Church Health, Gospel Faithfulness, and Planting Breakwater Church | Rev. Nathan Strom
What does it actually look like to build a healthy church in a working-class neighborhood — one that prioritizes the ordinary means of grace over growth metrics, takes church discipline seriously, and invites people into real membership rather than comfortable anonymity? In this episode of The Great Commission Today host Daniel Vos sits down with Nathan Strom, pastor of Breakwater Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
Breakwater Church launched its first worship service on June 12, 2022, on the south side of Sheboygan — a blue-collar neighborhood the team believed was underserved by gospel-centered ministry. Four years in, Nathan shares honestly about what the Lord has been teaching him: that faithful ministry requires patience, that the ordinary means of grace are genuinely powerful, and that pastors who build with glitz and personality will grieve what gets burned away in the hard seasons.
This episode is for every pastor, church planter, and ministry leader who has ever felt discouraged mid-sermon, tempted to try something flashier, or wondered whether steady gospel faithfulness is really enough. Nathan’s answer — rooted in Scripture, seasoned with pastoral experience, and illustrated with real stories — is a bracing and deeply encouraging yes.
Key Topics
Nathan and Daniel discuss the founding story of Breakwater Church and what led Nathan from rural Minnesota to planting on the south side of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. They explore what church health really comes down to — Nathan argues it flows from never getting over the reality that everything we have is by grace — drawing on the parable of the day laborers and the theology of Jack Miller.
The conversation turns to the ordinary means of grace: why preaching the word, administering the sacraments, and prayer remain the foundation even when core group members push for something more exciting. Nathan shares two striking stories — one about fencing the Lord’s Table producing genuine gospel conversations, and one about a sermon he felt was mediocre producing surprising repentance and confession. He explains what fencing the table actually looks like at Breakwater and the three questions he asks people to consider before partaking.
The episode covers leadership development, how Breakwater has sought to raise up elders and deacons from within, and why that process matters for congregational health. Nathan and Daniel discuss the role of personal testimonies alongside gospel proclamation, and how testimonies give visible flesh to the truths preached from the pulpit. They talk about faithful presence in the neighborhood — what it means organically versus institutionally, and where Nathan has gotten it wrong (a reading center that duplicated existing efforts). And the conversation closes with an honest reflection on fruitfulness: what the Lord produces, what pastors are actually responsible for, and why building with love for the gospel is the only thing that lasts.
Featured Excerpt
“If you build with a love for the gospel and a love for the Lord, however humble it looks, God will give growth and those things will last. Be patient — because you’re growing oak trees, not lettuces.” — Nathan Strom