Eagle Brook Church is a Baptist

megachurch A megachurch is a church with a very large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities. Most megachurches are Evangelical, although the term denotes a type of organization, not a denomination. A megachurch draws 2 ...

with multiple locations, based in

Centerville, Minnesota Centerville is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,896 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Main Stre ...

. It is affiliated with

Converge Converge may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) In mathematics, a limit is the value that a function (or sequence) app ...

. Weekly

church attendance Church attendance is a central religious practice for many Christians; some Christian denominations require church attendance on the Lord's Day (Sunday). The Catholic Church teaches that on Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithf ...

was 25,400 people in 2024. The senior pastor is Jason Strand.

History

The church was founded in 1948 as a house Bible study group called the Bethany Baptist Mission (and then First Baptist Church), led by Sam and Ethel Hane in

White Bear Lake, Minnesota White Bear Lake is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County in the U.S. state, state of Minnesota, United States. A small portion of the city also extends into Washington County, Minnesota, Washington County. The population was 24,88 ...

. In 1991, Bob Merritt became the senior pastor of the 300-member church. In 1995, the church was renamed Eagle Brook Church. The church relocated in 2005 to a new building in

Lino Lakes, Minnesota Lino Lakes ( ) is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 21,399 at the 2020 census. Interstates 35W and 35E are two of Lino Lakes's main routes. It is an outer suburb north of the Twin Cities. History When Eur ...

, featuring a seating capacity of 2,100. One year later, in 2006, the original church building in White Bear Lake reopened due to rapid growth. Upon opening a third location in Spring Lake Park, the church began

simulcasting Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...

weekend services from the Lino Lakes building to the other campuses. In November 2018,

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...

listed Eagle Brook Church as the 19th-largest

in the United States and the largest megachurch in Minnesota, with about 17,091 weekly visitors. In 2020, Jason Strand became the senior pastor. According to a 2024 church census, it claimed a weekly attendance of 25,400 people. It has opened 14 campuses in different cities in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area.

Beliefs

The Church has a

confession of faith A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds: ...

and is a member of

Eagle Brook Association

The church founded the Eagle Brook Association in 2006. Its mission is to help other churches

proselytize Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Carrying out attempts to instill beliefs can be called proselytization. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between Chris ...

—locally and worldwide. It provides other churches with free resources created by Eagle Brook Church for church partners to share with their own congregations. Since starting in 2006, church partners have, in total, reported to the Eagle Brook Association that over 118,000 people have become Christians.

Eagle Brook Finances

According to its financial reports, during 2022–2023, the church collected $58 million and gave $3.8 million to charitable works. In 2024, it paid $12 million for a plot of residential land in

Plymouth, Minnesota Plymouth is a city in Hennepin County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. A suburb in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, the city is about west of downtown Minneapolis. The population was 81,026 at the 2020 census, making it Minnes ...

Eagle Brook Music

Eagle Brook Music is a contemporary worship

music collective Musical collective is a phrase used to describe a group of musicians in which membership is flexible and creative control is shared.Liisa Ladouceur"Collective Souls" ''This Magazine'', November/December 2004. The concept is distinct from that of ...

from Eagle Brook Church in Lino Lakes. The collective writes and produces its own music as well as leads worship in weekend church services at the church. Eagle Brook Music also submits their songs to several major streaming services.

References and notes

External links

* {{Portal, Evangelical Christianity} Baptist churches in Minnesota Baptist multisite churches Converge megachurches