INTRODUCING OUR NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

A Conversation with Our New Executive Director—Braden Pedersen

You grew up in a Christian home with a lot of Bible knowledge. When did faith in Jesus actually become your own?

Honestly, it was embarrassingly late given how much I knew. I grew up in a great home; my dad worked in the church, and we were a strong family of faith. I could recite the gospel as well as anyone. But I’d say I knew about God more than I actually knew Him. That changed when I was fourteen. There was a guy named Jeremiah Beltran. He wasn’t a professional preacher, just someone who got up one night and shared the gospel. And I sat there thinking, wait, I’ve heard this a thousand times, but I haven’t actually done anything with it. I committed my life to Christ that night. And within two or three months, I felt a real pull toward ministry. I started my own little writing and podcast ministry not long after. I was a kid, but I was serious about it.

How did you end up at Back to the Bible, of all places?

It’s one of those stories that only makes sense looking backward. I’d spent ten years on staff at Life Church in the Kansas City area, and I was genuinely happy there. I wasn’t looking to leave. I grew up right here in Lincoln, though, so I’d always known Back to the Bible. When a recruiter reached out about an opening, I figured I’d walk through the door if it opened and be faithful with whatever happened. So I drove up to Lincoln. I called my mom on the way and mentioned I’d be sitting down with Arnie Cole and a board member named Dale Michels. She started laughing. Turns out Dr. Michels had known me literally since I was born. He was my delivery doctor—he just never mentioned it through the whole process. That felt like more than coincidence to me. Soon afterward, I joined the Back to the Bible team, a journey that eventually led to the role I’m privileged to serve in today.

You've talked about a discipleship gap in the American church. What do you mean by that?

I spent years seeing churches that were genuinely excellent at getting people in the door and in evangelism. But I kept noticing that a lot of people were coming in and not really growing. They were attending but not being formed. And I think that’s pretty common. The seeker movement of the last few decades has produced churches that are very good at the front door and not always as strong at what happens after. What I’ve found, especially with younger people, is that they’re not looking for a “cool” church as much as they’re looking for real relationships and real growth. They want someone to walk with them through Scripture and help them figure out what it means for their actual life. That’s what drew me to Back to the Bible. That’s exactly the problem this ministry was built to solve.

What do you most want Back to the Bible's readers to know about your heart for this ministry?

I want them to know that I don’t take this lightly. These are people who have been faithful to this ministry for years, some of them for decades. That means something to me. I also want them to know that everything we’re building — the podcasts, the research, the daily content — it all comes back to one thing: helping people actually open their Bibles and let God’s Word do its deep and life-changing work. I’m not interested in impressive metrics or glittery platforms. I’m interested in whether someone’s life is actually changing because they spent time in Scripture this morning. That’s what Arnie has given his life to, and it’s what I want to give mine to. I’m just grateful to get to do it here, in the city where I grew up, alongside people I genuinely love.