Mel Hennegan
Mel was raised on the island of Guam. He was raised in the Catholic tradition until his father and mother heard the good news of grace through faith. As a child, Mel came to faith when he realized that he is saved through faith alone, by grace alone, in Christ alone. He is a husband, a father, and a disciple of Christ.
In 2005, God brought him to Wisconsin to pursue a B.A. and M.A. in Biblical Studies. During this time he helped with a new church plant in Crivitz, WI, and served as the Worship Director (2009–2011).
In 2011, Mel moved to Minneapolis for further theological education and ministry training. He served as a Student Pastor (from 2011–2017) at Eden Baptist Church. He also pursued an M.Div as a student and apprentice at Bethlehem College & Seminary. Following graduation, Mel served as a Youth and Worship minister at Bayview Church. He is currently on staff at Resurrection Church as a Church Planting Resident.
He has a passion to love God, love people, and follow Jesus. He married Rachel in July 2012. He loves doing life and ministry with his wife and kids–Aria and Judah. Mel also enjoys playing guitar, watching movies and sports, exploring the island, and reading books.
The Journey of Church Planting
Mel Hennegan served as the Youth Pastor at Bayview for a year and during his time there, he realized the need for more healthy churches on the island of Guam. This is where he first began to seriously pray about church planting. However, it was not until the COVID-19 pandemic swept through Guam in 2020-2021 that many businesses and churches closed down and further discussion with pastors about church planting ensued, followed by much prayer and fasting. In January 2022, Mel Hennegan received a call from the SEND Network, the church planting branch of the North American Mission Board, regarding church planting. He discussed with pastor Kevin Elwell at Bayview Church the opportunity of how he believed God was calling him to church planting.
To be eligible for training and funding from SEND Network, Mel had to be a member of a church affiliated with the North American Mission Board. Through God's providence, he was invited to serve as a church planting resident at Resurrection Church in Burnsville, MN. In April 2022, Mel had the opportunity to deliver a sermon series on the need for more healthy churches in Guam at Bayview Church. Afterward, town hall meetings were held to gather individuals interested in joining the launch team. 17 members from Bayview and other churches answered the call to join the church plant. In July 2022, he sold his house and moved his family from Guam to the United States in order to begin training with SEND Network and to also be developed as an elder at Resurrection Church. Lord willing, Mel and his family will be traveling back to the island of Guam in July of 2023 to work toward the planting of a healthy church.