Chad Veach is an American evangelical pastor and the founder of Zoe Church, a youth-oriented Christian congregation that is based in Los Angeles, California. Veach maintains an active social media presence, and has said “Instagram built our church. Isn’t that fascinating?” Veach has been the subject of significant mainstream press coverage, which often focuses on Veach’s taste in streetwear and sneakers and his links to celebrities like actor Chris Pratt and singer Justin Bieber, which have been chronicled on Veach’s Instagram.
Early life and family
Veach grew up on Whidbey Island, Washington. His father, Dave Veach, is a District Supervisor with Foursquare Church inTacoma, Washington. As a young man, Veach “wasn’t solid in his faith at all,” according to his father. In an interview with The Christian Post, Veach said that he had "a foot in, a foot out" of church as a teenager, but that attending a Promise Keepers event was a turning point for him: "it's the typical prodigal son story who has an experience and then says, 'Wait, what I had back home was way better. I'm going back home and to church.' I had sown some wild oats but nothing too crazy." Veach’s two siblings are also pastors. Veach attended Life Pacific College, a Bible college located in San Dimas, California, graduating in 2002.
Career
In 2004, Veach took a job counseling teens and young adults for United Generation ministry in Puyallup, Washington. In 2013, he became associated with Judah Smith, spiritual adviser to Justin Bieber and lead pastor of Churchome, a multi-site megachurch based in Seattle and Los Angeles. In 2014, Chad Veach and his wife Julia Veach moved to Los Angeles and started their ministry with informal gatherings at their home. Zoe Church began its services in borrowed space in a small church in Santa Monica and, after one day at the 1 Oak nightclub in Hollywood, Zoe Church moved to the El Rey Theatre on Wilshire Boulevard. Veach told the New York Times that he modeled Zoe Church after Hillsong Church and Church of the Highlands. In 2017, Veach and Judah Smith accompanied Justin Bieber on his Purpose World Tour, reportedly to serve as “positive influences.” Videos of Veach hanging out with Justin Bieber have appeared on Veach’s Instagram account. Ruth Graham, writing in Slate, noted how Veach’s “on-trend streetwear and friendship with Justin Bieber” made him the latest example of the “cool-pastor phenomenon.” Describing Veach as an “Instagram-savvy pastor... who dresses not like Ward Cleaver, but like a Supreme model,” Graham observed that “Veach and his cohort seem to have converted as many style writers as they have souls.”
Pastoral style
In a profile of Veach published in The New York Times, Veach was quoted as saying "I want to be loud and dumb. That's my goal. If we aren't making people laugh, what are we doing? What's the point?" Veach is described as frequently using street talk and changing his dialect depending on his audience, and occasionally mimicking Houston megachurch pastor Joel Osteen. Veach described his pastoral philosophy in an interview with The Christian Post, saying that he was motivated by a desire to reverse the trend of young adults becoming less affiliated with church:
We need to do whatever we can to become relevant and deconstruct some of those false notions about what religion is. What resonates with young adults is actually the message of Jesus and maybe that was convoluted or placed in the back burner in the past but I think that's why you're seeing young adults in the droves respond because if people can see a clear picture of Jesus, that undeniable... we obviously have something better than the world can offer."
Books
Veach has published three books. In 2012, Veach's first book, Do You See What I See? was published. In 2016, Veach’s second book, Unreasonable Hope: Finding Faith in the God Who Brings Purpose to Your Pain, was published, about his daughter Georgia’s struggle with lissencephaly. In 2017, Veach’s third book, Faith Forward Future: Moving Past Your Disappointments, Delays, and Destructive Thinking was published.
Personal life
Veach is married to the former Julia McGregor. The couple has four children. Veach has a tattoo on his left arm that reads “Better at 70,” in the handwriting of Justin Bieber.
Controversies
Veach’s church has been criticized by the actress Ellen Page for being unwelcoming to LGBTQ people. Actor Chris Pratt, defended Veach and his church, saying that all were welcomed and helped in church without distinction. Veach has never spoken on LGBTQ people. Veach has been featured on the Instagram account PreachersNSneakers, a “watchdog” account that focuses on ministers who wear expensive sneakers and designer clothing.
