Tyler & Melodee Grant | Redwood Falls Assembly of God
It was the perfect day for the Back-to-School Bash at Redwood Falls Assembly of God. Overnight storms cleared out by morning and the sun started to peek through the clouds just as church was about to begin. During the service, a group of about twenty teenage students and leaders from Willmar AG set up games and inflatables outside while Pastor Tyler Grant preached inside.
It was an empowering message about how ministry isn’t just for pastors, it’s for every believer. He encouraged the congregation to recognize their giftings, listen to what God was challenging them to do, and move forward in faith. In a self-deprecating manner and with a smile he said, “Sometimes church is less about me… Thank God… and more about all of you.”
Tyler and Melodee Grant are no strangers to ministry. Years ago they were on staff at Willmar AG before becoming the lead pastors in Delano, MN from 1998 to 2013. More recently, they were serving at Teen Challenge in Rochester, MN when Pastor Keith Kerstetter, the lead pastor at Willmar AG, told them about an opportunity at the church in Redwood Falls.
Willmar AG had recently decided to come alongside Redwood Falls AG to help the church more effectively live out its mission to “make Jesus known to Redwood Falls and the surrounding area, and to make disciples, true followers of Christ.” They committed to equipping and resourcing this church in a town of just over 3,000 people and it started with helping them find a lead pastor.
Tyler’s first response to Pastor Keith’s invitation was “No.” While at Teen Challenge, they had helped a few churches as interim pastors and knew they wanted to step back into leading a local church.
Yet, Teen Challenge had been such a rewarding experience, it was difficult to walk away. After some time in prayer and consideration, he and Melodee were inspired by Pastor Keith’s vision to invest in rural churches and decided to take a step of faith and lead the church in Redwood Falls.
They will admit that this rural endeavor is somewhat of a new experience for them, but Tyler and Melodee see the advantages of ministering in a smaller community that seems primed for a church on a mission. Their mission is encapsulated by the phrase, “Be loved. Live love.” They want to see the people of Redwood Falls AG empowered by the Spirit to be like Jesus to make a difference in their community and in the world.
Willmar AG has helped launch Tyler and Melodee into ministry and put that mission into action. Their first Sunday was this past Father’s Day and already they’ve had leaders from Willmar AG help provide them with support for everything from getting started with social media to kid’s ministry resources. They provided the inflatables for the Back-to-School Bash and Pastor Aaron and Hannah Rhodes brought a team of students and leaders from Epik, Willmar AG’s student ministry, to help make the event happen.
In describing the journey that has led them from Delano to Rochester and now Redwood Falls, Melodee says, “God has worked out every single detail. One of my favorite sayings is ‘Life is an Adventure’ and I realized that I had lost so much of life because I wanted security instead of an adventure.” The Grants are adventurers, and we’re all excited to see what happens next in Redwood Falls.
