A New Season for Grace Community Church

In January of 2026, Ray Rhodes announced to the congregation that he would be beginning to transition out of the pastorate of Grace Community Church. Over the course of the following months God graciously provided a man who is equipped for the role and is of like mind and spirit to Ray, the elders, and the congregation. He has accepted the call to come pastor Grace Community Church. Please read the note below from our Pastor regarding this transition.

A Message from Pastor Ray Rhodes on the Pastoral Transition

I am delighted to announce that Grace Community Church - Dawsonville has called Dr. David Bunce as our new pastor. David, his wife Jessica, and their three children are scheduled to be here by the first Sunday of August. David and I will work together through a transition of several months. I can't tell you how delighted that I am to pass the baton to a long-time friend and trusted like-minded pastor. Lori and I love David, Jessica, Susannah, Daniel, and Peter. They quickly won the hearts of our church members.

David has served as a senior pastor, an associate pastor, and in various other ministries. He also worked as an intern with Dr. Mohler on The Briefing. David recently graduated from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with a PhD. Both David and Jessica have master's degrees from SBTS.

David and I are of one mind and one heart in our commitment to work together for the glory of God and the good of Christ's church. David is a fantastic preacher with a sincere pastor's heart and a desire to plant deep roots in our area and serve our church for the long haul, God-willing.

This call and acceptance is truly a testimony to the providence of God. I announced to our church on January 18 my plans to transition from my role as senior pastor in order to lead Nourished in the Word ministries. By April the call was extended and David accepted. If you know David and Jessica you know them to be people of deep faith, sound doctrine, and great joy.

This call and acceptance is truly a testimony to the providence of God. I announced to our church on January 18 my plans to transition from my role as senior pastor in order to lead Nourished in the Word ministries. By April the call was extended and David accepted. If you know David and Jessica you know them to be people of deep faith, sound doctrine, and great joy.

The only hindrance in this process is David's football loyalty. But we believe that once he is more exposed to the Dawgs and the beauty of real football that he will see the light and turn away from the Gators. Floridians can change, we hope.

I can't wait for the Bunce family to arrive and join us in the work of reaching one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. If you are new to North Georgia and looking for a church, this is a good time to join Grace Community Church and to help us in the great good work that God has called us to do.

Ray Rhodes