Michaela Lawrence Jeffery

Michaela Lawrence Jeffery has been serving as the pastor for discipleship and congregational care since June 2024. For the six and a half years prior to that, she was the pastor of the Athens Georgia Seventh-day Adventist Church. It was her time in Athens that taught her how to care for people by using the gifts and temperament God has given her, in other words, by being herself. That’s a key part of discipleship that she hopes to be able to help others grow to appreciate and enjoy. Indeed, God wants us to be the people he has made us to be.

During the eight years before Athens, Pastor Lawrence Jeffery was the Adventist Christian Fellowship director for Georgia-Cumberland Conference and campus minister at Advent House on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus. That’s where she learned the value of inter-faith relationships as she became friends with other campus ministers. It’s also where she realized that telling someone about Jesus was not near as important as showing them Jesus through action and presence.

Pastor Lawrence Jeffery is married to Justin Jeffery, a graphic designer and pianist, and they have two smart and creative daughters who keep them busy and humble. In the midst of family and church life, Michaela makes time for community connections and writing.

Though an introvert, she doesn't mind the stage and takes as many opportunities as she can to share what she's learning about Jesus through song or sermon.