Luke Brownell: Faith Factory

Andrew with CBC graduates, Luke and Angela Brownell. Luke pastors the Faith Factory, the children's ministry at Tree of Life Church in New Braunfels, Texas.
(Click to enlarge)Luke Brownell received Christ when he was just a child, and realized at an early age that the Lord had called him to be a minister. Although he remembers a time in his late teens when Andrew was a guest speaker at his church in New Mexico, it was not until years later that Andrew's teaching truly impacted his life. Luke, now a Charis Bible College graduate, serves the body of Christ as the Pastor of the Faith Factory, the children's ministry at Tree of Life Church in New Braunfels, Texas.

Luke's high school youth pastor felt led to leave New Mexico to plant a new church in Denver, Colorado. When his pastor announced he would be leaving, Luke sensed that he would be moving to Colorado as well. He informed his pastor of his decision and joined him as part of his launch team. His pastor welcomed Luke's help, but made a life changing suggestion to him. "During the months leading up to the move, Pastor, Luke Brownell.
(Click to enlarge)my pastor emailed me, and said if I was going to be helping him in ministry, he thought it would be a good idea for me to go to Bible college," said Luke. The email included an attachment; Luke's pastor had sent Andrew's personal testimony about leaving school to pursue God's call.

Luke received the information and applied to Charis Bible College-Colorado without hesitation. In an instant, he turned his back on the future he had aligned for himself; his perceived occupation as an Emergency Medical Technician, a full scholarship to the University of New Mexico, his family and his home. Luke essentially gave up everything in his life to be a part of his youth pastor's church plant. With that end in mind Luke began attending CBC in 2000.

Several things changed over the two years Luke attended CBC. Aside from having his life and relationship with the Lord transformed by the teaching at Angela and Luke met and were married while attending CBC.
(Click to enlarge)CBC, he also met and married his wife, Angela, and his ministry leading changed. Although in his mind Luke initially believed he had moved north to be a part of his pastor's church in Denver, he began to realize that the main purpose for his journey to Colorado was to be equipped for his call to pastoral ministry. Six months after graduating from CBC, the Lord began to turn Luke's attention to Tree of Life Church in Texas. While there wasn't a specific position available, Luke and Angela felt as though this was their next step and they made the decision to move. "I actually stayed with the church [in Denver] longer than I should have because I lacked the discernment to recognize why God actually moved me up there," said Luke.

The young couple stayed in Colorado while their house was being built in central Texas. Halfway through the construction of their new home, the Luke (in red) at the Faith Factory, feeding the children big truths in small bites. (Click to enlarge)director of the children's ministry at Tree of Life, whom Luke had never met, called and offered him a paid internship position at the church, which he gladly accepted. Eventually, he was welcomed on to the staff as the full-time elementary children's pastor.

Luke has spent the past seven-and-a-half years with Tree of Life, putting into practice the lessons he learned while at CBC. He has been able to share the ideas behind the teachings that impacted him such as Spirit, Soul and Body, The True Nature of God and The Believer's Authority, with approximately one hundred children every Sunday. "We teach them big truths in small bites because if we can establish them young, I am confident they will stand strong, said Luke.

Luke (upper right) leading by example, worshiping with the children.
(Click to enlarge)It's important to Luke that the children learn that God is a healer—today; that God does not bring or allow for any reason, destruction, disaster, sickness, etc; that God is good and the devil is bad, and that God loves them and has good for them every day. Most importantly, Luke and his team of twenty-five volunteers, teach the kids how to access the finished work of grace—effortlessly by faith.

"We create an environment that kids can't resist so they'll come grow in the Word and with each other," said Luke, "I have heard parents say that their kids wake them up to go to church. I can see while I teach that they are soaking up the Word and believing God for big things."

"CBC was the first step toward God's call on my life. I believe if I had not taken that step I would not be in ministry. Andrew's teaching laid the foundation for the core beliefs I stand on today that have brought me confidence to stand and believe for big results."