Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Kennard.
Hi Brandon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Twenty-five years ago, I was most likely the quietest guy in the room. I would have been the last person to be in front of a crowd and was content to stay in the background. I ended up in Houston because there were no jobs to be found in the small Oklahoma town where I was raised. I came here to learn how to build computers and run networks. In the meantime, I got involved in a young adults group at my church, and a shift began to happen in my life. I met a group of men who had vision. They not only wanted great things for our group, they believed that I was capable of doing something that mattered. It was during this season of my life that I met my wife. Just months after our wedding, I decided to take couple of classes at a local Bible college just to satisfy a newfound hunger. But God had bigger plans. Two months into those classes, I was hooked. I knew that I had a new calling on my life to go into ministry. I started out like any other young twenty-something. I’d never really been involved in youth ministry as a kid, so I followed the footsteps of the pastors that I interned under, went to conferences to learn about ministry, and tried a million different things to build relationships with kids and build a ministry. Those early years of ministry were some of the most rewarding. And also the hardest. I started at a small church plant with 5 students who showed up each week. I had to learn how to get out there and reach kids in the local schools. I learned quickly that the most effective way to reach the next generation was to pour into as many kids as possible and let them know that they too had the power to make an impact on their peers. I wasn’t always sure how to equip them until I was sitting at a Youth Pastor conference in California a few years into ministry. That particular year, it felt like all the sessions I attend focused on the struggle to recruit adult volunteers. Halfway through the conference, I knew there had to be a better way. By the time I returned home, I had a completely new vision for how I wanted to pour into my students and equip them to be the change that their peers needed. It was then that I began to focus on running a student-led ministry. A ministry that challenged kids to do bold things. To live different and to step up and lead one another. I shifted to training adults to mentor kids but to let them do the bulk of the leading. They began to lead their peers in Bible Study; they led worship, they were the greeters, they were the ones who collaborated and came up with events. Everywhere you looked during our services, there were students leading. And it caught on like fire. These students gained a confidents that equipped them to be leaders as they transitioned into adulthood. I still keep up with so many of these students, and they have continued to lead people. I have formers students who are professional athletes, pastors, teachers, business owners, managers, students, and so many of them view their work as a way to leave an eternal impact on those they work with each day. God opened up doors for me to be a Life Coach at a local high school and pouring into athletes in several different sports. This opened up doors to create a network of Life Coaches at every High School in my area. Everything I learned in student ministry applied to the athletes I have been able to serve. I was given the opportunity to meet students where they are at focus on helping these students to develop integrity and become the person that God created them to be. I wrote a devotional book geared toward athletes to help them grow in their faith and leadership and had an article featured in a national youth ministry magazine about the impact of empowering students to lead. I’ve had the opportunity to speak at FCA events at both the high school and college level. I’ve had the opportunity to train others on how lead students and equip them to lead. Then in the midst of COVID, I received an opportunity to become the Houston Area Ministry Direct for Youth for Christ. This was a completely new role for me, stepping out of church ministry and into one that focuses on reaching students with the greatest needs. We work with all kinds of students, including those who are incarcerated and at risk. This job has opened up new doors for me to make a greater impact. Not only in my local community but all over the Houston area. We focus on developing meaningful relationships with kids and helping them transform their life story. My home church is The Church on MastersRoad, were I lead the family ministry.
Over the last twenty-four years, my wife and I have raised five kids. We’ve worked alongside each other to pour everything we have into the next generation both at home and in our jobs. I’ve had the opportunity to speak to thousands of people both in large crowds and in the most important moments like weddings and funerals. While I work full-time for Youth for Christ, I still get to oversee the Family Ministry in my local church in Manvel. I lead the athletic booster club where my kids go to school and still get to be on the field each week as the Life Coach of the football and baseball teams. When I reflect back on the person I was before I knew what my purpose was, I am always amazed at how God can transform a life. I know this because I have seen it in my own. I live with a passion to pour truth into the next generation and never let them leave without reminding them that as long as they have breath, they have purpose.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like all long roads, there are always bumps along the way. Starting out in small churches with a growing family, there were financial burdens. I never had the opportunity to finish my degree, so I’ve struggled at times feeling like I wasn’t equipped to do a job or that I was way out of my league. It’s always hard to find balance in life when you are so passionate. I tend to be singularly focused sometimes and have had to learn how to find balance. I’ve had plenty of people think that I am crazy with my out-of-the-box thinking. My brain doesn’t really know how to think on a small scale; I’m a visionary. I never let things like budgets and resources stop my from trying to make things happen. Many people have told me my ideas are crazy or unattainable. In every new job I’ve taken I’ve had to start from scratch. Just when you feel like you’ve gained momentum, you have to start all over, convincing people that students have the power to lead and make an impact. I oftentimes feel like I am swimming upstream, fighting for people to believe that I can make something happen or that the students have the capacity to lead in meaningful ways.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Of all the things I have accomplished, I am most proud of creating student leaders. I’ve seen high school students. We hear that the young generation can change the world; the problem is that they have to be given the tools to make the most of the opportunities they have. They have to be mentored and work with someone who believes in them. They can’t just be given meaningless tasks. It’s ok for them to make mistakes. Creating leaders out of teenagers is messy, and there will always be some failure involved. It takes time, patience, and a lot of grit to equip young people to do big things.
I think I am most known for creating leaders and challenging people to move to action. I think way outside the box and don’t let people tell me that things can’t be done. I’m willing to take risks and try new things. My end goal is always to see a teenager do something that they never thought they could. I want to see them gain the confidence to share with others what they believe and lead them as well.
Set apart: think outside the box and willing to take risk to move people into become who they need to be
The thing I am the most proud of are the students that I have been able to stay in touch with over the years. When I left my previous church, the entire youth staff was made up of former students. These were kids that came to me in junior high and high school. By the time they left, they were leading clubs at their schools and volunteering in every part of the ministry. They came back in the summers and interned for me, and ultimately, I was able to hire them. They continue to make it their passion to build leaders and repeat the process as they build leaders.
I truly believe that whoever wants this generation the most will have them. I refuse to believe that the next generation is doomed. They my think different and face new challenges, but they are also capable of making an impact for eternity on those around them.
How do you define success?
When you can help change a life that impacts their family and community.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: realbrandonkennard
- Facebook: Brandon Kennard
- Twitter: BrandonKennard
- Devotional Book: https://a.co/d/65KDpQd
