Thrive

Mason Tanner

College and Young Adult Pastor at Riverstone Church, Kennesaw, Ga.
Master of Arts [Intercultural Studies] Church Planting Emphasis, Asbury Theological Seminary, 2017.
Share:
“Mason Tanner is the College and Young Adult Pastor at Riverstone Church in Kennesaw, Ga. His mission is to equip and empower people to go after their God-given dreams in the marketplace, government, arts or the ministry.”

Last updated: May 12, 2023

Even in middle school, Mason Tanner loved Jesus and wanted to share Him with others. While still in college, he set his heart to run hard after God. Now, he’s the College and Young Adult Pastor at Riverstone Church in Kennesaw, GA. His mission is to equip and empower people to go after their God-given dreams in the marketplace, government, arts or the ministry.

“I love serving and connecting people,” Mason said. “I love creating space for real heartfelt Jesus community to happen in order for people to see that the Church isn’t just four walls and a building, but that Christ is alive in people.”

Mason joined the Riverstone staff as the College and Young Adult Pastor in 2014, but Mason and his wife, Hannah already had a heart for college students. Prior to their official appointment, Mason and Hannah started the Dwelling Place ministry, targeting singles ages 18-35.

The Dwelling Place encourages young adults to encounter God in a fresh way through small groups, community events, weekly worship and ministry outreaches, both local and global. Mason and his wife have led mission trips to Scotland, Romania, India, Guatemala and Costa Rica. They also work with local ministries, such as the Salvation Army (Haven ATL) and Rescuing Hope to combat and prevent commercial sexual exploitation.

The Dwelling Place seeks to connect the younger generation to the larger body of Christ, resulting in community transformation. Through conversations and interaction, the older generation encourages and mentors the younger, passing on wisdom and insights.

“The hope is that by spending time and learning from older generations, Dwelling Place students would grow and that the older generations ceiling would be the younger generations floor when it comes to knowledge of and encounters with the Lord,” Mason said in a description of the ministry online.

Even as Mason leads, his heart is intent on following the ever-expanding mission of God. Mason and his team have been praying for new strategies to make the church a welcoming place, helping the un-churched find a sense of belonging even before they believe. Mason’s prayer was answered in an unexpected way.

On a Monday, a couple arrived at the church. Mason met them in the prayer room. Through tears, the man explained that he woke up that morning and realized that he’d never given his heart to Jesus. God prompted him to come to Riverstone Church to find redemption. After a three hour conversation, the man gave his heart to Jesus for the first time, and his wife rededicated her life to the Lord.

“This encounter was a direct answer to our prayer for those who don’t know God to find Him and belong even before they believe,” Mason said. “God does whatever he wants, and I just say yes and watch him work.”

In addition to full-time ministry, Mason earned a Master of Arts [Intercultural Studies] with a church planting emphasis at Asbury Seminary in 2017.

“My heart is for launching and sending,” he said. “My dream is to plant churches and to help train and equip people to go out and plant more churches.”

As Mason juggled his family, ministry and school responsibilities, God has met him in the “in between.” Mason has often found that his papers and projects were an overflow of God’s heart and the on-campus weekends filled with God’s presence.

“The last two years that I’ve been in Seminary, I have realized there is such a grace when you choose your family and then your ministry,” Mason said. “I’ve learned lessons in Seminary that have prepared me for their real-life application.”

 


Prepare for the Call

Learn more about how Asbury Seminary can help prepare you for your call. Fill out the form below to get started!

Loading...

Latest

Andrea Baare

As a businesswoman and theologian with experience in both the marketplace and ministry, Andrea Baare struggled with a sense of guilt for many years. She often wondered if she made the right choice moving into the business world instead of pursuing full-time ministry. [...]

Nik Fraustro

Nik Fraustro remembers when Sunday traditions changed in his family growing up. According to him, Sundays were for football, baseball, and other sports. His family didn’t go to church and his father was a corpsman in the United States Navy, meaning they were accustomed to moving. [...]

Generation Awakened

Today on the podcast we are joined by Rev. Dr. Sarah Baldwin to talk about her book, Generation Awakened. Dr. Baldwin is the Vice President of Student Life & Dean of Students at Asbury University and […]

Eddie and Allyson Willis

Camp ministry and retreats had already played a significant role in both Eddie and Allyson’s lives before they met. When they did meet it was, serendipitously, at a United Methodist Conference camp [...]

The Global Impact of the Asbury Outpouring

Today on the podcast we are joined by Robin Lim (M.Div. ’23) and Mark Sayers. Rob and Mark became friends following the Asbury Outpouring, which began in February 2023. We talk about their individual experiences […]

Jess Avery

For Jess Avery, one of the first calls to leadership in the church came at a Dairy Queen in Dublin, Georgia, when she was 16 years old. At that age, Jess had already developed a desire for spiritual community and started a small group at her high school of like-minded students in their pursuit of the Lord. [...]