Chad Veach

Last updated
Chad Veach
Occupation(s)Pastor and author
SpouseJulia Veach
Website www.zoechurch.org

Chad Veach is an American evangelical pastor and the founder of Zoe Church, a youth-oriented Christian congregation that is based in Los Angeles, California. Veach has been the subject of significant mainstream press coverage, which often focuses on Veach's taste in streetwear [1] and sneakers [2] and his links to celebrities like actor Chris Pratt, [3] the Kardashians [4] [5] [6] and singer Justin Bieber, which have been chronicled on Veach's Instagram account. [7] [8]

Contents

Early life and family

Veach was born in 1979 and grew up on Whidbey Island where he graduated in 1998 from Oak Harbor High School in Oak Harbor, Washington. His father, Dave Veach, is a District Supervisor with Foursquare Church in Tacoma, Washington. Growing up he attended Shelton Christian Fellowship (now called Gateway Christian Fellowship), as his parents were youth pastors there. As a young man, Veach “wasn't solid in his faith at all,” according to his father. [7] In an interview with The Christian Post , Veach said that he had "a foot in, a foot out" of church as a teenager, but that attending a Promise Keepers event was a turning point for him: "it's the typical prodigal son story who has an experience and then says, 'Wait, what I had back home was way better. I'm going back home and to church.' I had sown some wild oats but nothing too crazy." [9] Veach's two siblings are also pastors. [7]

Veach attended Life Pacific College, a Foursquare denominational Bible college located in San Dimas, California, graduating in 2002.

Career

Veach started as a youth pastor in El Monte, California. In 2004, Veach took a job counseling teens and young adults for United Generation ministry in Puyallup, Washington. In 2013, he became associated with Judah Smith, spiritual adviser to Justin Bieber and lead pastor of Churchome, a multi-site megachurch based in Seattle and Los Angeles. [7]

In 2014, Chad Veach and his wife Julia Veach moved to Los Angeles and started their ministry with informal gatherings at their home. Zoe Church began its services in borrowed space in a small church in Santa Monica and, after one day at the 1 Oak nightclub in Hollywood. Zoe Church had services at the Fonda nightclub. Zoe Church moved to the El Rey Theatre on Wilshire Boulevard. Services were also held at the Million Dollar Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Veach told the New York Times that he modeled Zoe Church after Hillsong Church and Church of the Highlands. [7]

In 2017, Veach and Judah Smith accompanied Justin Bieber on his Purpose World Tour, reportedly to serve as “positive influences.” [7] Videos of Veach with Justin Bieber have appeared on Veach's Instagram account. [7]

Ruth Graham, writing in Slate , noted how Veach's trendy fashion and association with Justin Bieber made him the latest example of the “cool-pastor phenomenon.” [10]

In August 2022, Zoe Church bought the 98 year old Buddhist Temple in Highland Park for their future church site. [11]

Pastoral style

In a profile of Veach published in The New York Times, Veach was quoted as saying "I want to be loud and dumb. That's my goal. If we aren't making people laugh, what are we doing? What's the point?" [7] Veach is described as frequently using street talk, Spanish bilingualism and changing his dialect depending on his audience, and occasionally mimicking Houston megachurch pastor Joel Osteen and Word of Faith ministers. [7] Veach teaches Word of Faith prosperity doctrine and places a large emphasis on giving money to God through the church. Veach maintains an active social media presence, crediting Instagram with helping to popularize his church. [7]

Veach described his pastoral philosophy in an interview with The Christian Post, saying that he was motivated by a desire to reverse the trend of young adults becoming less affiliated with church:

We need to do whatever we can to become relevant and deconstruct some of those false notions about what religion is. What resonates with young adults is actually the message of Jesus and maybe that was convoluted or placed in the back burner in the past but I think that's why you're seeing young adults in the droves respond because if people can see a clear picture of Jesus, that undeniable ... we obviously have something better than the world can offer." [9]

Books

Veach has published five books.

In 2012, Veach's first book, Do You See What I See? was published.

In 2016, Veach's second book, Unreasonable Hope: Finding Faith in the God Who Brings Purpose to Your Pain, was published, about his daughter Georgia's struggle with lissencephaly. [7]

In 2017, Veach's third book, Faith Forward Future: Moving Past Your Disappointments, Delays, and Destructive Thinking was published. [7]

In 2020, Veach's fourth book, Help! I Work with People: Getting Good at Influence, Leadership, and People Skills was published. [7]

In 2022, Veach's fifth book, Pray About Everything Devotional Journal was published.

Personal life

Veach is married to the former Julia MacGregor. The couple has four children.

