About

Derek Vreeland is the Discipleship Pastor at Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri, where he is known for his thoughtful, humorous, and authentic teaching style.

In addition to teaching and leading discipleship ministries at Word of Life Church, Derek enjoys reading, writing, running, hiking, and he is a super fan of the four-time Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. He and his wife Jenni live in St. Joe and they have three boys Wesley, Taylor, and Dylan, one daughter-in-law, Maggie, and two grandsons. 

He is a graduate of Missouri Western State University (B.A. English/Writing), Oral Roberts University (M.Div.), and Asbury Theological Seminary (D.Min).

He is the author of several books including his 2023 release, Centering Jesus: How the Lamb of God Transforms Our Communities, Ethics, & Spiritual Lives. Centering Jesus was a 2024 ECPA book award finalist in the area of ministry resources. 

Click here to check out all of Derek’s books.

Derek was born in Mobile, Alabama and grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri. He was baptized in January 1986 marking the beginning of his Christian journey. While in high school in the early 1990s, he began to take his baptismal identity seriously and pursue Jesus with a new found intensity.

Sensing a call to ministry, he threw himself into the life of the church and Bible study. His love for Jesus, Scripture, and the church continued through high school and into college. After a year of marriage, he began seminary at Oral Roberts University, graduating in 1999.

In September of that year, Derek moved his family to Americus, Georgia where he served as the Youth Pastor at Cornerstone Church until 2004, when he became the Pastor. He completed a doctor of ministry degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2007. He continued to serve Cornerstone Church until June 2011, when he joined the leadership team at Word of Life Church.

In 2024 he launched Peaceable and Kind, a podcast encouraging peace and kindness in the Christian life.

Derek is a collabrative and relational pastor, teacher, and writer seeking to serve the church in making disciples of the Jesus way.

Feel free to reach out to Derek on social media!