Rev. Brennan T. DeForest was born in 1996, the oldest child of Kevin and Ann DeForest. He was raised in West Jordan, Utah and has one younger sibling, Brownyn. His parents and sister all still live in Utah. He was baptized on October 5, 1997 at Hope Lutheran Church in West Jordan and confirmed on June 5, 2011 at Christ Lutheran Church in Murray, UT. Rev. DeForest began thinking about becoming a pastor in high school, so after high school graduation in 2015, he attended Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska where, in 2019, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and completed the requirements of the Pre-Seminary program. He matriculated to Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana and earned his Master of Divinity degree in 2023. He was called to Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church on April 25, 2023, at the seminary’s call service.
While at Concordia Nebraska, Brennan met Abigail (Abby) Jeppesen and they married on July 10, 2021. Abigail also graduated from Concordia Nebraska, with a degree in Middle Level Education. She has served as a teacher in Fremont, CA and Fort Wayne, IN, and plans to continue teaching in the Chico area. Abigail was born and raised in Nebraska, the youngest of ten children. Her parents and a number of her siblings and their families continue to live in Nebraska, with other siblings and their families scattered throughout the Midwest.