Veach has a tattoo on his left arm that reads “Better at 70,” in the handwriting of Justin Bieber. [7]

Controversy

Veach's church has been criticized by actor Elliot Page for being "infamously anti-LGBTQ". [12] Actor Chris Pratt spoke on the matter, denying the anti-LGBTQ stance and saying that the Zoe Church "opens its doors to absolutely everyone". [13]

Veach and his wife Julia were executive producers on the 2017 film The Heart of Man, a docudrama on "sexual brokenness". The film treats same-sex attraction, porn addiction, and infidelity as examples of such brokenness. [14] [15]

Chad Veach and Zoe Church are both affiliated and associated with Hillsong by attending and speaking at Hillsong conferences and structuring Zoe church similar to Hillsong church. [16] Veach was close friends with Hillsong's pastor, Carl Lentz. Veach told The New York Times that he modeled his church, in part, after Hillsong. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Contemporary Christian music</span> Genre of modern popular music

Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and stylistically rooted in Christian music. Originating in the United States, it was formed by those affected by the 1960s Jesus movement revival who began to express themselves in other styles of popular music, beyond the church music of hymns, gospel and Southern gospel music that was prevalent in the church at the time. Initially referred to as Jesus music, today, the term is typically used to refer to pop, but also includes rock, alternative rock, hip hop, metal, contemporary worship, punk, hardcore punk, Latin, electronic dance music, R&B-influenced gospel, and country styles.

A megachurch is a church with a very large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities. Most megachurches are Protestant, and particularly Evangelical, although the word denotes a type of organization, not a denomination. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as any Protestant Christian church that draws 2,000 or more people in a weekend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Harris (author)</span> American writer, former pastor

Joshua Eugene Harris is an American former Evangelical Christian pastor. Harris' 1997 book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, in which he laid out his ideas concerning a Biblically based Christian approach to dating and relationships, helped shape purity culture for many Christian millennials. Harris was lead pastor of Covenant Life Church, the founding church of Sovereign Grace Ministries, in Gaithersburg, Maryland from 2004 until 2015. In 2018, Harris disavowed I Kissed Dating Goodbye and discontinued its publication. The following year, Harris announced that he was separating from his wife, had "undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus" and had given up on his Christian faith.

Word of Faith is a movement within charismatic Christianity which teaches that Christians can get power and financial prosperity through prayer, and that those who believe in Jesus' death and resurrection have the right to physical health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoff Bullock</span> Musical artist

Geoffrey William "Geoff" Bullock is an Australian singer-songwriter and pianist. He helped pioneer the Hills Christian Life Centre, which later became Hillsong Church. He was appointed as the church's worship pastor and was also the convenor of their annual conferences from 1987 to 1995, before leaving Hillsong in late 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Pratt</span> American actor (born 1979)

Christopher Michael Pratt is an American actor. Pratt rose to prominence in the late 2000s for playing Andy Dwyer in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015). He also appeared in The WB drama series Everwood (2002–2006) and had supporting roles in the films Wanted (2008), Jennifer's Body (2009), Moneyball (2011), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), and Her (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Houston</span> Australian musician

Joel Timothy Houston is an Australian musician, songwriter, pastor, and leader in the Sydney-based band Hillsong United, a worship band of Hillsong Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsong Church</span> Global megachurch network headquartered in Australia

Hillsong Church, commonly known as Hillsong, is a charismatic Christian megachurch and a Christian association of churches based in Australia. The original church was established in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, as Hills Christian Life Centre by Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie Houston, in 1983. Hillsong was a member of the Australian Christian Churches – the Australian branch of the US-based Assemblies of God – until 2018, when it separated to form a new denomination. The church is known for its contemporary worship music, with groups such as Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United and Hillsong Young & Free with many musical credits and hits and a series of scandals and criticisms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsong Conference</span> Annual Christian conference in Sydney, Australia

Hillsong Conference is a mid-year week-long annual Christian conference hosted in Sydney, Australia, with a smaller three-day event held in London later each year. It is the largest annual conference in Australia of any kind. The event is hosted by Hillsong Church at the Qudos Bank Arena and surrounding Olympic Park precinct.

Christian Witness Ministries (CWM) is a non-denominational church affiliation founded by the former National General Secretary of the Assemblies of God in Australia 1989-1992, Philip Powell. CWM publishes a quarterly magazine, Contending Earnestly for The Faith (CETF), of which Philip Powell is the editor and to which a number of authors from different backgrounds contribute, including Dave Hunt, Bill Randles, Mike Gendron, Aeron Morgan, Jeffrey Whittaker, Mark Mullins, Roger Winter-Smith, and Larry DeBruyn. CWM also runs a bookshop and conducts Bible conferences and ministry tours featuring the above speakers plus Justin Peters and Peter Stokes. CWM is a watchman discernment ministry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Houston</span> Australian pastor and evangelist

Brian Charles Houston is a New Zealand-Australian former pastor and evangelist. He was the founder and senior pastor at Hillsong Church, based in Sydney with locations around the world. He was the national president of Australian Christian Churches, the Australian branch of the Assemblies of God, from 1997 to 2009.

