Mercy Ridge
Created by Jerry Ford; Written with Jerry Ford and Katie Ostreko.
Mercy Ridge is a dramatic series about a charismatic pastor whose faith and ideology are continually challenged by worldly things. A rich palette of human frailty and strengths surround him, providing endless temptations and threats to his mission, some of which he conquers; but all of which are threatened by his secret past.
His family and friends each maneuver to build their importance in his life, either in support of his larger vision or their own. As his fame, wealth, and influence grow, so do the power-hungry factions looking to gain control of his mega-church for their own purposes.
No one except "The Monk" knows his guilty secret, but the pastor's carefully constructed life is about to fall apart.
As The West Wing dealt with the real people running the behind-the-scenes of the White House, Mercy Ridge centers on the decision makers at a mega-church, their often conflicting views of the "right" way to interpret religious faith, and how they use or abuse their faith to justify and attain their personal and religious goals.
The decisions made by the main characters impact their church and community in various ways, not all of them positive or uplifting.