Bringing All of God's Word to All Mankind on Rochester's Southeast Side
Victory Baptist Church sits at 606 36th Avenue SE in Rochester, Minnesota, a quiet southeast-side location that also houses Victory Christian Academy, a K-12 school operated by the same church family. The congregation's stated motto, "Bringing All of God's Word to All Mankind," shapes everything from its Sunday preaching schedule to its support of missionaries on four continents. Under the leadership of Pastor Brandon Black and Assistant Pastor Daniel Mohler, who doubles as principal of the academy, the church presents itself as a conservative, Bible-centered Baptist work that aims to serve the whole family, from infants in the nursery to seniors gathering for a monthly meal.
A Full Sunday and a Wednesday Midweek
Victory's weekly rhythm opens early on Sunday morning with a brief prayer time from 9:00 to 9:20 AM. Children's Sunday School and Adult Bible Fellowship run from 9:30 to 10:20 AM, giving every age a place to study before the morning service. The main Morning Service runs from 10:30 to 11:45 AM, and the church meets again for an Evening Service from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. On Wednesdays at 7:00 PM, the congregation gathers for a Midweek Bible Study and Prayer Meeting, a steady midweek touchpoint for members and visitors who want to dig deeper between Sundays.
The church notes that service times can shift around holidays and special church-wide events.
A Pastor and an Assistant Pastor with Deep Roots
Victory Baptist's pastoral team is led by Pastor Brandon Black, who has a great passion for ministry in Rochester and for the community at large. He holds conservative convictions while remaining attentive to the modern needs of believers. He and his wife Sharon, along with their two daughters, are part of the church family's daily life.
Serving alongside him is Assistant Pastor Daniel Mohler, who has been on staff at Victory since June 1, 1985. Pastor Dan carries the dual role of Assistant Pastor and Principal of Victory Christian Academy, a workload the church openly calls "the exhausting work of two men." Even so, the church says he continues to look for new ways to begin new ministries. His long tenure and his presence in both the pulpit and the school hallways give the congregation a steady center.
Victory Christian Academy: A School in the Same Building
Victory Christian Academy shares the church's southeast Rochester campus and currently enrolls students in grades K through 12. The academy is part of the same ministry family as the church, with Assistant Pastor Daniel Mohler serving as its principal. Enrollment in the school is open, and it gives the church a built-in connection to Rochester-area families with school-age children. The two facilities, church and academy, share volunteers, space and oversight, which the church presents as a natural extension of its family ministry.
Nursery: Safety First for the Youngest Visitors
Victory welcomes infants and toddlers up to three years old to its nursery, and the church is unusually transparent about the steps it takes to keep children safe. Only church members are allowed to volunteer, and each volunteer goes through training and a background check. Every child and parent receive a matching ID tag each week so that only the parent can pick the child up. No one but nursing mothers and approved volunteers is permitted in the nursery area. A dedicated Mother Nursing Corner and Baby Crib are part of the nursery setup, and the staff invites parents to talk with them about how to make the visit easier for both child and mother.
Children's Ministries for Ages 3 to 12
Children from age 3 through 12 have their own classrooms during the Sunday Morning Service, where they hear a lesson tailored to their age group. They begin the service with their parents in the auditorium for prayer and songs, then move to their classroom during the pastor's sermon. Sunday School for this group runs from 9:25 to 10:20 AM, and the children's portion of the morning service runs from 10:35 AM to 12:00 PM. A Wednesday Night class, originally scheduled for 7:00 to 8:00 PM, has at times been on hold due to staffing. Children are always welcome to stay with their parents in the adult service if a family prefers.
Youth Group, College and Career, and the Young Marrieds
Victory's youth ministry serves teens ages 13 to 19 and focuses on building friendships with other young believers, studying the Bible in church, and encouraging personal devotions. The church is candid about the pressures teens face and frames the youth group as a place to learn how to navigate them while staying rooted in faith.
The College and Career class is designed for young adults ages 19 to 30. Pastor Dan and his wife lead this group, which exists specifically to keep young adults connected to the church during the years when many people drift away. The class aims to move beyond "pew-filling" Christianity and to develop leaders, whether the young adult is just starting college or already building a career.
