Brandon Mueller describes himself as what one of his Metro Baltimore Seminary professors once called a “deconstructed Mormon.” The phrase resonated with him immediately.
“I never really gave myself that title before,” Mueller said, “but when he said it, I thought, ‘That really encapsulates a lot.’”
Today, Mueller is a member of The Crossings Community Church in Brunswick, Maryland, a replant of First Baptist Church Brunswick, where he serves as the church’s treasurer and leads a men’s group.
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He is also pursuing a master of divinity in church planting and renewal at Metro Baltimore Seminary while supporting pastor Justin Wyckoff and the church through a replanting process. The church plans to launch on Easter.
Growing up Mormon
Mueller grew up in the Mormon church and remained deeply involved throughout his early life. About 10 years ago, however, he began questioning the faith he had always known.
“There was a period of time where it was like, ‘This isn’t what they claim it is,’” Mueller said.
Mormonism had shaped his friendships and family life, and leaving it proved to be a slow and difficult process.
During that time, a friend challenged him to read the Gospel of John with fresh eyes. As he did, Mueller says God began working in his heart.
“That is where God really opened my eyes,” he said. “And I definitely had a born-again experience.”
At first, Mueller tried to reconcile Mormonism with his new faith in Christ. “I truly thought I could do more good as a witness inside the church than outside,” he said.
Pivotal moment
A pivotal moment came when he was asked to give a talk during a Mormon sacrament meeting. A church leader asked him to speak about the doctrine known as “The Restoration of the Priesthood,” which teaches that divine authority was given to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.
Mueller declined.
Asked why, he replied, “Because I don’t believe in it.”
“Mueller said, ‘To his credit and my surprise, the leader asked, ‘What do you believe in?’ and I said, ‘I believe in Christ.’ And he said, ‘Well, why don’t you talk about that?’”
Why not indeed?
Mueller said, “I constructed a talk that was really a sermon about being justified by faith, and I delivered that talk and quoted long passages out of the NIV Bible.”
Clarity
The sermon was well-received, but also brought clarity to Mueller.
He said, “While that was very encouraging, it felt very disingenuous because I knew that was not Mormonism teaching. I felt it was also lending undeserved credibility to the Mormon doctrine.” He did not want to give false security.
Within a month, Mueller, his wife Grace Mueller, and their five children left Mormonism.
He then began attending Fellowship Bible Church in Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia, a large Bible-believing church where Mueller thought he could quietly explore his new faith, sitting in the back and hoping to remain unnoticed. The pastor, Van Marsceau, however, noticed him and listened to his story. He began encouraging Mueller, and Mueller said he grew significantly during that time. Mueller said he is thankful for his time at that church.
Several years later, the family began attending First Baptist Church of Brunswick, now The Crossings Community Church.
“My wife was friends with Pastor Justin’s (Wyckoff) wife,” Mueller explained. “And our kids started going to the youth group before we even really showed up on a Sunday.”
Call to ministry
The family soon felt at home, and not long after, Mueller sensed a call to ministry.
Phil Graves, the former pastor of Crossings, suggested he consider Metro Baltimore Seminary. Mueller eventually enrolled and is now working toward a three-year master of divinity with a concentration in church planting and renewal.
“I think I might be called to plant a church,” he said. “I think that may be where God is ultimately leading me.”
For Mueller, seminary is not only about theological training but also spiritual formation and learning alongside other students with different perspectives. He also called the interaction with other students “invaluable.”
Mueller balances seminary with a full-time job as a web developer while serving his church and caring for his family. He is also gaining hands-on ministry experience at Crossings under Wyckoff’s mentorship as part of his seminary education.
Next chapter
“One of the things that Pastor Justin wants to start doing is having me preach on a more regular basis,” Mueller said. “So having the classroom experience of writing sermons and then actually presenting the material is very beneficial.”
Mueller continues to focus on being obedient to God’s calling at home, at work, at seminary, and at church and on preparing for the church’s Easter launch service — a new chapter for the congregation and another step in Mueller’s unfolding call to serve Christ.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Sharon Mager and originally published by the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware.
