American Church Meets Scottish Pastor

Robbie Brown’s heart sank when he heard the news––his flight from London to Dallas was canceled. To make matters worse, the next flight wasn’t until the next day, and it was filling up fast. He and his wife, Michelle, planned to fly to Fargo, North Dakota, to candidate for a lead pastor role at Cornerstone Community Church (EFCA), but those plans were collapsing before their eyes.  

As they spoke to the airline’s customer service, they had two options: wait until tomorrow and hope to get on the next flight or fly to Charlotte and take a connecting flight to Dallas. They chose Charlotte.  

When they landed, they prayed the worst was behind them. They walked to the other end of the airport and waited to board their next plane to Dallas. Except, 23 minutes before boarding, the flight was canceled.  

Distraught, the Brown family raced back through the airport to find another route to Fargo. The front desk greeted them with a four-hour wait in line. It was midnight. They were tired, hungry and just needed a break. They just needed to make it to the church on time.  

A local church looks for a pastor 

Cornerstone Community Church is roughly 3,800 miles away from northeast Scotland, as the crow flies. It sits at the center of Cooperstown, North Dakota, a humble town with a population of a little less than a thousand. The winters are cold and snowy, the summers hot and humid. Manufacturing and agriculture keep the town humming and offer jobs to the next generation. And it’s full of people in desperate need of the gospel. 

For more than a century, Cornerstone has shared the gospel with the community. After seeing steady growth in the early 2000s, they purchased the old elementary school and converted it into their new church building. Several years ago, however, they found themselves without a pastor, so they started their search for new leadership. 

With the help of Brian Wright, superintendent of the EFCA Northern Plains District, the Cornerstone elders connected with eligible candidates through EFCA Jobs and EFCA Pastor Search, two online tools that connect EFCA churches to pastors and ministry leaders. In the process, they came across Robbie’s profile, but they quickly moved past him. 

“We weren’t interested in somebody from Scotland,” Wade Faul, the chairman of the church elder board, said. “We thought the process and cost would be unbelievable.” 

So, they hired another pastor instead. But before the week was over, that candidate changed his mind. Starting the process over, Robbie’s name re-emerged, but again, the elders dismissed it.  

Midwest dreams 

Since he was 12 years old, Robbie Brown had an interest in the Midwest. Posters of the old Metrodome stadium in Minneapolis and Minnesota Vikings pennants lined his wall, and he carried this love for the Heartland with him into adulthood. 

Robbie grew up in a Christian home. His father was a pastor, and Robbie made a commitment to the Lord as a child. He wandered away from God as a young adult. 

“My parents were always praying for me,” Robbie said. “The truth hadn’t left me, even though I was going nowhere.” 

In his 30s, Robbie worked as an archivist in Edinburgh, Scotland, and met a few Christians who encouraged him back to the faith. He attended church again but felt isolated with his group of friends who were non-believers. He returned to his hometown, where his father was a minister, and attended their church. In 2004, his father baptized him, and he felt a call to ministry.  

After receiving his Master’s in Theology at a Bible college in Northern Ireland and his Master’s of Philosophy at a seminary in Manchester, Robbie started his pastoral ministry, which eventually led him to a church in a small fishing community in northeast Scotland.  

When he sensed God’s call to serve elsewhere, he considered applying to churches in America, but Michelle wasn’t persuaded–––the significant cost to move their young family and two dogs seemed impossible. He put it aside until the Holy Spirit prompted him to talk to her again. When they spoke, Michelle changed her mind and encouraged him to try it. 

For a year, nothing happened. Robbie heard from a church in Ohio, but when he made plans to come over to preach, COVID hit, and the church moved on to another candidate. Another church in North Dakota also considered Robbie, but he didn’t feel right about it. After months and months of searching, he was almost ready to give up––that is, until Cornerstone contacted him.  

After several conversations with the Cornerstone’s search committee, Robbie received a text from the elders. It was time to come and preach. 

Stuck in a terminal 

Robbie and Michelle stood in line at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport for two hours. The woman working at the counter was serving a couple in front of them, but after a minute, she stopped and looked right at Robbie and Michelle. “You two,” she said. “Go around the corner, and someone will serve you there.”  

Confused, Robbie thought she was closing her desk and redirecting the line to a new agent. “I’m really sorry,” Robbie said, “but we’ve been standing in line for two hours. Can we not just wait and get served with you?” 

“No, you don’t understand,” she said. “Just you two. Go around the corner.” 

Robbie felt uneasy, but as instructed, he and Michelle walked around the corner and met another female airline customer service agent. She said they’d have to stay overnight, and she couldn’t get them a flight to Chicago or Dallas the next day either.  

That wouldn’t work––they needed to get to North Dakota earlier than that. “Could you fly us to Minneapolis?” Robbie asked. 

Three seats were open on a flight to Minneapolis. Robbie didn’t know how he was going to get from Minneapolis to Fargo, especially since a bad storm was plowing through the area. He called a woman from Mayville, North Dakota to see if they could get a ride. She didn’t think it was possible, but she encouraged Robbie to book the flight anyway. 

