Bob Merritt

Last updated

Bob Merritt is the retired senior pastor of Eagle Brook Church in suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, a megachurch.

Contents

Early life and education

Merritt's father was Calvin Merritt, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Neshannock Township, Pennsylvania. Bob Merritt attended Neshannock High School in the 1970s, then went to Bethel University in Arden Hills, Minnesota, where he obtained a master's degree in divinity. From 1983 to 1988 he was pastor of the Falun First Baptist Church in Falun, Wisconsin. He then went to Penn State University, where he earned a doctorate in speech communications in 1991. [1]

Ministry

Merritt became pastor of the First Baptist Church (Eagle Brook Church) of White Bear Lake in 1991. [2] [3] By 1997, when the church took its present name, average weekend attendance had grown to 1,400. [4] To encourage people who may have been turned off by the formality of other churches, Merritt deliberately gave Eagle Brook an informal atmosphere, with no stained glass, pews or altar. [5] Merritt attributes the healthy level of donations from his core congregation to the sense of mission in the church, the drive to reach as many people as possible and help them grow in their faith. [6] He also emphasizes the importance of providing more than just a place to hear music and listen to an inspiring or helpful message, but to also be active in the world community assisting the oppressed, poor and hungry. [7]

Although retired from Eagle Brook Church, according to the former pastor's website [8] , Bob Merritt remains engaged in his ministry. He now dedicates himself to advising and coaching other pastors and ministries. Additionally, Merritt continues to contribute to the broader faith community by speaking at churches and conferences, sharing his expertise and experiences to encourage and educate others in their spiritual and leadership journeys.

Leadership training

Merritt was an instructor at Bethel Virtual Seminary of Bethel University. [9]

Recognition

In 2006 he was named Bethel Seminary Alumnus of the Year for his work in guiding the church through explosive growth and reaching out to people who had been lost to the church. [10]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Converge (United States)</span> Baptist denomination

Converge, formerly the Baptist General Conference (BGC) and Converge Worldwide, is a Baptist Christian denomination in the United States. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance and the National Association of Evangelicals. The headquarters are in Orlando, Florida. The current president of Converge is John K. Jenkins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Piper (theologian)</span> American pastor and writer (born 1946)

John Stephen Piper is an American Reformed Baptist theologian, pastor, and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Piper taught biblical studies at Bethel University for six years (1974–1980), before serving as pastor for preaching and vision of Bethlehem Baptist Church (Converge) in Minneapolis for 33 years (1980–2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Baptist Church of Jacksonville</span> Church in Florida, United States

The First Baptist Church of Jacksonville is a Baptist megachurch in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. As of 2023, First Baptist Church has 2,100 members and an average attendance of around 3,000 for Sunday services. The main Downtown Campus comprises several square blocks of property connected by above-ground crosswalks. The campus includes several auditoriums for services, a Sunday school building, and facilities for First Baptist Academy, a private K-12 school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethel University (Minnesota)</span> Private university in Minnesota

Bethel University is a private Christian university and seminary in Arden Hills, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1871 as a seminary and is affiliated with Converge. The university enrolls 5,600 students in undergraduate, graduate, and seminary programs. Its main campus is situated on about 290 acres on the east side of Lake Valentine just south of Interstate 694.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saddleback Church</span> Church in other locations across the world, United States

Saddleback Church is an Evangelical Baptist multi-site megachurch based in Lake Forest, California. It is the largest church in California, and one of the largest in the United States of America. The church has several campuses in California and around the world. Weekly church attendance was 30,000 people in 2023. Its senior pastor is Andy Wood and his wife, Stacie Wood, is a teaching pastor.

