If you were to meet the well-spoken and clean-cut Jon Shaffer you would not be surprised that he is a church planter and pastor of two churches. However, you may be surprised to discover that before Jon’s life was transformed by Jesus he was a drug dealer who spent much of his young adult years in and out of jail.
A rough start
Jon was raised in North Braddock, Pennsylvania. His mother had three children, each with a different father. Her husband, Jon’s stepfather, was an abusive crack addict. At the age of 16, Jon got involved in gangs, firearms, and drugs. At 17, Jon began living on his own when his mother and siblings moved to Somerset County, PA. Eight days before his 18th birthday, Jon was shot in a drug deal. Fortunately, the shot was not fatal, but the chaos continued…
Barely alive to really living
On New Year’s Day of 2003, Jon woke up, lying on a radiator. “I heard people in the next room talking about what they were going to do with my body. They thought I was dead,” he says. That was a wake up call for Jon.
He got a decent job and started going to a small, rural church in Somerset, PA. A young pastor, Pastor John Jackson, took an interest in Jon. “He had the most innovative outreach plan ever—he loved me,” Jon says. At that time, Jon was awaiting trial for his third DUI. He fully expected to receive the 23-month maximum jail sentence. But in the months before the trial, Jon began to turn his life around and his sentence was reduced to 30 days in jail and 70 days of house arrest.
After doing his time, Jon reconnected with Pastor John Jackson. “He declared that God had a call on my life and took me to visit Valley Forge Christian College.” Jon felt that he was supposed to attend Valley Forge and it was there that Jon experienced a powerful call from God.
The right connection
Jon had briefly met Pastor Brian Bolt, president of CityReach Network, during a class at Valley Forge. CityReach Network, consisting of 57 churches and growing every year, is a church planting organization that aggressively reaches cities with the hope of Jesus. Brian gave Jon a call and the two men met at a church planting event in Pittsburgh, PA. Jon joined Brian’s staff at CityReach Church Pittsburgh and helped with the church and the Hope Home. Hope Homes are residential recovery homes connected to the local church that minister to men and women struggling with life-controlling issues. Then, on January 31, 2010 Jon and his wife Christine, opened a Hope Home in Braddock, PA, where Jon was raised and on September 26, 2010 CityReach Church Braddock was launched. Today, CityReach Church Braddock has a non-traditional service on Friday nights offering both the gospel and a warm meal. In September of 2014, Jon also launched CityReach Church Swissvale. A Lutheran minister sold them an old church building for one dollar. The church services in Swissvale are on Sunday mornings. “The people in Swissvale give back and serve at the Braddock church,” Jon says. “We want to reach the progressive, post-modern and affluent as well, but God keeps sending us those who are struggling with addictions or coming out of destructive lifestyles.”
“I’m believing God for more souls and more laborers. I want to see more people come to know Jesus,” Jon says.
Just like God connected Pastor Brian Bolt and Jon Shaffer years ago, He uses events like Exponential East for divine connections and strategic Kingdom partnerships. Many of CityReach Network’s pastors and leaders are looking forward to being inspired, equipped, and getting connected. With expectation, they are looking forward to receiving practical guidance for this next season of Kingdom multiplication at Exponential East 2016!
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