Pastor’s Corner with Jared Van Voorst

Pastor Jared Van Voorst’s story begins in South Dakota where he was born. Early on, around 1^st grade, he moved to the northwest corner of Iowa; to a small rural town where close-knit community and simple routines shaped his early life. The youngest of four children, with three older sisters, Jared grew up in a hardworking household. His dad worked at the local grocery store and his mom served as a medical transcriptionist. Sundays meant gathering at the local Congregational UCC church while in South Dakota and then the Reformed Church in Iowa, where Jared’s earliest impressions of faith were formed in a setting that valued community, worship, and faithfulness.

A pivotal moment in Jared’s young life came when he saw the video of Rodney King being beaten by police in Los Angeles. The images were disturbing and confusing, but they stayed with him. Even as a young person, he recognized the deep wrongness of what he was seeing, and it left a lasting impression. That early awareness of racial injustice became a motivating factor later in his life and ministry, especially as he was drawn to the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) a denomination whose strong commitment to racial righteousness resonated deeply with his convictions and his understanding of the gospel.

After graduating from high school, Jared attended Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, initially pursuing an art major. The freedom that university life offered, became a life lived recklessly apart from the Lord. After two years, he found himself asking a difficult but honest question: “What am I doing here?” Rather than continue on a path that didn’t feel right, he stepped away to reconnect with God in a renewed way. He dropped out of college and took a full-time job at a Bible camp. It was there, in the rhythms of camp ministry, mentoring students and serving in community, that his sense of calling began to develop more concretely. Additionally, around that time, he reconnected with someone very special from his high school days. Their relationship blossomed, and in 2006 they were married, beginning a new chapter of shared life and ministry.

His growing passion for ministry led him into youth ministry roles, eventually bringing him to a large, mega church in Lakeville, Minnesota. At the Lakeville church, Jared was entrusted with the leadership of over 600 middle school students. He now looks back on that responsibility with a mix of gratitude and amazement, recognizing that, on paper, there was no obvious reason the church should have taken such a risk on him. Yet they did, he served diligently those students and their families.

As the ministry grew, so did the complexity of the work. When a new youth pastor arrived, Jared was placed on a performance improvement plan. Rather than seeing this only as a setback, he received it as an invitation to grow. He returned to school to study business management and administration, not to leave ministry behind, but to become better equipped. He wanted to understand organizational systems, planning, and administration so that he could shepherd hundreds of middle and high school students and a large volunteer team with greater clarity and effectiveness. The investment paid off. His ministry expanded, and he stepped into overseeing the entire youth ministry. Amid this growth, Jared began to see that his calling was not only to youth but to the broader church. This realization drew him deeper into the pastoral side of ministry and, ultimately, to seminary.

When it came time to choose a seminary, Jared was intentional. He wanted a theological education that would stretch him beyond what he had always known. He sought a school that engaged deeply with social justice, racial justice, environmental concerns, and a global vision of the church. In seminary, he encountered non-white, non-male, and non-American theologians and perspectives that challenged and enriched his faith. This exposure did not undermine his belief; it deepened it. It helped him see the gospel as truly global, speaking to the pain and hope of people from many cultures and backgrounds. During this intense season of study and spiritual growth, life at home was full as well: just as he was nearing graduation, he, his wife, and son welcomed twins to their growing family; adding joy, sleepless nights, and a new level of excitement to their already busy lives.

As Jared continued in ministry, his commitment to racial justice and honest engagement with current events became more visible in his preaching and teaching. When he spoke about issues of racial justice from the pulpit, not everyone responded positively. Some congregants pushed back, and Jared began to sense a growing disconnect between his convictions and the direction of the church he was serving. This tension led him to a season of careful study and reflection. He examined what his church believed, studied other denominations, and asked how his own calling aligned with those beliefs. In that process, he discovered the Evangelical Covenant Church. The ECC’s clear stance on racial righteousness—its desire not only to talk about justice but to pursue it as a core expression of the gospel—struck a deep chord with him.

Drawn by that shared commitment, Jared discerned that his next step was to move into a context where his passion for justice, reconciliation, and thoughtful theology could be fully lived out. His search eventually led him to LifeChurch Canton, a diverse, multicultural congregation, where he now serves as lead pastor. His journey—from small rural towns in the Midwest, through college, Bible camp, marriage, serving youth in a mega church, business studies, seminary, and the birth of a son and twins—has shaped him into a pastor who values both conviction and compassion. Jared continues to draw on this rich and complex story, inviting others to wrestle honestly with faith, justice, and what it means to follow Jesus in a world that is both deeply broken and deeply loved by God.