About Me
Jeremy Berg pastors senior high students in Burnsville, MN. He holds a Masters degree in Theology from Bethel Seminary (2005) and B.A. in Biblical & Theological Studies from Bethel University (2002). Jeremy has been immersed within the world of teenagers for years in various teaching, coaching and youth ministry roles. Jeremy’s passion is exploring the intersection of Jesus-shaped faith and everyday life. His writings have been featured at the award-winning Jesus Creed Blog as well as Gospel.com.
Key Influences, Authors & Teachers
N. T. Wright, C. S. Lewis, Greg Boyd, Paul Eddy, John Piper, Dallas Willard, Stanley Hauerwas, Tim Keller, William Willimon, Eugene Peterson, Rob Bell, Scot McKnight, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Erwin McManus, Pastor David Johnson, Shane Claiborne, Tony Campolo, Ben Witherington, Michael Spencer (the iMonk) and, of course, Apostle Paul and Jesus Christ.
Favorite Podcasts
Internet Monk Radio, Catalyst, Albert Mohler, Let My People Think (Ravi Zacharias), Church of the Open Door, Desiring God (John Piper), Tony Campolo, NPR Religion, Woodland Hills Church (Greg Boyd), Steve Brown Etc., Mark Driscoll, Rob Bell, Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett, Stand To Reason, Renewing Your Mind, Issues Etc., Will Willimon, Andy Stanley, Mosaic (Erwin McManus)
Extended Bio
He was born in 1979 and raised in Mound, Minnesota. He was blessed with a great family upbringing. A 1998 graduate of Mound Westonka High School, Jeremy’s high school experience centered around an obsession with basketball. He proudly holds the All-Time Boys Scoring record with 1,307 career points. He gives his dad most of the credit for his 3-point shot for all the games of HORSE in the driveway.
Jeremy with coach Rick Dahl (1999)
Jeremy was raised Lutheran, was very involved in his church growing up and by middle school had a sincere, simple but solid faith in God. Pastor John Rogers and adult mentors Gene and Laurie Whitbeck were among those who invested most significantly in his early faith development. Many seeds were planted — especially during his summer mission trips. Yet faith remained a pretty private, compartmentalized aspect of life until he began listening to the preaching of Pastor David Johnson at Church of the Open Door late in high school. Energetic worship and passionate, sound expository preaching began to open the Bible up in new and exciting ways. Jeremy attended Church of the Open Door for 10 years (1997-2007), and still calls David Johnson his greatest spiritual influence and teacher.
Bethel University, St. Paul
The College Years
Jeremy followed his best friend, Peter Herzog, to Bethel University in the fall of 1998 where his faith experienced a radical overhaul and his life soon took a surprising turn in a new direction. Upon receiving a new Study Bible as a gift from two roommates (Peter and Joe Rueter), Jeremy had a Wesley-like “heart strangely warmed” experience as he read the Acts of the Apostles for the first time. ”My own life’s story was swept up into God’s bigger Story and I discovered my unique role to play,” Jeremy recalls.
After that fateful night reading through Acts with his new Bible, Jeremy’s appetite for God’s Word grew exponentially over the next semester. Jeremy soon changed his major from education to Biblical & Theological Studies where his heart and mind were soon completely captivated by a strange, new passion for reading and studying. (A rare case of the “gym rat” turned “book worm” over night.)
Seminary Graduation with Mom & Dad (2005)
Jeremy graduated from Bethel University (2002) earning a B.A. in Biblical & Theological Studies. He continued his academic journey at Bethel Seminary San Diego and St. Paul earning a Master’s degree in Theology (2005) where he concentrated his studies in New Testament backgrounds, first century culture and history, historical Jesus studies, history of biblical interpretation, Paul and the New Perspective and everything written by Bishop N.T. Wright.
Coach Berg - career coaching record (6-73 !)
Tent-Making & the Question of Calling
During his seminary years (2002-2005), Jeremy took several jobs in his hometown school district to help pay tuition. For the next five years he found himself deeply immersed in the youth culture of Mound in various leadership roles such as substitute teaching, coaching high school basketball and teaching driver education. Jeremy was navigating two very different worlds during these years that were heading inevitably toward a divinely orchestrated collision. An academic by night studying the Bible and teachings of Jesus, and a high school teacher-coach by day, he slowly developed a burden for the emerging generation of his hometown where so few were being reached by the church. Following graduation from seminary in 2005, Jeremy discerned a very clear call to use his unique platform and public profile among the students of Mound to find new, more effective ways of reaching them with message of Jesus and the Kingdom. Jeremy married his beloved bride, Kjerstin (”Keri”) Oslin, in the summer of 2005.
July 16, 2005
A Special Assignment: Revolution in Mound
In the fall of 2005, God opened a strategic door of opportunity at Bethel Methodist Church in the heart of Mound where Jeremy spent the next two years organizing, mobilizing and leading The Revolution movement in Mound. God faithfully brought together leaders and youth from several area churches to pool time, energy and resources to host many successful, crowd-drawing events such as the popular Battle of the Bands and monthly Coffeehouse Live at Ground Zero which both drew teens in crowds and made local news headlines. For two years teens who had become bored with church, skeptical toward Christians or bitter toward organized religion began opening their hearts to hear afresh the revolutionary message of Jesus. The weekly Way of the Revolutionary (WOTR) Bible Study met at the Berg’s home on Monday nights and drew a diverse group of students from a dozen different local churches and denominations. This group became the core group of committed Revolutionary disciples who met (and continue to meet) in homes on Mondays and by the gymnasium before school on Thursdays for Bible Study, prayer, support and to seek new ways to becoming more faithful followers of Christ. (Read the full story of The Revolution HERE.)
The luckiest man alive!
In Search of Personal Health & Full Time Ministry
Thus, Jeremy and Keri experienced a wild, fast-paced, high-stressed first two years of marriage as they worked a total of 6 part-time jobs between them alongside demands of planting a ministry. The Revolution was taking off and gaining momentum as Jeremy continued to expand his student network teaching, coaching, giving driving lessons and now planting a ministry.
After coming to terms with the strain this lifestyle and especially The Revolution was having on their personal life and marriage, they decided it was necessary for Jeremy to leave this 4-job lifestyle and seek one full time salary and ministry placement. This meant stepping away from The Revolution in it’s infancy — sacrificing a ministry for a healthy, more balanced life and marriage — a lesson many pastors learn too late.
Fusion Senior High Group
Currently
In the fall of 2007, Jeremy accepted a position at Faith Covenant Church in Burnsville, MN, where he currently pastors teens and directs the Fusion Senior High Ministry. He hopes to inspire the same revolutionary spirit and commitment to Jesus that took hold in Mound with his Fusion students. Jeremy and Keri absolutely love their current church home and the amazing students they get to minister to together. You can read all about the ministry at FusionTeens.com.
Jeremy enjoys reading, blogging, listening to podcasts, web/graphic design, browsing bookstores, watching The Office with Keri, golfing, volleyball, boating, guitar, spoiling our nieces and nephews, and sipping a caramel cooler with a friend.
About the DI Blog
The Daily Illumination blog provides a public outlet for Jeremy’s intellectual activity and a resource for daily devotions, Bible Studies, commentary on Christianity and culture and more. Jeremy’s writings have been featured at Beliefnet.com on Scot McKnight’s award-winning Jesus Creed blog rated the #1 site for the emerging church by Technorati.com. Please tell your friends about DI as well. You may contact Jeremy by email at jberg@faithcovenant.org.
