New pastor sees two vocations as advantage

The newly ordained Rev. Brett Scollard gathers his family together two weeks after the birth of twins, Kyla and Nora. From left are Elia, 8, Annaliese, 6, Brett holding Kyla, now 7 months, Michelle, holding Isabella, 2 and Nora, now 7 months, Jachin, 4 and Jonan, 5. The Scollards have called McCook home for five years, and are involved in planting Grace Community Church, 409 West Q Street, where Brett is the new pastor. Brett also works full-time as a manufacturing engineer for Valmont Industries. (Courtesy photo) [Click to enlarge]

Brett Scollard has always been active in church. Throughout his adult life, however, work kept getting in the way of what he really wanted to do with his life.

"My heart is with people and their needs," he explained, "When I was younger, I tried to figure (spiritual) things out for myself, and it was slow going.

"So whatever help I can be in equipping the saints, that's where my passion is."

The Rev. Scollard, ordained in April 2009, is pastor at the newly formed Grace Community Church, 409 West Q Street.

He also is a manufacturing engineer at Valmont Industries, a job he truly enjoys and plans to keep.

"I'm bi-vocational," he explained. "Which is a good thing. It allows me to serve people of faith without having to take any financial support away from the building up of God's people."

Scollard came to Nebraska five years ago because the cost of living, particularly housing, was so much more manageable than metropolitan Denver.

"I needed to be able to support my family and still work toward my degree," he said. He took online courses through Columbia Evangelical in Washington State. While he was in seminary, he began to plant Grace Community, the fellowship meeting in members' homes for the first two years. When they inquired about the vacant church building on Q Street, they immediately began pursuing the means to reopen it.

"We contacted the Oregon Trail Southern Baptist Association, and ended up placing membership with that fellowship as well as the Reformed Baptists," Scollard explained. As Scollard neared the end of his seminary studies, the church asked him to remain as full-time pastor following his ordination.

Scollard readily accepted the call. "McCook became home to us pretty quickly," he said. In fact, the family has nearly doubled in size since their arrival. Brett and Michelle are the parents of seven children, Elia, 8, Annaliese, 6, Jonan, 5, Jachin, 4, Isabella, 2 and 7-month-old twins, Kyla and Nora.

"Being a small church, a new body of fellowship, gives us a unique perspective," Scollard said. "We can reach new groups of people."

Scollard explained that in new church plants, 80 percent of the fellowship come in as non-believers, or non-churched seekers. Also, in small churches, there are more leadership opportunities available. In established churches, 60 to 80 percent of new members are transfers from other churches and the leadership hierarchy is fairly well-established.

"We look forward to working with the other churches as we all seek to advance the Kingdom of God," said Scollard. "And for those who are not members of a church, we look forward to meeting you and perhaps helping to equip you in advancing the kingdom.

"Our doctrinal positions are set," Scollard said, "But how they are expressed in our fellowship is a growing process."

Services are at 10:30 Sunday mornings. More information is available online at www.gracemccook.org.