At Compass Christian Church, you'll find Pastor Matt Beckner sharing the love of Jesus and God's word as the church looks for ways in engaging in our mission of, "loving God, loving our neighbors, and making disciples." Matt is passionate about outreach and helping others have opportunities to use their time and talents in the church and in the community.
Matt joined the Compass staff in November of 2014 as the part-time Youth Pastor and became the full-time Senior Pastor in October of 2015. He has served in full-time ministry to youth, children, and adults since graduating in 1998 from Nebraska Christian College with Bachelor degrees in both Theology with a preaching emphasis and Youth Ministry.
In his free time, Matt enjoys playing guitar, hunting, and spending time with his wife Kristina and their two daughters.
Matt's favorite Bible verse is ​Romans 12:2, which says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will."
Drake has been a follower of Christ his entire life, growing up within the Restoration Movement church. He was born in Burlington, Iowa, and first attended New London Christian Church. With parents and great-grandparents who were deeply involved in the church, Drake was surrounded by faith from an early age. He attended Sunday school, joined the youth group on countless adventures, and even gave his first sermon at just four years old. It was during those early years that Drake first began to sense God’s call to ministry.
When Drake was six, his family moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where they began attending First Christian Church. Shortly after the move, his parents divorced. During his fourth-grade year, Drake and his stepfather made the decision together to dedicate their lives to Christ and be baptized. They both baptized by Matt Beckner, Drake’s youth pastor and longtime family friend who had known him since he was two years old. Drake stayed active in the youth group at First Christian Church throughout high school, growing steadily in his faith. After graduation, his family moved to the Denver, Colorado area, but Drake chose to remain in Council Bluffs to attend Iowa Western Community College, where he played football and later served as a coach for the Reivers. During this time, he transferred his church membership to Twin Cities Christian Church, which later became Compass Christian Church.
On January 24, 2020, Drake married the love of his life, Veronica Christensen. In November 2021, they welcomed their first daughter, Vienna. While attending Twin Cities (now Compass Christian Church), Drake served in the worship band playing bass guitar, volunteered in various areas of the Worship service, and, alongside Veronica, led the youth group. In the fall of 2020, Drake and Pastor Matt launched Still Relevant, a Christian podcast designed to reach young and middle-aged men with biblical truth. Around that same time, Drake also served as an assistant girls’ basketball coach at Heartland Christian School for two seasons.
In July 2022, Drake, Veronica, and Vienna moved to Lytton, Iowa, where Drake became the head football coach at Storm Lake High School. Their family grew up again in April 2024 with the birth of their daughter, Ophelia. While living in Lytton, Drake met Pastor Dillon Brandt of Rockwell City Church of Christ. At RCCC, Drake continued to play in the worship band and served as a deacon, while Veronica led the church’s community food program, Everybody Eats and taught preschool Sunday school classes. Through Pastor Dillon’s mentorship, Drake began to more clearly recognize and embrace God’s call to ministry. He began preaching as a pulpit fill at Rockwell City Church of Christ, Carroll Church of Christ, and Compass Christian Church, experiences that affirmed his desire to serve in pastoral leadership.
Now, Drake is faithfully responding to that call by entering the CEM Resident Pastor Program at Compass Christian Church under the mentorship of Pastor Matt. Although he has felt this call many times throughout his life, Drake now feels fully ready and excited to follow God’s plan for him and his family. He looks forward to serving the Kingdom with passion and humility, striving to be a vessel God can use to inspire and guide the next generation of believers.
