The Morehouse College and Princeton University graduate grew up in poverty in Baltimore. He did not know his father, but his single mother, despite their income status, taught Gerow how to make change at an early age.
"She had us on protest lines and at petition signings and at city council meetings," recalled Gerow.
He said he and his best friend dreamed of becoming lawyers and going back to their hometown to create positive change.
Although Gerow's calling was the Christian ministry over law, he said he lost his way while living in Atlanta — the heart of the Bible Belt.
"I had seen too much and I was tired and disillusioned and was absolutely overwhelmed with the hypocrisy I saw," he said. "We had too much steeple competition going on and too much megachurch rivalry going on. I was disheartened with the black church."
Gerow stopped going to church while he was in seminary. He believed churches should impact change in communities.
While at Princeton, a friend invited him to go to church in Philadelphia. After a year of invites, he went. Gerow joined Mount Airy Church of God In Christ the first Sunday he went to visit.
"I felt led to stay in Philadelphia and I eventually moved here," Gerow added.
Ten years ago, he founded his own church. Since then, he's worked to be a seed of change. He uses the church to tackle real social issues, ranging from sexual violence to stop-and-frisk.
Gerow said his church is working to protect the city's most vulnerable, and changing the game by preparing a path for the next generation.
"I want to leave the world better for my children," he said.
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