. Ironically, learning how to live sober was only the tip of the iceberg of what rehab had to offer him. At Freedom Counseling Services in Lafayette, Georgia, Jared joined a worship team lead by Bonnie Burris, who now is Mrs. Bonnie Pickard. It was also at FCS that Jared fell in love with the people of Chattooga County. Working at a local mill for 4 years, including his year at FCS, his eyes were open to the depravity that existed in the area, and his heart was filled with compassion and love for the people living there.
Currently, Jared lives in Trion, Georgia, along with Bonnie and their daughter Justice. He has served at Connect City Church since 2011. He also serves on staff at Freedom Counseling Services where he works with other men who are trying to break free from the chains of addiction. Jared’s desire is for everyone in Chattooga County to know and experience the freedom that is found only in Jesus Christ.