Today we’d like to introduce you to Will Coleman.
Will, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born and raised right here in St. Louis (Jennings to be exact). My parents started our church back in 1993 in our living room, so I grew up in a ministry family as a pastor’s kid. After graduating from Lutheran North, I headed to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to attend Oral Roberts University. I graduated from ORU and eventually stepped into ministry, serving at Life.Church in the Oklahoma City area for about 11 years. During my time in college, I met my amazing wife. We have been married for 19 years and we have three precious daughters who keep life full, fun, and joyful.
In 2020, my family and I felt led to come back home to St. Louis. I became the pastor of the church my parents started. At that time it was called Word of Faith Church, but one week after I stepped into the role, we changed the name to Chazown Church. Chazown is the Hebrew word for a dream, revelation, or a vision from God. I have been serving as pastor there since January 2021.
What is funny is that even though I grew up with parents in ministry, I never expected to be a pastor. But God has a way of writing stories we did not see coming.
Being back here in St. Louis is really about me living out my life scripture, Romans 15 verse 2, which says that we should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. That is what drives me. My heart and passion is to see North St. Louis County revitalized, to see young people choosing purpose and productivity instead of violence, and to see families and neighborhoods strengthened. I believe true and lasting change starts with giving your life to Jesus. My desire is to see St. Louis transformed, and not known only for division, poverty, or murder, but known as a community that thrives, a community marked by unity, hope, and opportunity for everyone.
I am committed to helping St. Louis become a city where people meet Jesus, find real community, and step into a better future.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Has the road been smooth being a pastor?
Not at all. I love my hometown and I’ve always repped St. Louis everywhere I’ve gone, but the truth is I had a great life in Oklahoma. We had an amazing community, we had just built a home, and I was serving at a great church, the largest in North America. Moving back meant giving all of that up.
When we moved here in June 2020, the world was going through a lot, and we moved straight into my mom’s basement. Our church had maybe ten people attending at the time, and they couldn’t afford to pay me. I applied for so many jobs and none of them opened up, so I just kept pastoring and leading anyway.
We’ve always had a big vision to bring God’s heart to North County and the St. Louis metro: spiritual, relational, and even economic transformation. But there were many days, especially early on, when I wondered if I had made the right decision. We were living on faith and the support of friends who believed in what we were trying to do by coming back home to pastor this church.
There were days I wanted to give up. I joke that I was living the reverse American dream: you’re supposed to grow up, graduate high school, go to college, get a great job, build a house, have 2.5 kids. But by the age of 40, I was back in my parents’ basement trying to rebuild a church.
Some of the struggles along the way were practical too. Our building needed a ton of work. Because of the pandemic and the condition of the space, we couldn’t even hold services there for almost the entire first year after moving back. It was a challenging season in every way, but we kept going.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I serve as the lead pastor of Chazown Church in Jennings, MO, but what I really do is help people discover God’s vision for their lives. That is actually what our name means. We are a young, diverse, multigenerational church in North County, and my heart is to build a community where people can grow spiritually, relationally, and even economically. I preach, I lead, I develop leaders, and I try to create a church culture where people feel seen, loved, challenged, and equipped to live out their purpose.
I think I am most known for my preaching and teaching. I love breaking the Bible down in a way that feels clear, practical, and relatable, especially for people who did not grow up in church or who feel disconnected from faith. I try to make complex things simple without watering them down. Another thing people often mention is the culture we have built at Chazown. It is fun, it is welcoming, and it is filled with people who genuinely want to serve and make a difference.
What I am most proud of is the transformation we have seen in such a short time. When we came back to St. Louis in 2020, the church was very small. Today, we are seeing new families coming every week, we are running out of parking, we are expanding ministries, we are impacting local schools, and we are walking with people through real life change. Seeing people find hope, healing, direction, and community brings me the most joy.
What sets me apart is not anything flashy. I am a hometown kid from Jennings, who loves St. Louis, and I am committed to this community for the long haul. I am not trying to build a platform; I am trying to build people. I care about spiritual growth, but I also care about practical things like financial stability, mental health, education, and strong families. My goal is to see North County and the STL metro thrive in every way. I think that combination of preaching, authenticity, and community focus is what makes our church and my approach to ministry a little different.
At the end of the day, I just want to serve people well and help them experience the kind of life changing relationship with Jesus that changed mine.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
When it comes to finding a mentor, especially a ministry mentor, I look for people who have served and led with integrity for a long time. I am not looking for someone who has only been in it for a short season. I want to learn from people who have been faithful through different stages of life and leadership, people who can help me see beyond where I currently am. Their experience gives perspective you cannot get any other way.
I also believe that the longer you are in a field, the more intentional you should be about pouring into those coming after you. We all need people ahead of us, but we also need to be available for those who are trying to grow and take their next steps. That kind of cycle keeps leaders healthy and keeps the work moving forward.
When I reach out to mentors or leaders, I try to be prepared. If I ask for 30 minutes, I send my questions ahead of time so they know exactly what I want to talk about. And I honor their time. If I asked for 30 minutes, I stay within that. That approach has helped me build strong relationships because people know I respect their schedule.
With networking, I try to connect with people who are my peers and with those who have been doing this longer than I have. I want to learn from those ahead of me, and I want to encourage those who are in the same season of life and ministry. I think it is important to build relationships across different races, ages, and backgrounds too. You learn so much when you sit with people who have different experiences. Most of the time, you realize we have more in common than we think.
That mix of mentors, peers, and diverse relationships has helped me grow as a leader and as a person.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chazown.church
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/chazownchurch
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/ChazownChurch/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/chazownchurch
