Meet Our Pastor

 

 

Our pastor, Dr. Bryan Laue, loves to share the simple, clear message of God’s love. His sermons and his life do not reflect a complex and confusing gospel but rather a gospel that can be easily understood by all.  He desires to encourage you with the assurance that Jesus Christ is our friend and savior and that you can surrender your life to Him with joy and peace.

Early Life

Pastor Bryan grew up in Texas and attended both private and public schools near San Antonio. He loves the outdoors and was actively involved in Pathfinders and served as Pathfinder Director during his senior year in high school. Bryan also worked at several summer camps throughout most of his high school and college years.

Bryan attended Southwestern Adventist University in Texas. Following his freshman year, he spent a year as a student missionary in the country of Peru in South America. It was there that he accepted the call from God to enter pastoral ministry. In 2003 he graduated from Southwestern Adventist University with a degree in theology.

After graduating from Southwestern, Bryan spent seven months training lay pastors and working with Adventist Frontier Missions in Papua New Guinea.

April and Bryan met while working at a summer camp in Southern California. They dated for three years and were married in June 2004. April has finished her BS in dietetics. Bryan and April have three children.

Pastoral Experience

After returning from the mission field, Bryan pastored in southern Louisiana before attending the seminary at Andrews University and earning a Master of Divinity degree. After receiving his Master of Divinity from Andrews in 2008, Bryan and April moved to West Monroe, Louisiana where Bryan served as the pastor of the Westlakes and Jonesboro churches for four years. During this time, Bryan was ordained to the gospel ministry and served on the conference evangelism and executive committee.

After ministering in Louisiana, Bryan and April moved to Pennsylvania to serve as pastor of the Gettysburg and Hanover churches for four and half years. During his time there he began working on his doctorate through Andrews University. His focus is on the areas of apologetics and faith development among young adults, graduating in May 2022.

While working in Pennsylvania, Bryan and his family accepted a call to pastor and teach Bible at the Upper Columbia Academy Church in Washington. Several years later he accepted a call to pastor the Smoky Mountain and Newport Seventh-day Adventist Churched here in East Tennessee.