As Brandon Hollis explained it, where he’s at in his life now stems from an argument he had with God about seven years ago.
It was an argument he lost.
“I’d been working for Boeing as a machinist for about 10 years and after about eight of them I realized I just wasn’t happy.” Hollis said. “It’s not that I didn’t like the job. I liked the people I worked with and made good money, but something was missing and after going back and forth with God about it, I figured out what it was.”
The 45 year-old Sumner, WA native decided to leave Boeing in 1996 and commit to being a pastor for the Assemblies of God. Having spent nearly 13 years in Toledo, and the last three years traveling around the state, Hollis is now the new pastor at Ridgefield’s Mt. View Christian Center, where he already feels at home.
“Ridgefield is a growing city, but it’s kept its small-town feel and the people here have been just fantastic,” said Hollis. “I knew when I interviewed here that it was just the right fit.”
Hollis is accompanied by his wife of 14 years, Deb, who at first, wasn’t totally on board with his choice to join the ministry.
“It took her a little convincing because my brother is a pastor and given where we were at at the time, she didn’t like the idea of maybe being poor for the rest of her life,” said Hollis. “At that point, I left it to God to change her mind and she came around after a month. Now, I don’t think I’ve seen her so happy and she’s looking forward to getting to work in Ridgefield as much as I am.”
Being an admitted “blue-collar” guy, Hollis said his approach to teaching his ministry is along a similar approach.
“I would say I’m a traditional and non-conventional guy,” said Hollis. “It’s not about getting the most people into the church every Sunday and I always thought being boring is a sin. But some of the best advice I got when I started was ‘People don’t care what you know until they know you care,’ so that’s always my first goal.”
Hollis said he’s also not a pastor who stays close to the church. He enjoys getting out in the community and talking with people.
“I have no problem meeting someone for coffee or even getting on a dirt bike and taking a ride,” Hollis said. “It’s about being available and establishing relationships where people are comfortable with talking to you both inside and outside of the church.”
When not conducting service, Hollis can usually be found outdoors, where he loves to be.
“I get outside as much as I can and I’ve always liked hunting, camping, off-roading, fishing, you name it,” said Hollis. “My family and I are actually planning a big hunting trip pretty soon and my daughter Courtney is especially looking forward to it.”
While her father served in the Army before going to work at Boeing, Courtney currently is part of the U.S. Air Force Reserves as a medical clerk stationed at Lewis-McChord AFB in Tacoma.
Hollis will be officially welcomed through an Installation Service on Sun., Sept. 29, at 10:30 a.m. at Mt. View Christian Center, 2810 NE 259th St., in Ridgefield. For more information, call (360) 887-4016 or email, info@mvccenter.com.