A Young Marrieds' Sunday School class, intended for the recently engaged, newly married or those with young families, was paused after the start of COVID and has not yet resumed; for the time being, young married adults attend the adult Sunday School class. The church expresses hope of restarting the class and encouraging discipleship among young families.
Senior Victory Fellowship: Once a Month Around the Table
Once a month, Victory's adults age 50 and up gather for the Senior Victory Fellowship, a meal and a time of fellowship. Members share stories about the trials and blessings God has given throughout their lives, and the gathering is meant to deepen relationships across generations. The fellowship exists not only as a social outlet but as a way for the church family to better encourage one another and understand each other's perspectives.
Shepherding Your Flock: A Ministry of Looking Out for One Another
Shepherding Your Flock is Victory's ministry for caring for the people already in the church, or who have visited the church and might otherwise be forgotten. Its premise is simple: it is easy to get wrapped up in personal busyness and miss the needs right in front of us, and the ministry's mission is to remember those people and reach out so they feel loved and welcomed. The church frames this work as a first step toward loving the world well, since believers are called to love their brothers and sisters in Christ first.
Missions: Twelve Missionaries Around the World
Victory supports twelve missionaries and their families through prayer and financial giving, easing what the church describes as the financial burdens of gospel work. The mission fields named include Brazil, Albania, Argentina, Bangladesh, Kenya, Central Asiatic Countries and Barbados. Beyond these, the church also supports workers with Evangelistic Ministries, church planters, and a family that ministers to members of the American armed forces. Missions giving is a regular part of the church's budgeting, and the church presents its global outreach as a direct outgrowth of the early church's example.
Vacation Bible Time and Operation Christmas Child
Every summer, Victory Baptist hosts Vacation Bible Time, a one-week program open to children who have completed Kindergarten through sixth grade. Bible stories, Christian songs, game time and refreshments fill the week, and teens and adults are invited to help or to listen to the sermon the pastor delivers during that time.
Each fall, the church participates in the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Campaign through Samaritan's Purse. The congregation gathers for a packing party in the weeks leading up to the national collection week in mid-November.
A Revival-Focused Annual Conference
Each fall, Victory hosts a conference with Evangelist John Van Gelderen of Revival Focus Ministries, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based ministry that focuses on revival and evangelism. Van Gelderen, a Bob Jones University graduate, has preached across the United States and in twenty foreign countries, authored twelve books, and developed the Netcasters Evangelism Training course. The conference typically opens with three Sunday services and continues with nightly services Monday through Thursday, with a freewill love offering taken for the speaker.
What Victory Believes and What It Is Called To Do
The church's doctrinal position is set out plainly. Victory believes the Bible, from the Old Testament to the New Testament, was written by men but inspired by God, is without error, and is supreme to any other teaching. The Bible is the final authority for the church's faith and practice. The church says that because of this it seeks to let Scripture lead and determine life choices, so that believers may be blessed through God.
Victory's "Calling" section lays out ten commands the church believes God has given to believers. Christians are called to be different and holy, to gather together, to be a family, to encourage and strengthen one another, to worship God, to love everyone, to spread the gospel, to serve, to make disciples, and to influence the world. Each point is anchored in specific Bible verses, from I Peter 2:9 and Romans 12:1 on holiness, to Hebrews 10:25 on gathering, to Matthew 28:19-20 on the Great Commission.
Visiting Victory Baptist
Victory Baptist Church meets at 606 36th Avenue SE in Rochester, Minnesota. Sunday mornings begin with prayer at 9:00 AM, followed by Sunday School and Adult Bible Fellowship at 9:30 AM and the Morning Service at 10:30 AM, with an Evening Service at 6:30 PM. Wednesday night Bible Study and Prayer Meeting begins at 7:00 PM. Families with infants and young children can take advantage of the secured nursery and the children's ministry for ages 3 through 12, and teens, college-age young adults, and seniors each have their own dedicated ministry. The church can be reached by phone at (507) 289-2966 or by email at victorybaptistrochester@hotmail.com, and gifts to the church can be made through a secure PayPal link.