THE DEWEERDTS: FORGING NEW PATHS WITH EDUCATION

All with their own unique callings, the DeWeerdt family members have found degree programs at Southeastern University that fit each of their varying roles within the ministry. And, as a result, JEREMY DeWEERDT ’19 (MAML) would describe his household as a Southeastern family.

“SEU has really helped form us in ministry training, theology and our careers,” Jeremy reflected. “In many ways, it has enabled us to enhance our leadership abilities.”

Jeremy and his wife of 27 years, JEN DeWEERDT ’22 (MAML), are parents to sons, CADEN ’21, ’23 (MAML), Connor and Paxton. At the age of 10, Paxton is the only member of the family who hasn’t yet pursued a degree from Southeastern.

As the first to enroll at the university, Jeremy had been encouraged by Justin Lathrop, Southeastern’s vice president for strategic partnerships, to look into the Master of Arts in Ministerial Leadership (MAML) program.

“After learning about the MAML, it just seemed like a perfect fit for me as a senior pastor,” explained Jeremy.

Caden was the next DeWeerdt to apply to Southeastern for an undergraduate degree. Jen followed shortly, joining the MAML program in the fall of 2020.

“I had watched Jeremy go through the program, and I thought, ‘Can I do this?’” Jen recalled. “I would seriously encourage anyone who is considering starting school again, to do it. I was 48 years old when I began the MAML program, and it was such an incredible experience.”

After graduating with his bachelor’s in organizational leadership and a minor in pastoral leadership, Caden followed in his parents’ footsteps and also entered the MAML program.

“We are one of only a few families who has had a mom, dad and son all go through the program,” Jeremy pointed out.

Connor is currently studying music business at Southeastern. With plans to graduate in the spring of 2024, he intends to pursue a career in the music industry.

“I’m open to a lot of potential paths, whether it’s in production, performance or teaching,” said Connor.

Connor has played guitar for 10 years and has written and produced his own music. In 2022, he released his first EP, “City of Reverie,” on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and several other streaming platforms. His latest single, “LOVELY,” came out in February of 2023.

Jeremy and Jen serve as senior pastors of City First Church — a multi-site church based out of Rockford, Illinois. City

First’s Rockford location brings in about 3,500 attendees to its in-person services and 50,000 viewers for its online services.

As senior pastors, Jeremy and Jen oversee a pastoral staff of 19 individuals, including the principals and the head of their pre-K to 12th grade school, Christian Life Schools.

In addition to the Rockford location, City First has sites in Rockton, Illinois; Cape Coral, Florida; and at correctional centers in Bowling Green, Florida, and Dixon, Illinois.

Jeremy and Jen have been in their current positions since 2007. Previously, Jeremy spent more than 16 years as student ministries pastor, co-leading the youth ministry with Jen. He also founded and directed the post-high school ministry, Rockford Master’s Commission, now known as City First Leadership College, in 1993.

Two years after Jeremy founded the program, Jen joined him in its development.

Beginning as a one-year discipleship training program, the leadership college has since expanded to offer up to four years of residential ministry training. It also teaches advanced discipleship skills to prepare students for leadership roles in vocational ministry and the secular marketplace.

City First Leadership College eventually became a Southeastern partner site in 2017. Offering educational tracks in pastoral leadership, lighting and sound productions, creative fields and more, the City First program has graduated more than 1,200 students since its inception.

“I founded the Rockford Master’s Commission (now City First Leadership College) primarily for ministry training, but also for teaching life and leadership skills in the global marketplace,” remembered Jeremy. “I have been interested in the spiritual development of the youngest generation for all of my adult life. And as a minister in the Christian church, my ultimate goal is for these young adults to come to a life-changing faith in Jesus, while also discovering the purpose that God has for their life.”

Both Jeremy and Jen have been able to integrate their learning experiences from the MAML program into their roles at City First.

“The MAML challenged me to study at a greater depth. The works that we read were truly eye-opening and gave me further insight into the word of God,” said Jen.

As a lead pastor, Jen helps guide the overall vision of the church and serves on the executive and teaching teams. She is also the founder of the Original Women’s Conference, which has grown to two locations and over 3,000 attendees within 15 years.

For Jeremy, his experience in the MAML program has broadened his perspective and abilities.

“My studies in the MAML program substantially impacted both my preaching and leadership strategies. It’s allowed me to deliver more dynamic messages on

Sundays and shepherd the development of my staff,” Jeremy reflected.

Although the three DeWeerdts were in the same program, they worked through the MAML in different cohorts. However, they were still able to support and encourage each other through their common academic pursuits. They shared textbooks, their experiences with certain classes and assignments, and recommendations for their favorite professors.

“We really assisted each other experientially,” Jeremy noted.

Jen expressed, “It’s also been special just to see the relationships that have formed and grown from our time at Southeastern, even outside the dynamics of family, but with the incredible professors we got to learn from.” She added, “My professors were definitely one of my favorite parts of the program.They’re all very encouraging and challenging in their own way.”

The DeWeerdt’s oldest son, Caden, also works at City First Church, serving as the pastor for the church’s online location, City First Anywhere.

City First Anywhere includes online viewers and attendees of City First’s metaverse location — an extension of the online church that was partly inspired by Caden’s Southeastern coursework.

“One of the coolest things that the MAML cohort inspired me to do originated from my practical theology course with Dr. Alan Ehler,” Caden commented. “Our assignment was to pinpoint a problem we saw in the church and supply a practical, theologically-sound way to fix it.”

Caden’s project was focused on starting a church in the metaverse: a virtualreality space where users can interact with each other in a computer-generated environment.

Shortly after he accepted his position, Caden was able to utilize his research to help launch City First’s metaverse location. “I attribute a lot of credit to Dr. Ehler for pushing me and inspiring me to take that first step,” said Caden.

The City First metaverse church holds services weekly on Friday, separate from the Sunday service times. People can join in from anywhere around the world with the use of a virtual reality headset.

Caden remarked, “We’ve had people from Japan, Germany and countries all across the globe attend.”

The metaverse location officially launched in March of 2022 and now averages about 20 to 30 attendees. With the use of their headsets, participants can step into the virtual walls of City First Church and navigate as if they were actually there. They are able to sit down and watch the service, and even raise their virtual hands to express themselves during worship.

“Jesus calls us to go out into all of the world, and although it’s virtual, it is still a part of our world. There are real people with real souls behind the avatars who still need to be reached,” Caden emphasized.

“These are people who may not be comfortable walking into a physical church building. And even though they may be thousands of miles away, we are still able to stand in front of them, hear their voice and minister in a way not many others have before.”

He continued, “We’ve had people accept Jesus as their Savior in our metaverse services. I think it’s a beautiful representation of what the online church can become.”

“Whether you’re in vocational ministry like Jen, Caden and I, or the marketplace as Connor soon will be, we’re all called to make a difference in this world,” said Jeremy. “Education awakens the mind and God uses that to direct your life and reinforce your calling. I think we’ve all found this in Southeastern, and it’s positioned us for success.”