A former lead pastor of a Minnesota church was murdered after moving his family to Africa to become a missionary.
Beau Shroyer, 44, was the lead pastor of Lakes Area Vineyard Church in Detroit Lakes before moving to Angola with his wife Jackie and their five children in 2021 to become a missionary with the SIM USA organization.
The pastor previously described the African area as a “remote bush village” with no electricity, sewerage or water systems. reports the Detroit Lakes Tribune.
But Randy Fairman, the president of SIM USA, congregants said from the presbytery that he received a phone call on Friday “informing him that Beau Shroyer was murdered while serving Jesus in Angola and that he is now with his Savior.”
Many details about Shroyer’s death remain unclear as church and mission officials try to get information from authorities in Angola.
Beau Shroyer, 44, was murdered while serving as a missionary in Angola, Africa
He had previously served as lead pastor of Lakes Area Vineyard Church in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
Shroyer had previously worked as a police officer and joined the Detroit Lakes Police Department in 2013 before becoming a real estate agent, the Tribune reported.
He eventually became a pastor, and in 2021 he and his wife, