'This is home': Pleasant Grove pastor embracing church, community

May 13—The Rev. Jonathan Bonar, pastor of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, has had his share of serious health problems.

Bonar, a 49-year-old Upper Marlboro, Maryland, native, battled stage-four colon cancer in his 30s.

But before becoming a cancer survivor, Bonar was born with a birth defect that caused heart problems as a teenager, which strengthened his faith and prepared him for future trials.

"As a result of that, the Lord really got a hold of my heart during that period and started making me think about what life was really all about," Bonar said. "There's something about coming close to your own death that makes you think differently about life. At a young age, I was thinking about things my peers were not even considering. It was like the Lord pushed fast forward on my spiritual development, and I was fired up about the Lord."

Bonar initially went to college to become an attorney.

But he credited the late H. B. London Jr., who was known for his work with Focus on the Family, for inspiring him to pursue ministry during his freshman year at Liberty University — a private Baptist school in Lynchburg, Virginia.

"He preached a message, 'Don't Let the World Get in the Way of Your Dreams,' and I realized I was letting the world get in the way of God's dreams," Bonar said.

After graduating from Liberty, Bonar did not have any paid ministry job offers.

However, a law firm that he worked for in college did present a tempting opportunity.

"I didn't have any jobs and the law firm was offering full-time," Bonar said. "It was a major dilemma for me. Do I follow the Lord in His call or do I take the safe route; the successful route; the money route and accept their full-time job? I decided I was going to believe God. I turned down the job and went back to studying at the seminary."

However, it would be Jerry Falwell, televangelist and co-founder of Liberty University, who would aid in Bonar's faith journey.

Bonar said he accepted a part-time receptionist job within Falwell's office.

"I knew he had in-house counsel, who was his son, Jerry Falwell Jr., and because of my legal background, I thought maybe they would have some role for me," he said.

Six months into the job, Bonar became Falwell Jr.'s assistant and then his father's assistant from 1997 to 2000.

"It was a wonderful experience to be with Dr. Falwell," Bonar said. "He was just a great man of God. ...He taught me great things."

After leaving Falwell's office, Bonar returned briefly to his hometown to become the associate and youth pastor for Bible Baptist Church.

Bonar then joined Christ Fellowship Church in West Palm Beach, Florida, as the Rev. Tom Mullins' assistant.

Bonar said that lasted a year until he received a phone call from his home church asking him to return as the lead pastor there.

"I prayed about it, talked about it with Tom, and he said, 'Go ahead, do it,' " Bonar said.

Bonar said his hometown church was situated around a large Black community, and that growing up there aided in building the church when he became the lead pastor.

Bonar said the church's diversity also grew during that time, and attendance went from around 30 to more than 1,200.

"I grew up there, so it was just easier for me; I could make changes and the church leaders would just accept it because I was 'little Johnny' that they grew up with," Bonar said. "...God allowed me to make more changes quickly than anybody else. So we saw God do great stuff."

In 2005, Bonar rejoined Christ Fellowship as part of its teaching team. Bonar became a campus pastor for one of Christ Fellowship's multisite churches in Florida and then headed its leadership development team, drastically reducing his time behind the pulpit.

Bonar would remain there for the next 15 years.

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, Bonar said he began missing being a church pastor and being behind the pulpit.

Bonar said he started talking with churches looking for a pastor — one in Texas, another in Colorado and Pleasant Grove in the Sorgho community.

"Someone told me about a church in Owensboro, Kentucky, that was a historic church from 1835 that was still going strong, and they were looking for a pastor; so that just intrigued me," Bonar said. "If you know me, I'm a huge history buff. If you talk to any of my members about my preaching, one of the things they always talk about is my historical references."

Despite not having a lead pastor, Pleasant Grove was building a new $2-million sanctuary that included a new welcome center and a parking lot expansion.

Bonar said not many churches would've taken on such a project without a lead pastor, and that trust in God appealed to him.

And after visiting Owensboro, Bonar said it reminded him and his wife of Maryland with the change in seasons, and that both the church and the city were ideal at this point in their ministry.

Bonar is now entering his third year as Pleasant Grove's pastor and has remained cancer free.

"Owensboro was calling out to us, and the Holy Spirit, without question, called us," Bonar said. "...We feel like more than ever that this is home."