After a two hour and 45-minute flight to Minneapolis, a four-hour bus ride to Fargo and another 88-minute car ride to Cooperstown, they arrived at the church. 

On the morning of Sunday, April 23, 2023, Robbie and Michelle met the people of Cornerstone Community Church; Robbie delivered his sermon; and a few days later, he and Michelle hopped on their long flight back to Scotland without another delay or cancelation. Still, the trip proved enough: Cornerstone found their pastor and Robbie found his church. Now they faced the next hurdle––applying for an R1 visa.  

Immigrant Hope 

After researching the process, paperwork and knowledge required to successfully attain an R1 visa for Robbie, Cornerstone realized they needed help. Brian Wright recommended Immigrant Hope.  

“That was probably one of the best things we have ever done,” Wade said. 

Rooted in the EFCA Statement of Faith, Immigrant Hope helps the local church to share the hope of the gospel by providing low-cost immigration legal services for immigrants coming to the United States. Cornerstone contacted Immigrant Hope Santa Barbara and worked with Litzy Castro Moran and Diane Martinez. After several meetings and plenty of paperwork, they filed with immigration and waited for two months. 

When a letter came in the mail, Litzy broke the bad news––they had to wait another four years to receive approval. When word reached Robbie, he couldn’t believe it.  

“We couldn’t wait that long,” Robbie said, “and we couldn’t ask the church to wait that long.” 

Still, Cornerstone remained unshaken. “We’re not giving up,” they told Robbie. “You are our pastor. You’re coming.” 

Everyone prayed––Cornerstone, Robbie and his family and the team at Immigrant Hope Santa Barbara. Robbie said even people who weren’t thrilled about him leaving Scotland joined in the effort.  

After 10 days, Immigrant Hope received another notice from Homeland Security. They’d approved Robbie’s application.  

The interview 

The next step for Robbie and his family was to travel to the U.S. Embassy in London for the visa interview. When Robbie asked the embassy how long it would take to get an interview, they said, “Well, how long is a piece of string?” 

Soon after, though, Immigrant Hope told Robbie they could book him an appointment with the embassy on September 1. It was bittersweet––the opening appeared faster than expected, but it didn’t work for his family, plus the cost to travel that day was $8,000. 

“We didn’t have the money,” Robbie said. 

Robbie felt broken and discouraged. They had come so far only to be set back again. He didn’t know when they would have another chance. Two days later, Michelle saw an opening for October 3. The cost was significantly less, so they booked it. 

Before the interview, Immigrant Hope helped the Browns prepare and advised on the appropriate documents and appointments, but they couldn’t help with the questions. They didn’t know what the agents would ask.  

“That’s why prayer is so important in cases like this,” Litzy said.  

In the interview, the agents didn’t talk to Robbie’s family at all, even though they required them to be present. They only asked Robbie three questions: “What denomination are you? Where’s the church? How long are you staying for?” 

It took five minutes, and they approved his visa.  

Final steps 

The move to North Dakota presented its own challenges. As Michelle suspected, the cost to move a large family with two dogs from Scotland to North Dakota was significant. They didn’t know how they could afford it.  

It cost $10,000 just to move their two labrador retrievers across the ocean. The Browns initially considered keeping the dogs in Scotland and giving them to someone else, but they couldn’t find anyone. They had no idea what to do until the Cornerstone congregation surprised them with a gift to help pay for it. 

Meanwhile, as Robbie and Michelle browsed for houses in North Dakota, they found one they liked, but it was too expensive. They found a more affordable option and thought it was settled. Two weeks later, an elder from the church called with news: the church raised money to help purchase the house the Browns couldn’t afford and turned it into a parsonage. The congregation fully furnished the house and purchased two cars for the family.  

“I was nearly in tears,” Robbie said.  

When he arrived, Robbie didn’t waste any time getting started in ministry, which blunted any potential culture shock. From his vantage point, North Dakota wasn’t too different from Scotland, though he admitted the winters were much colder. The biggest difference was the warm welcome.  

“At the fishing port I served at in Scotland, you were an outsider until you were there for about 20 years,” Robbie said. “In North Dakota, it’s the opposite. Because you’re an outsider, we’re going to make you welcome as soon as you get here.” 

On June 2, 2024, Cornerstone held a baptism for four people who had given their lives to Christ. They met at Lake Ashtabula in Sibley, North Dakota, and Robbie brought each of them into the waters of baptism. Several months later, he baptized three more.  

“A real blessing,” Robbie said. “The Spirit is doing a work at Cornerstone.”

Robbie and his family are allowed to stay in the United States until April 2025 with their visa. To stay longer, they will work with Immigrant Hope to apply for an extension and then a green card.   

Despite the challenges, Robbie’s faith has been strengthened, and he has seen God’s hand at work through it all.  

Learn more about Immigrant Hope.