01
Who We Are
02
Our Story
In 1955, 19 people in Normal, Illinois began a church with a simple vision: to follow God’s Word, worship Jesus, and share His good news. They never imagined how their prayers and faith would grow into what is now Eastview Church — a community shaped by God’s grace + power.
Brandon Grant
LEAD PASTOR
I grew up in Illinois and came to faith while a student at Illinois Wesleyan. In 2006, I joined Eastview as the college pastor and married my wife, Jamie. A few years later, God led us to San Diego, where we planted Rise City Church and watched Him change countless lives over the next decade.
Now, we’re back home. Jamie and I, along with our four kids and our dog Winnie, are grateful to step into this new season as I serve as Eastview’s fifth Lead Pastor. We can’t wait to see all that God will do in and through this church family.
Brandon Grant
LEAD PASTOR
I grew up in Illinois and came to faith while a student at Illinois Wesleyan. In 2006, I joined Eastview as the college pastor and married my wife, Jamie. A few years later, God led us to San Diego, where we planted Rise City Church and watched Him change countless lives over the next decade.
Now, we’re back home. Jamie and I, along with our four kids and our dog Winnie, are grateful to step into this new season as I serve as Eastview’s fifth Lead Pastor. We can’t wait to see all that God will do in and through this church family.
03
Our Attitudes + Beliefs
The attitudes are simply behaviors we embody—practical ways our faith takes shape in everyday life.
WE CHOOSE THE BETTER
We purposely prioritize healthy rhythms of practicing Jesus.
LUKE 10:38-42
WE WATCH THE WIND
We observantly watch + respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
JOHN 3:7-8
WE PASS THE SALT
We thoughtfully consider the perspectives of outsiders.
MATTHEW 5:13-16
WE RIP THE ROOF
We enthusiastically go above and beyond to bring people to Jesus.
MARK 2:1-12
WE GRAB A TOWEL
We humbly love one another through serving.
JOHN 13:12-17
WE EMPTY THE JAR
We sacrificially give our first + best through the church.
JOHN 12:1-8
WE SAY THANK YOU
We frequently express our gratitude to God + others.
LUKE 17:11-19
WE SEND OUT WORKERS
We deliberately equip others to reach + care for the lost, hurting, + broken
MATTHEW 9:35-38
Our Beliefs
How we know God
God can be known because He wants to be known. It is within His nature to know us, and He has hard-wired us to want to know Him by setting eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Many people know a great deal about God without really knowing Him intimately and deeply. There are three fundamental and connected ways we can come to know God.
God reveals Himself to people everywhere through observing His general revelation through creation. General revelation suggests that God reveals Himself in a very generic way through what He has created. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” The Apostle Paul echoes that view in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made so that men are without excuse.” So, we can know God generally through looking long and hard at what God has created.
We can know God more concretely by exploring His written Word, the Bible, and receiving it as the Holy Spirit teaches and enables us to understand it and live it out. The Bible is God speaking His truth to us in human words. Through the Bible, we hear God’s articulate voice as we intentionally take time to know to Scripture. Through the Bible, we hear God’s articulate voice as we take the intentional time to listen to Scripture read, preached, and taught; as we read it for ourselves, study it, memorize it, meditate upon it, and obey it.
We come to know God by embracing His special revelation, the Living Word, Jesus Christ. General revelation is helpful and true, but it is insufficient to bring us to the place where we can know that God put on flesh, lived among us, loved us, died for us on a cross for our sins, and triumphantly rose again. This way of knowing God comes through following and experiencing the life of Jesus. Through studying carefully, respectfully, and obediently His life (John 1:1&12-14). Jesus’s own words state clearly that the only way to a relationship with God is through knowing Him – Jesus (John 14:6-7).
