Brent Hofen is the founder and lead pastor at Mission Church in Oregon, whose calling it is to make disciples who make disciples who make disciples which will result in churches being started throughout the Pacific Northwest that help to touch hearts and change lives.
As the founder and lead pastor of Mission Church, Brent is a master of all trades. And hobbies. And interests.
He’s passionate about discipleship. He has devoted his life to making disciples who make disciples who make disciples. He loves to go outside the walls of a church building and pay it forward with generosity and acts of kindness.
Brent loves to disc golf, has a passion for music, and ‘an addiction to shoes’ – and he asks that we pray for him.
He also loves photography, industrial design, and loose-leaf tea.
At home, you’ll find Brent making a tea latte and playing the piano. He loves spending time with his family and exploring the Pacific Northwest with family and friends.
He’s traveled to South America, Japan, Russia, Kosovo, and Uganda, and has traveled to 49 of the 50 states. One day, Hawaii. One day.
Brent and his team are also well on their way to multiplying disciples out of disciples with a church in Bend, Redmond, Madras and Portland, Oregon, and online to help connect people’s stories to God’s purpose throughout the Northwest.
So what Brent needed next was to multiply himself. So he reached out to BELAY.
Paired with BELAY VA Johanne, Brent has learned to lean into her help so he can better serve those God brings through his doors.
“I have [Johanne] go through my inbox, adding hours back to my week,” he shares. “She handles all meeting coordination directly on my calendar. And with involvement in my community and other boards that I serve, I have multiple in boxes to be reviewed – and she triages all things and puts only the critical in front of me.”
Then there’s the small matter of Brent’s big ideas.
“When I’m in the car, I use Voxer to download a list of things that are running through my brain,” he says. “[Johanne] then organizes the tasks on my task list or handles the items that she can. Having this headspace allows me to be present with my family, as well as think creatively on ideas.
“[She] also makes sure that I have the right number of meetings in a day so that I am not Zoom-meeting ‘fatigued’ that I can’t give my best.”
Brent can be all things to all people with the multiplying effect of a VA.
Still, he knows that other pastors are hesitant that a VA will make their staff and leadership feel they are less accessible.
His defense?
“I say it is quite the contrary,” he says. “By having [Johanne] schedule meetings with my team and leadership, I can be fully present during the conversations. That time is blocked for them.
“In the past, they would just walk in my office and assume I am available and focused on what they are saying.