Spotlight: Matt Gersonde - Becoming a Refuge for Salinas

Three Churches Unite in Salinas 

Churches throughout the Bay Area continue to assess the impact of COVID-19. For many it’s been a challenging time, but Matt Gersonde, Lead Pastor at Refuge Bible Church in Salinas considers it a season of favor. “I realize the pandemic has been one of the darkest times people have experienced, especially church leaders, but for us that hasn’t been the case.”

Before the pandemic Refuge Church, which was planted in 2015 was a church-in-a-box, meeting in a school building. “Some people will do set up and tear down for a long, long time, but I realized quickly that this was not going to be sustainable for us in our city. We wanted a building and in the midst of the pandemic God orchestrated that.”

It began as a conversation between Matt and pastor-friend, David Whittaker, whom he’d met at TBC’s senior leaders gathering in Estes Park, Colorado in May 2019.

“I’d been praying for 4½ years for a church building for Refuge, so when David asked me, ‘what are your dreams for Salinas,’ I told him, ‘God has a building for us.’”

Salinas, the largest city in Monterey County, is 150 years old and had been laid out in the tradition of the 19th century with general stores, churches, schools, and homes. “Churches are placed strategically throughout the city, so when Refuge planted here, I knew God had a building for us that was already built.”

David connected Matt with 70-year-old Petra Bible Church, whose pastor was retiring. “It’s super awkward to engage with somebody relationally and ask, ‘is your church dying? Would you consider giving us your building?’ That’s not the normal M.O.

“I wanted God to show whoever had the building what He was showing me. This was a really great match. We were a younger church without a building. They were an older church with a building. God was in this.”

Petra Bible Church had been assessed and knew it was dying. Their thirty adult members recognized the church was no longer effective for reaching people and willingly joined the Refuge Church congregation to create Refuge Bible Church on July 12, 2020, a year to the day after Matt’s conversation with David.

Becoming a Refuge for Salinas

“Naming a church is such a trip,” says Matt. “I really wanted the name to mean something for the unchurched and the churched. We literally want to be a place of refuge in our city for those who are hurting, lost, and needy. We want people to be aware of God’s presence in a way that they can say ‘I’ve now experienced God as my refuge.’”

This summer Refuge Bible Church absorbed another church that had closed its doors, adding fifty new members to the congregation. It’s not just three congregations meeting at the same time. Everyone is united in mission.

RBC is a church that EQUIPS the saints to know Christ, 

CARES for those in need,

and CULTIVATES community across generations, 

for the glory of God.

“God has given us a mission -- to reach those who are lost and rescue those who are hurting with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We’re going to continue to go in this direction until we don’t have any more breath,” says Matt.

Networking in Salinas and South County

Matt leads the Salinas and South County TBC pastors’ networks. His vision is specific, “I want the pastors and leaders here to be seen. I want them to know that we appreciate them and the work they’re doing. That’s huge for me.”

Matt points to the importance of relational investment; “When one of us is in need we can call on anyone in the network. That’s where we’ll find someone who understands and can offer some assistance. That’s super important to me.”

Thirty local leaders are in the network. Pre-pandemic they met quarterly. The connections TBC has facilitated along with the resources made available have been powerful for Matt.  “I wouldn’t be here without the commitment of TBC to the churches in the Bay Area.”