Who God Is
God is one being in three persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19; Acts 2:38-39; and 2 Cor. 13:14), co-existing in perfect community and harmony. All of creation finds its source in Him (Gen. 1:1; Job 41:11; Ps. 50:10-12; Jn. 1:1-2; and Rev. 4:11). He is all knowing, all powerful, everywhere, and exists eternally (Exo. 3:14-15; Ps. 90:1-6; Isa. 40:13-14; 66:1; Rom. 11:33-36; and 1 Tim. 6:15-16). He holds everything together and is in the process of redeeming everything (Col. 1:17 and Rom. 8:19-22). God loves us and longs for us to be in relationship with Him (1 Jn. 1:3).
Who Jesus Is
Jesus is “God in the flesh.” He existed in the beginning with God (Jn. 1:1 & 14). He was born of a virgin, lived without sin, died for our sin, rose again, and is Savior and Lord (Mt. 1:18-20; Lk. 2:11&52; 23:23-24; 23:53; Heb. 5:8-9; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; and Col. 1:15-20). He, alone, makes salvation possible (Acts 4:12 and John 14:6). He ascended into heaven where He is now our high priest, intercessor, head of the Church, and has all authority in heaven and on earth (Mt. 28:18; Acts 1:9; Rom. 8:34; Col. 1:18; and Heb. 4:14-5:10). He will return for a second time, gathering His followers, and judging those who have rejected Him (Mk. 13:32-37; Acts 1:9-11; Tit. 2:13; and Heb. 9:27-28).
Who the Holy Spirit Is
The Holy Spirit is the active presence of God in the world, always seeking to glorify Jesus (John 16:13-15). He lives individually within those who believe in Jesus and corporately amongst all believers who comprise the Church (1 Cor. 6:19 & 3:16-17). He convicts people of sin, righteousness, and pending judgment (John 16:5-15). He is our Comforter, Guide, Teacher, and Helper, equipping us with spiritual gifts for service and transforms us into the likeness of Jesus (Jn. 14:15-17; 15:25-26; Acts 1:8; Rom. 8:1ff; 1 Cor. 12:1-11; and 2 Cor. 3:18).
What the Bible Is
The Bible contains both the Old and New Testaments. It is the uniquely inspired Word of God (2 Tim. 3:14-17 and 2 Pet. 1:15-21) and is without error or contradiction in its original form. It is the rule of faith and practice for Christians. It is through Scripture that we know God’s will and Christ’s authority. The Bible accomplishes all that God intends for it to accomplish (Isa. 55:10-11; Jer. 20:9; and Heb. 4:12).
Who People Are
God specifically and directly created human beings in His image (Imago Dei). Human life is sacred, beginning at conception. Therefore, each person should be loved, nurtured, protected, and developed. God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as a male or female. These two distinct and complementary biological genders reflect the image and nature of God (Gen 1:26-27). Throughout scripture, the husband-wife relationship illustrates the covenant relationship between Jesus Christ and His Church, the “Bride of Christ”. It is our sincerely held belief that the term “marriage” has only one meaning; the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, delineated in scripture (Gen 2:18-25).
What Sin Is
We define all truth and all sin as God does in His written word, the Bible. All people are precious in His sight, but our disobedience to God (sin) separates us from Him (Isa. 53:6; 64:6-7; Rom. 3:23; 5:12-21; 6:23; and 1 Jn. 1:8). Because God desperately and intimately loves all people, he offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Act 3:19-21, Rom 10:9-10, 1Cor 6:9-11).
The response to salvation
Because of our sin, we desperately need redemption.
We can’t reconcile ourselves to God — only Jesus can do that (John 14:6; Acts 4:8-12; Romans 3:25-26).
Salvation is by grace, not something we earn (Ephesians 2:8-9).
God offers it freely to everyone (John 3:16-18; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9).
