Church Unity: Moving Beyond Diversity to Oneness (Part 1)

When Jason Strand transitioned from his role as a teaching pastor to become senior pastor of Eagle Brook Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, he stepped into a whirlwind—not because he was following in former Senior Pastor Bob Merritt’s footsteps, but because it was March 2020.

Two years later, Strand leads one of the fastest-growing churches in the nation—a fact that still surprises him after the stress and changes brought on by COVID-19.

In the following interview, Strand shares with Outreach magazine how a challenge from his wife led to a job at Eagle Brook, what is making the difference for church unity, and why reaching the unchurched is vital to the church going forward.

Let’s start with your story. What led you to pastoral ministry?

Well, I didn’t grow up going to church at all. The first time I ever walked into a church, I was 19 and wearing a Wu-Tang Clan T-shirt and basketball shorts. I was attending a Catholic school that had mass on Sunday night. I thought, I’m just gonna walk in. I was hesitant about it, but there was this sweet lady who practically forced me to come in and sit down. When they went up for communion, everybody was wearing collared shirts and khakis. I felt ridiculous. But right from the beginning, I understood people who are nervous to walk into church, who don’t know anybody or any of the routines or rituals, and who are wondering what other people think of them.

At that point when I was 19, I was starting to think, There’s got to be something more to my life. Up until then, I was satisfied with playing sports, trying to find a girlfriend and doing as well as I could in school, but once I got to college, it all hit me. I was away from home for the first time, away from parents and friends, and all of a sudden I started wondering, Is this it?

I was dating a Christian girl at the time, but I was pretty insecure. A moment came when she was headed off on a mission trip, and I went over to say goodbye before she left. She was on the phone with a friend, and I got super angry. I started yelling, “Get off the phone. Come spend time with me.” She got off the phone—and promptly broke up with me.

The next night, my parents drove me back to college. We went out to eat, and in the middle of the restaurant, this high school student starts yelling at his girlfriend at their table. It was the weirdest thing. I’d never seen anything like it in my life—it was happening right in the middle of the restaurant, and people were staring. My first thought was, How do you get to become the kind of guy who speaks to your girlfriend that way?

My second thought? You’re that guy.

When my girlfriend broke up with me, she gave me a tract. I think she said, “We’re done. You need Jesus. Read this.” People make fun of tracts, but I still had it stuck in my pocket. When I got back to my dorm room, I opened it up. For the first time in my life, I realized I was a sinner who needed a Savior. And right there, I prayed to receive Christ into my life, turned from my sin and put my faith in Jesus.

I started to go to a good church, joined a college Bible study and began to read the Bible every night. I went for long walks where I would begin to pray. I read a lot and gradually realized that my faith wasn’t just an emotional high—it had a rational framework too. I ended up transferring to Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where, during my very first week, I experienced a deep sense of calling to ministry. Jason, this is what you want to do with your life. You want to help people come to know Christ. I just knew it.

I met my wife, and we married right after college. Then I went full-time in my job as a youth pastor that I had begun two years into Bethel.

Paul J. Pastor