Who We Are

Pastor Jared was born in Alton, IL and raised in Phoenix, AZ. He received Jesus as his Lord and Savior at age seven. From a young age Jared dreamed of being a shepherd and taking care of sheep. After losing his dad to a massive heart attack at age ten, the Lord used the tragedy and many trials to call him to be a missionary. After finishing his degree from Moody Bible Institute, he married Tanya. The Lord called them to be missionaries in Nicaragua, where they spent fifteen years planting churches and making disciples. In 2016, the Lord called their family back to the States to start Petra Bible Church in Bozeman. In 2018, Jared finished his M. Div. from Western Seminary and the bilingual church plant began in Bozeman. Jared and Tanya have four kids: Josiah (17), Isaiah (15), Gaby (13), and Jeremiah (11). Jared’s favorite hobbies include camping with his family, hiking, date nights with Tanya, and playing sports with his kids.

Pastor Nick was born and raised in Saint Charles, IL. He received Jesus as his Lord and Savior at age eight. Nick was fascinated with the life of a missionary, even participating in multiple missionary trips during his years in high school. During one of those trips at age 17, he felt a call to be a missionary. Over the next ten years, God used various circumstances in Nick’s life to show him that life apart from that calling would not be satisfying. He travelled with a church from Denver in July 2012 on a short term missions trip to Nicaragua where he met Meileen and the Cox Family. That trip captured his heart in a very convicting and special way, leading Nick to take a full-time position as an English Literature teacher at the American Nicaraguan School in Managua, while also allowing him to grow in serving the Managua Petra Church as a deacon and elder-in-training over the next five years. In 2017, Meileen and Nick were asked to return to Bozeman, MT to help plant the church with Pastor Jared, Tanya, and another missionary, Amber Lundskog. Meileen and Nick now have three children: Emilia (5), Caleb (4), and Thomas (3). Nick’s joys in life include dating his wife, playing with his kids, hiking, hunting, gardening, woodworking, and raising a backyard chicken flock.

Jason was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ but left for Oahu, Hawaii at 18 and spent nearly 25 years on the island. After graduating with a music degree from the University of Hawaii, Jason became a regular performer in the Waikiki bar scene. After life-long battles with depression and anxiety, and years of struggling with alcohol and substance abuse, Jason surrendered his life completely to Jesus in 2013. The healing and restoration in his life since can be best described as miraculous. Jason has dedicated his new life to serving the Lord and ministering to others not only through his musical gifts and leading worship, but also by sharing his personal testimony in the hopes that others will also experience the healing and freedom he found in Christ. In 2019, Jason earned a MDiv with an emphasis in Worship Leadership from Grand Canyon University. He is married to Shayla who is from Kailua-Kona, HI and is a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines, and has a daughter Maya (23) who lives in Honolulu, Hawaii. Shayla and Jason enjoy traveling, meeting new people, and exploring new cultures together.