True faith shows up in a life surrendered to Jesus, and its expression is the response to salvation. The initial expressions of faith are:
1. Believing and confessing Jesus as Savior and Lord
(Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10)
2. Repenting — turning from our old ways
(Matthew 4:17; Acts 3:19)
Next steps in the life of a believer include:
3. Being baptized by immersion
(Matthew 3:13-17; Acts 2:38-41)
4. Growing continually in Christ to become more like Jesus
(2 Corinthians 10:15; Ephesians 4:16; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18)
What the Church Is
The Church is the community of believers throughout the world. We act as the body of Christ on earth and are His Bride. (Eph. 4:4-6; 5:22-33; Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12-30; and 1 Tim. 3:15). People are added to the church upon their surrender, by faith, to Jesus. In addition, when anyone is added to Christ’s Church, he or she becomes a part of the priesthood of all believers, effectively making every Jesus-follower a serving minister in and through the church (1 Pet. 2:9-10).
The Church’s supreme mission is to make disciples (Mt. 28:18-20). Its cultural mandate is to care for the world God has created (Gen. 1:26 and 2:15) and to love all people (John 15:12), thereby making the local church the hope of the world.
Membership in the church is available for anyone to pursue.
Eastview’s statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our biblical beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible word of God, speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality and the proper conduct of man. It is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of Eastview’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy and discipline, our Elder Leadership Team is Eastview’s final interpretative authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.
04
Our Elders
At Eastview, we believe our elder leadership team is vital for upholding the biblical model of church leadership and guiding the vision God has for our church.
You can contact the elder leadership team at [email protected].
Dale began attending Eastview when he and his wife Laura and daughters Megan and Jenna moved to Bloomington in 2004. After a 36-year career at State Farm, Dale retired in 2019. He serves as a Ministry Partner in the High School Ministry and has also been part of the Financial Leadership Team for many years.
As Lead Pastor Brandon serves in the role as Elder. Brandon became our Lead Pastor in 2024. Prior to that he was Eastview’s college pastor for seven years before moving to San Diego in 2012 to launch Rise City Church which he led until his return to Eastview. Brandon and his wife Jamie have four children. He loves a great cup of coffee, grilling a hearty meal, coaching his kid’s sports teams and most of all, hanging out with his family.
Travis has grown up attending Eastview with his family for over 30 years, serving in various ministries ranging from IT and photography teams to student groups and global outreach. In his day job, he works as a software engineer at State Farm. Travis met his wife Stephanie at Eastview in 2015 and since getting married in 2020, their family has served at both the Normal and Bloomington campuses in Eastview Kids and Special Needs ministries. Travis and Stephanie also serve in the community as CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for McLean County. Outside of these activities, they both love to spend their time traveling, enjoying tasty food, and trying to keep up with their adorable daughters.
Matt has attended Eastview since 2015 and is active in the 4th and 5th grade ministry. He and his wife, Summer, have five children. Matt is the Chief Operating Officer at Spread Truth Ministries, a local organization that equips believers with the necessary resources, training, and opportunities to confidently share Christ.
Josue Santana has been a member of Eastview Church since 2020. He and his wife, Lindsey, were married in 2003 and are blessed with three children: Joslin, Ezekiel, and Isaiah. Together, Josue and Lindsey have faithfully served in ministry over 20 years, including children’s ministry, junior high, and high school ministry.
In his free time, he enjoys watching his kids play sports and playing the guitar.
Aaron and his wife, Megan, are from Champaign, Illinois. After medical school at the University of Illinois and pediatrics residency at the Saint Louis Children’s Hospital they relocated to Normal in 2010 to join Carle BroMenn. Aaron and his family are glad to call Normal home and enjoy the wide variety of activities available in town, eating, traveling and being active. They have three girls, Avery, Amelia, and Abby, that all attend Unit 5 schools. After joining Eastview in 2010, Aaron and his family have been active with Eastview’s global partners in Haiti, El Salvador, and Kenya; participating in medical missions since 2012. Aaron also serves with the marriage ministry and Eastview Students as a small group leader.
Todd has been attending Eastview since 1987 and is actively serving at our Bloomington Campus as a hospitality team leader and as a Sunday morning service host. Todd and his wife Deb have three children and four grandchildren. Todd owns and operates a cleaning franchise here in Bloomington-Normal.
