Brian Zahnd

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Brian Zahnd is founder and senior pastor of Word of Life Church, a 4,000 member congregation in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Pastor Brian’s vision for Word of Life Church under the banner of "The King and His Kingdom" is contained in five key words: cross, mystery, eclectic, community, and revolution. These five words drive his preaching and teaching style. Brian also travels extensively, ministering in churches, conferences, and crusades across America and around the world.

Brian Zahnd was born March 5, 1959, in St. Joseph, Missouri. He came to be a Christian at a David Wilkerson Crusade on November 9, 1974, at the age of fifteen. Called to preach the gospel, he delivered his first sermon four months later in a Baptist church, and ministered in churches and youth outreaches throughout his teen years. In November of 1981, at the age of twenty-two, he founded Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri, with a handful of young people. For the next seven years the fledgling congregation grew slowly, but eventually outgrew the small building they had purchased. In 1989, the church moved into a converted office building; and rapid growth necessitated that the auditorium be expanded three times in two years, eventually seating 1,000. In 1996, Word of Life Church constructed a 71,000 square foot ministry complex that features a 2,500 seat auditorium. Recent expansions include Solomon’s Porch Bookstore & Coffee Shop, open 7 days a week; and the Upper Room Prayer and Worship Center, dedicated to prayer and worship 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In may 2006, the church completed construction of the 26,000 square Millennium Youth Center, a facility for the youth and college ministries of the church. Word of Life Church has been recognized as one the top 100 fastest growing churches in America.

Pastor Brian Zahnd appears on a weekly international television program, Word of Life TV. In addition to a daily local radio broadcast, regular weekly church services are broadcast live via the internet. Pastor Zahnd has also made numerous guest appearances on Trinity Broadcasting Network and the Daystar Television Network. He is a member of Integrity Leadership Ministries.

Pastor Brian and his wife, Peri, have been married since 1980. They reside in St. Joseph, Missouri and have three sons—Caleb, Aaron, and Philip.