Northern Seminary is a private Baptist seminary in Lisle, Illinois. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Rogers</span> American pastor and author (1931–2005)

Adrian Pierce Rogers was an American Baptist pastor and conservative author. He served three terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

River City Church (formerly First Baptist Church) is a Baptist church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, member of the Venture Church Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethlehem Baptist Church (Minneapolis)</span> Church in Minnesota, United States

Bethlehem Baptist Church is a Baptist Evangelical megachurch based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is affiliated with Converge North Central and Converge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethel Church (Jacksonville, Florida)</span> Historic church in Florida, United States

The Bethel Church is a historically-black Baptist megachurch in Jacksonville, Florida, in the United States. Founded in 1838, it is the city's oldest Baptist congregation. The attendance is 12,000 members. The senior pastor is Bishop Rudolph W. McKissick Jr. The historic church building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wooddale Church</span> Church in Minnesota, United States

Wooddale Church is a Baptist multi-site evangelical Christian church located in Eden Prairie, Edina and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is affiliated with Converge and the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference.

Ernest Dinwoodie Pickering was a fundamentalist Christian pastor, author, college administrator, and mission board representative.

Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Minneapolis is an Independent Baptist seminary in Plymouth, Minnesota. The seminary moved from Minneapolis to its present location in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Platt (pastor)</span> American Southern Baptist pastor (1978-)

David Joseph Platt is an American evangelical Baptist pastor. He was senior pastor at the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, from 2006 to 2014. At the time he was the youngest megachurch pastor in the United States. From 2014 to 2017, Platt was president of the International Mission Board. He became pastor-teacher at McLean Bible Church in 2017. He is the author of the 2010 New York Times Best Seller Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream.

Substance Church is a nondenominational, Evangelical Christian, megachurch in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. In 2010, Outreach Magazine ranked the church as the 21st fastest growing congregation in the United States. Because the church has integrated ultra-contemporary worship, cell church, and cafe church methods into a singular megachurch setting, Substance is often cited as being "trend-setting".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Jeffress</span> Pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas

Robert James Jeffress Jr. is an American Southern Baptist pastor, author, radio host, and televangelist. He is the senior pastor of the 14,000-member First Baptist Church, a megachurch in Dallas, Texas, and is a Fox News Contributor. His sermons are broadcast on the television and radio program Pathway to Victory, which is broadcast on more than 1,200 television stations in the United States and 28 other countries, and is heard on 900 stations and broadcast live in 195 countries.

David Charles Fisher is an American author, professor, and a pastor who was the senior pastor at Park Street Church in Boston from 1989 to 1995 and the senior pastor at Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York from 2004 to 2013.

Bethel Theological Seminary is a Christian seminary in Arden Hills, Minnesota in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area affiliated with Bethel University (Minnesota). It is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. It was initially founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1871.

Herman Paul Pressler III, is an American judge who was a justice of the Texas 14th Circuit Court of Appeals in his native Houston, Texas. Pressler was a key figure in the conservative resurgence of the Southern Baptist Convention, which he initiated in 1978. He has been accused of sexual misconduct or assault by at least six men, some of whom were underage at the time of the alleged activity.

Eagle Brook Church is a non denomination multi-site megachurch based in Centerville, Minnesota. It is affiliated with Converge. Weekly church attendance was 20,923 people in 2023. The senior pastor is Jason Strand.

References

  1. ↑ "Where Eagles Soar" (PDF). The Globe Leader. New Wilmington, PA. Retrieved August 22, 2010.[ dead link ]
  2. ↑ Jean Hopfensperger, Thousands flock to Eagle Brook megachurch as pastor retires, startribune.com, USA, March 2, 2020
  3. ↑ Meredee Berg, Bob Merritt: ‘Truth and Love Must Go Together’, outreachmagazine.com, USA, October 4, 2017
  4. ↑ Strickler, Jeff (July 19, 2008). "What makes a gigachurch go?". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  5. ↑ Allen, Martha Sawyer (February 7, 1999). "Religion for the masses". Star Tribune (Minneapolis). Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  6. ↑ Joe Kimball (October 21, 2008). "Religious groups keeping the faith on finances but worry about agencies that help needy". MinnPost. Archived from the original on August 18, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  7. ↑ "World Vision Experience: AIDS – Step Into Africa" (PDF). World Vision. January 12, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Helping Pastors and Churches Thrive". BobMerritt.com. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Accomplished Professional Instructors". Bethel Virtual Seminary. Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Bob Merritt is Bethel Seminary Alumnus of the Year". Campus News. Bethel University. Winter 2006. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.