Legacy Church | Pastor Brianna & Brett Holland
A few years ago, Pastor Brianna Holland and her husband Brett were on their way to Family Camp having a discussion about next steps in ministry. Brianna was wrestling with a persistent thought that God was directing her to lead a church, yet she always tried to rationalize herself out of that calling. Later that evening, as they listened to Roger Stacy share about church multiplication, he prophetically stated that God was calling women to church planting. He elaborated and nearly word for word mirrored the conversation the Hollands had on their way to Lake Geneva. It was a moment of clarity and confirmation at just the right time.
God’s timing has been everything in Brianna’s ministry journey, and she has striven to be obedient with every step along the way. She grew up in Abundant Life Church in Hibbing, giving her heart to the Lord at age 5 and became a leader in youth group years later. She married Brett in 2007 and worked as a Surgical Nurse before deciding to stay home and raise their young kids.
It was right around this time when God began to steer her heart toward a ministry calling. Pastor Dave and Melissa Oler were pastoring Abundant Life at the time, and when she shared this stirring passion, they directed her to take a step toward it.
That first step was Minnesota School of Ministry (MNSOM), and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. One of the new locations was in Hibbing and the schedule allowed Brianna to be a student and stay-at-home mom at the same time. She had nothing to lose. She knew the benefit of biblical study would be worth it even if she never stepped into vocational ministry.
When it was time for Brianna to complete a MNSOM internship, Pastor Dave had her preach on a Sunday morning, and a few other churches in the NE section brought her in to speak as well. It was that experience that confirmed a call to pastoral leadership, fueled her passion for preaching, and preluded a season of waiting. For the next two years the Hollands hosted a Bible study in their home while Brianna worked as a school nurse at her kids’ elementary school. God was orchestrating the entire process as things began to come together for a new church plant.
With support from Pastor Dan and Natalie Scally from her home (and parent) church, the Church Multiplication Network (CMN), and our own MN Church Multiplication (MCM) team, Legacy Church launched in the Quad Cities area of the Iron Range with Brianna at the helm in January 2020.
The church had 84 people that inaugural Sunday, and 27 of those attending were elementary-aged kids.
There are three school districts within a 10 mile radius of the church, and a huge part of Brianna’s heart is to connect with young families. One attending family just this month shared that they were reading the Bible together for the first time. That’s the heart of Brianna’s vision for the church: Building a lasting spiritual legacy in every family.
Brianna encourages women in ministry who feel called to lead a church to share it with someone they trust, be faithful where they’re at, and take advantage of any opportunity that comes their way. As she puts it, “Even though it doesn’t make sense to you, just take a step of obedience, and see what God does.
