Modest & Mighty Pt. 4: Brad Isaak

ALUMNI: Pastor Brad Isaak (Fresno 2016)

ORGANIZATION: New Life Community, Dinuba, California

POSITION: Lead Pastor

By Ashley Ver Beek, Contributor

  

Tell us about your youth ministry and its impact.

When I started serving as the lead pastor of New Life Community in February 2025, I was grateful to be able to put energy into our youth program. We live in a community where church-based youth groups have been in a dramatic decline. Of the 25+ churches in our town, I know of only one that has a paid youth pastor. There is a drastic need and opportunity to build a youth program. At New Life Community, we work creatively to make space for young people to grow in their faith, connect with the wisdom of trusted adults, and encounter Jesus together.  

I heard someone describe our current approach as “scrappy,” and I’ve adopted that language to signify the grit and determination our church has to provide something meaningful for our young people. Seeing our young people’s personalities and style infused into the life of our 100-year-old congregation is a sign of new life and encouragement.   

As a small church, our youth regularly serve integral roles in ministry settings: children’s ministry, worship, service and event set-up, event planning, communications, prayer, community meal prep, and more. I am so proud to see how they accept the invitation to be involved in the life and work of the broader church. 

What challenges or points of growth have emerged, and how have you and your community addressed them?

Currently, we’re amid a long struggle to find and pay a youth pastor or long-term point person to lead our youth ministry. We rely on volunteers but want to continue to create longevity and stability for our programming. An amazing team of dedicated lay volunteers has stepped up to make space for our youth. Parents, college students, educators, and church people lead in rotation. Two church staff members volunteer beyond their roles and job descriptions to provide regular presence, planning, and leadership to our youth group.

How is God moving through this work? What is your prayer for the young people you serve?

Working with young people has granted me a front row seat to God’s faithfulness, especially through the insights of our teenagers, who often have profound observations about the pulse of the culture. Proximity to this work helps me to be a better communicator, leader, father, and lifelong learner.

I believe that God routinely chooses to work through the youngest generations and continuously pours out His Spirit on our young people so that they are granted vision of God’s plan and a prophetic perspective (Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17). I hope to see young people grow in discernment, wisdom, and trust in the Lord. I hope they are able to see and experience the goodness, beauty, and truth of Jesus in a way that wins over their hearts and attention, so that they can live and serve the kingdom of God to the fullest.

What DVULI principles have you had the opportunity to integrate into your work?

Working in a ministry context with staffing gaps and resource limitations necessitates interdependence. Our church brings gifts and resources to the table, but those alone are insufficient for the scope of the work and the plentiful harvest we are seeing among teens. This means we lean into collaboration to offer opportunities and experiences to our youth.

We’re small enough to remember the truth that we can’t do it on our own (which is true of any church, though often forgotten in larger or more affluent contexts). This makes us naturally more understanding and flexible as ministry partners. Because we need others, we work across churches, ministries, agencies, and cultures. With other small churches, we’ll look at each other and say, “Do you wanna throw in together and see what we can come up with?”

The second is leverage. I work diligently to discern our ministry’s capacity and figure out where to say yes or no. Realistically, we may only be able to afford one larger event per semester. These constraints challenge me to get buy-in with my co-ministers as we steward our resources and influence in the most impactful way for our young people.

How can the DVULI community hold you in prayer as you move forward?

Please pray for the mercy of God to pull young people into a real and lasting relationship with Jesus. Pray for unity of church ministers, volunteers, student leaders, and ministries for the sake of the wider kingdom of God. We ask for the humility and integrity of adult leaders as we serve and guide the next generations with wisdom and grace.

Bio: Brad Isaak (Fresno 2016) is a preacher, professor, lifelong learner, husband, and father of two. He is deeply dedicated to the transformative power of the gospel. Brad received his MDiv from the Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary in 2020 and holds a BA from Fresno Pacific University with a major in Christian ministry and a minor in peace and conflict studies. He was raised in California’s Central Valley and currently serves as the lead pastor at New Life Community, a 100+-year-old Mennonite Brethren church in Dinuba, California.

 

Brad’s story is the fourth in a six-part series highlighting alumni whose modest-sized ministries are making a mighty impact on youth.