Brandon Stern

Brandon was born and raised in the west suburbs of Chicago, IL.  He graduated from Boyce College in Louisville, KY with a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies and obtained an M.A. in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary in May of 2015. Before coming to Tapestry Community Church in March of 2024 Brandon had the opportunity to serve at Grace Bible Church in Gatesville, TX and New Covenant Bible Church in St. Charles, IL.

Brandon has been married to his wonderful wife, Jordan, since December of 2008 and they have three biological children, Trevor, Kaitlyn, and Jaden and twin foster girls, Jakayla and Jazlynn. Brandon enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and playing and watching sports (especially soccer).

PERSONAL TESTIMONY

I had the privilege of growing up in a strong Christian home. My parents were always faithfully involved in church and intentional in talking with me and my brothers about our need to trust in Jesus. As a young boy, I remember praying often to ask Jesus into my heart. I didn’t know much at that time, but I knew enough to want to go to heaven instead of hell. When I was ten years old, my twin brother Christopher talked with my parents about trusting in Jesus Christ. After he had talked and prayed with them I began to wonder if I really was saved. One week later, I could not sleep. I finally got up, found my parents and told them I wanted to trust in Jesus Christ. My parents did an excellent job talking through the gospel with me, and I distinctly remember my dad sharing that the Christian life is a journey that continues throughout one’s life and is characterized by ongoing faith and repentance. After our discussion, we prayed together, and I confessed my sin to the Lord and asked him to save me.

When I was fifteen, my family and I went on a short-term mission trip to Poltava, Ukraine. While there, we partnered with a church to hold a VBS. It was through this trip that the Lord really began to create in me a desire to impact people for Jesus Christ. As I interacted with the translators, many of whom were my age, I was taken by the content and caliber of our conversations. We were consistently talking about Jesus, his word, and our relationship with him. I loved it! From that moment on the Lord gave me a passion to have intentional, Christ-focused conversations with others. I was no longer content to simply talk about the superficial things that had characterized so many of my conversations with my peers. This experience made me want to do all that I could to impact those around me for Christ.

My high school years also had some significant challenges, but the Lord used these difficult situations to further strengthen my faith and increase my commitment to serving Christ and his people. My church at the time was fraught with division and conflict. I watched as godly men I loved and respected fought over doctrine and many left the church after being unable to reconcile their differences. While this was happening, one of my youth leaders began a Bible study through the book of Romans with me, my brother, and a few of our friends. The Lord used that study in profound ways in my life, and I found myself exposed to a sovereign God of remarkable grace. As I learned about his good and gracious sovereignty, I also had the opportunity to practice trusting it. My church continued to struggle, but I learned to trust God, even in the hard and uncertain times of life. I also learned the importance of tiering my theology and pursuing love and humility.

After we finished studying Romans, we moved on to John Piper’s book, Future Grace. God used this study to continue to grow and develop my relationship with him, and I began to learn how to live by faith in God’s promise of future grace. I learned that the battle for holiness was not just a battle to say no to sin, but yes to all that God is for me in Christ. This concept was life-altering and still impacts me to this day. I began to realize more and more that God is good and has my best interest in mind, and this realization encouraged me to trust him, obey what he says, and encourage others to do so, as well.

My mom was diagnosed with cancer in the middle of my sophomore year of college, and the Lord used this experience to continue to draw me closer and closer to him. The theological truths I was learning about God became more and more meaningful to me as cancer became a larger part of my family’s life over the next eight years. During that time, God saw fit to take both my mom and my dad home to be with him. This was a difficult journey, but the Lord used it to teach me lessons I would have never learned otherwise. By God’s grace, the theology I was learning was not allowed to stay in my head. God forced it down into my heart as I wrestled with his sovereignty and goodness in my life. Through all this, God continued to fan into flame my passion to impact people for Christ. I could not imagine going through an experience like this without knowing God’s love and faithfulness, and I wanted others to know God like this, as well.