Biography
Christopher W. Brooks
Senior Pastor, Evangel Ministries (Detroit, Michigan)
Host of Equipped for Life Radio Broadcast
Early in his childhood, Christopher W. Brooks began attending Evangel Ministries,
where he surrendered his life to Christ at the age of 13. Born and raised
in a Christian home, he benefited from observing his parents live out their
commitment to Christ in pastoral ministry and Christian radio broadcasting.
Pastor Brooks’ father, a preacher for more than 30 years and an avid
reader, provided him with access to a myriad of spiritual resources. Pastor
Brooks became an enthusiastic learner with an unquenchable desire to know
the Lord more intimately, and the truths of the Christian faith more intellectually.
As a teenager, he began to minister to his peers in his school, neighborhood, and community. He quickly became one of the first youth leaders in Chosen Generation. Pastor Brooks’ zeal for evangelism burgeoned in high school, where he passionately shared his faith with anyone who would listen. Many of Pastor Brooks’ closest friends, who initially rejected the Gospel, later came to Christ as they witnessed the true transformation of his life and his sincere commitment to Christian living.
His desire to see his peers come to salvation continued when he enrolled at Michigan State University (MSU) in 1993. Along with a friend, Pastor Brooks began a Bible study and prayer ministry in his dormitory. The first week drew just two people, but by the third week the group had grown to more than 90 students, who attended weekly times of study and intercession. While Pastor Brooks prayed for revival to break forth at MSU, his passion was greeted with both excitement by some, and sharp criticism and attacks by others. For nearly a year, he would often debate and discuss the Christian faith with students who did not believe in Christ. Though some students were very hostile, most were open to hearing a clear, rational and Biblical defense of Christianity. Over the next four years, Pastor Brooks was devoted to sharing the Gospel with as many students as possible. Through evangelism, mentorship and apologetics (defending the faith), the word spread and lives were changed.
After
earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance and Administration from MSU,
Pastor Brooks was asked to return to Evangel Ministries to serve in
a formal capacity. Although he was working in corporate America as
a financial advisor and experiencing much success, he gladly accepted the
call to pastoral ministry. In 1998, he became a youth pastor and by 2000
he was the assistant pastor of the church. As assistant pastor, Pastor Brooks
created the Evangel
Ministries Economic Restoration Group (E.M.E.R.G.) to provide financial
planning, debt management and employment training for Evangel’s members. In 2004,
Pastor Brooks accepted the role of Senior Pastor of this thriving, inner-city
church, which has a membership of more than 2,000.
For seven years, Pastor Brooks has hosted Equipped for Life, one of the most widely heard Christian radio programs in the Detroit metropolitan area. Equipped for Life airs on the Salem Communications network, which is the largest Christian broadcasting corporation in the United States. In addition, the broadcast airs on Family Radio Network in the African nations of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, reaching approximately 5 million listeners daily.
Pastor Brooks is dedicated to providing biblically-sound exegetical teaching, along with strong training in apologetics. In January 2006, Brooks founded a state-licensed seminary preparation institution called the Detroit Bible Institute, which graduated its first class in the summer of 2007. In addition to being the founder and president of this training program, he is also the primary instructor of Apologetics and has taught the Pastoral Leadership and Systematic Theology courses. The Detroit Bible Institute is home to more than 175 students and offers a one-year diploma in Biblical Studies. Brooks’ great passion is to win his generation to Christ through local, national and international evangelism and missions and to promote apologetics training in urban cities and churches.
Pastor Brooks serves in ministry with his wife, Minister Yodit Brooks, who is also a Bible teacher. They have two children.