Eagle Brook megachurch pays $600K for land in Northwest Rochester to build new campus

Matthew Stolle, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read
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May 14—ROCHESTER — Eagle Brook Church, a Christian church in Rochester, is paying $600,000 to buy land along 75th Street Northwest in Cascade Township to build a new permanent campus, according to documents posted on Olmsted County's property and records website.

The news comes nearly a year after the Centerville, Minn.-based megachurch signed a purchase agreement for the land and five years after the church began holding services at Mayo Civic Center in the fall of 2019.

Construction on the campus is expected to begin in 2026, Eagle Brook said in a statement. The church said it was fundraising to build the campus.

Documents show that Eagle Brook paid $598,000 for the 39-acre parcel from NW Development Rochester LLC with a sale date of May 9, 2024. Fifteen years ago, NW Development bought the land from Larry Johnson for $372,191, records show. The land is largely zoned as agriculture. The market value of the land is estimated by Olmsted County at $452,000 for tax purposes.

Although located outside Rochester city limits, the parcel could end up being annexed by the city and zoned as residential.

The land is located just south of 75th Street Northwest and northwest of Menards on Prairie Vista Drive.

Eagle Brook was founded in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, in 1948 and has grown to 12 sites across the state with new locations in the planning this fall for Red Wing and Brainerd Lakes, according to the church's website.

Eagle Brook is a Baptist church but has a nondenomination feel, a factor that has spurred its expanding footprint and explosive growth across the state, officials say. It puts a premium on creating a welcoming atmosphere and taking the stuffiness out of church services. People greet members at the doors, and worshippers drink coffee or smoothies during the service. Ex-Lutherans and Catholics are said to be a big part of the church's membership.

"We are glad that Cascade Township has approved our proposal for a permanent campus," the church said. "Since 2019, we have been proud to be part of this community and are committed to building last connections for years to come. We are fundraising to build the campus and anticipate construction will begin in 2026. In the meantime, we will continue hosting services at the Mayo Civic Center."

In an interview in 2017, retired senior pastor Bob Merritt said the church owed its popularity to its ability to create a "less weird" church experience.

"Churches can be so weird," he said. "So we try to reduce the weird factor."

Last year, Steve Whicker, senior pastor of the Rochester campus, estimated church attendance at around 700 people. When the church said it was launching a new campus in Rochester five years ago, it was its first expansion in Greater Minnesota.