Rory McKinney
I was born and raised in a small rural town in southwest Arkansas. The Lord blessed me with an amazing mother who adopted me into the family from birth. I grew up in church and learned of the person of Jesus early and accepted Christ at the age of 11.
I had high ambitions to go off to college, do well, graduate, and begin law school by 21. Those ambitions diminished significantly when I started to live a life apart from Christ in college. I would still attend church and our weekly Bible study group, but worldly desires consumed me instead of Him. This led to me leaving my university and joining the workforce. Over the next five years, my joy was found in work through promotions and raises. After my mother’s passing in 2014, I chose to surrender to God. Shortly after, I reconnected with my mentor, enrolled back in school, and graduated in 2017. Since then, I’ve spent the last five years working with youth and young adults in several capacities in higher education and social services.
A close friend invited me to Stonegate in December 2020. From my first encounter here, I felt the presence of the Lord working in and through the people. It was so refreshing. The mission of Enjoying Jesus and Making Disciples is lived through the body, and I wanted more of that. The vitality of my walk with Christ has been found in being in community and ALL THE THINGS that come with that; that is my hope for the future of Stonegate is that people continue to find refuge in Christ through Community here. That people from all walks of life can walk through our doors, hear the gospel, feel loved, find joy in Jesus that leads them to freedom from the strongholds of sin and share their journey with others.