Roberta Lee Houston, better known as Bobbie Houston, is a New Zealand-born Australian of Tongan descent and a Pentecostal pastor in the Australian Christian Churches. Houston and her husband, Brian were the Senior Pastors of the Hillsong Church in Baulkham Hills, Sydney, Australia prior to the latter's departure in 2022.

Hillsong Worship is a praise and worship collective from Sydney, Australia. They started making music in 1983 at Hillsong Church. Fifteen of their songs have appeared on the Billboard magazine charts in the US, with "What a Beautiful Name" (2016) representing their greatest success, reaching platinum in the US. The band has some notable members, including Darlene Zschech, Marty Sampson, Brooke Fraser, Reuben Morgan, and Joel Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandan Robertson</span> Christian writer, activist, and speaker

Brandan Robertson is a gay writer, activist, minister, and TikTok religious influencer. He has written on the subjects of millennials, social justice, and Progressive Christianity, and he is an LGBTQ activist. Robertson serves as the Pastor of Sunnyside Reformed Church in Queens, New York.

Sinclair Rogers II was an American Christian pastor who was part of the ex-gay movement. In the late 1980s, Rogers was a President of Exodus International, and became one of the earliest personalities associated with the ex-gay movement. He wrote a life-story entitled "The Man in the Mirror," which was published in pamphlet form by Last Days Ministries.

Hillsong Church São Paulo is a congregation of Hillsong Church which meets in São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in the Americas. Other satellite congregations meet in Sydney, London, Paris, Kyiv, Cape Town, Stockholm, New York City and Buenos Aires.

Stephen Carl Lentz is an American former celebrity pastor who was also a spiritual advisor to celebrities such as Justin Bieber. He was the lead pastor of Hillsong NYC until November 4, 2020, when he was fired by Hillsong Global Pastor Brian Houston for "leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures."

<i>The Peace Project</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Hillsong Worship

The Peace Project is an album by Australian contemporary worship group Hillsong Worship and is the fifth Christmas-themed worship album from Hillsong Music, following We Have a Saviour (2012). Released on 20 October 2017 by Hillsong Music Australia and Capitol Christian Music Group, the album's production was spearheaded by Ben Tan and Michael Guy Chislett. The album was nominated for the GMA Dove Award for Christmas / Special Event Album of the Year at the 49th Annual GMA Dove Awards.

<i>There Is More</i>

There Is More is the 26th live album by Australian worship group Hillsong Worship. The album was released on 6 April 2018, by Hillsong Music and Capitol Christian Music Group. Production was handled by Brooke Ligertwood and Michael Guy Chislett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planetshakers Church</span> Pentacostal megachurch based in Melbourne, Australia

Planetshakers Church is an evangelical Christian Pentecostal megachurch adult and youth movement based in Melbourne, Australia, with several church campuses around the world.

References

  1. ↑ Schube 2017.
  2. ↑ Christian 2019.
  3. ↑ Turner 2019.
  4. ↑ "Kourtney Kardashian Gets Parenting Tips From Controversial Evangelical Pastors". HuffPost. 2019-08-29. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  5. ↑ McCarty, India (2022-05-26). "Hollywood Pastor Chad Veach Officiates Kourtney Kardashian's Marriage to Travis Barker". Movieguide | The Family Guide to Movies & Entertainment. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  6. ↑ Law, Jeannie (28 August 2019). "Kardashian asks pastors Chad and Julia Veach how to share faith with her kids". www.christiantoday.com. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Holson 2018.
  8. ↑ Jones 2018.
  9. 1 2 Martinez 2014.
  10. ↑ Graham 2018.
  11. ↑ Cabral, Javier (2022-08-23). "Christian Church Accused of Being Anti-LGBTQ Buys Highland Park's Bright Orange Buddhist Temple". L.A. TACO. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  12. ↑ McLaughlin, Kelly (February 8, 2019). "Ellen Page calls out Chris Pratt's 'infamously anti-LGBTQ' church — where Jenners, Biebers, and other celebrities have also worshipped". Insider.
  13. ↑ McLaughlin, Kelly (February 11, 2019). "Chris Pratt says he 'believes that everyone is entitled to love who they want' after Elliot Page called his church 'infamously anti-LGBTQ'". Insider.
  14. ↑ "Pastor Chad Veach Reveals Why 'Every Person' Needs to Watch 'The Heart of Man' Prodigal Son Docudrama". www.gospelherald.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  15. ↑ The Heart of Man (2017) - IMDb , retrieved 2022-02-17
  16. ↑ "Here's Everything You Need To Know About Chris Pratt's Religious Controversies After He Compared Himself To Jesus". Yahoo Life. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  17. ↑ Tapp, Tom (2022-06-29). "Chris Pratt Says He Never Went To Controversial Church, Reveals Where He Does Worship". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-05-01.

Sources

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.