Gary Bulley, Senior Pastor

The one quality that stands out most in Pastor Gary is authenticity. He is real. His honest and humble approach to ministry is refreshing and shines through in his messages, relationships and leadership. He is likewise passionate about Jesus Christ and lives to help people develop a deep, authentic and passionate relationship with Christ.
His motto, which has become the vision of Living Stones Church, is that we know Christ as true worshippers, seek Christ as true disciples and serve Christ as true missionaries. Gary’s teaching is thoroughly biblical, practical and challenging. We love it! God has a way of using Gary to draw us closer to Him.

Gary is a graduate of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, husband to Cindy, and father to Amanda, Cameron, Jenny, and Jessie. Gary enjoys cooking, reading, staying fit and sports (especially football). He also has an amazing ability to cross-reference trivial knowledge in light of Scriptural truth.

Randy Grimes, Associate Pastor

As the Associate Pastor, Randy has his hand in nearly every aspect of ministry at Living Stones. He assists in the Pastoral Ministry of the church including preaching and leading various ministries. He leads the Men’s Ministry, directs the Prayer Ministry in coordination with the deacons, assists with Pastoral Care, new visitor follow-up, Family Ministry, and teaches the Student Sunday School Class on Sunday mornings. He has the heart of an evangelist and it would be a challenge for anyone to visit Living Stones and not meet him!

Randy and his wife, Teresa, former high school sweethearts, and married since college, have been in ministry for over 20 years. They have 11 children, 9 of which are adopted. They have had a passion for the least of these and have helped numerous churches and organizations start adoption and foster care ministries, and have helped hundreds of families to adopt. Randy has been involved in ministry in churches in North Georgia with a true passion for the family, youth, and men. He and his family have been a part of Living Stones Church since 2018.

Ryan Messer, Connections Pastor

Ryan is a native of Forsyth, MT, and serves as our Connections Pastor. Prior to his arrival at Living Stones, Ryan served in the military where he came to know Christ and sensed a call to ministry. In obedience to his calling, he separated from active service to pursue further education and ministerial training. Ryan completed his undergraduate degree with Luther Rice University and earned his M.Div. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

As the Connections Pastor, Ryan is the go-to guy for visitors and getting members connected at Living Stones, which includes: 1st impressions, communication/follow-up, small groups, volunteer coordination, and pastoral care.

Ryan has a broad array of ministry and professional experience, and he loves getting to know others and learning about their background. He is passionate about discipleship and spiritual development. Ryan’s goal is to walk alongside and assist both members and newcomers in their spiritual growth. He is married to Megumi, and they are the proud parents of Steven and Genesis. Ryan enjoys spending quality time with his family and working in the garage and around his house.

Drew Smyser, Pastor of Worship & Students

Drew’s hope at Living Stones is to help promote a real lifestyle of worship within the body of Christ, one that exists both on Sunday morning gatherings and outside the church building. As a student pastor, Drew seeks to develop and facilitate students growing in their knowledge of Christ through intentional relationships, challenging students to think critically, having a ton of fun, and adult mentorship. As a worship leader, he sees worship as more than a gathering of people to sing songs, but the coming together of believers in Christian community to enter into the Lord’s presence for the purpose of being built up in Him to do the work of His Kingdom. Although his styling lends to a contemporary-styled worship service, Drew strives to never allow worship to come off as a concert or point to anybody but Christ. His philosophy is that worship team members are to yield to the congregation’s needs and not the other way around.

As the Pastor of Worship & Students, Drew leads Marathon, our student ministry and coordinates everything related to our Sunday morning time of worship. In addition to that, Drew operates our website, sends out communication through our weekly email blast, and coordinates with the social team for fellowship events through-out the year.

Drew is a multi-instrumentalist who loves collecting vinyl records, coffee, Auburn football, Predators hockey, and always loves to learn more. He graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, TN with a degree in Music Business but was called into the ministry in the years that followed. Drew and his wife Marion are both passionate about foster care & adoption – they have 2 children, Dalton and Lillian.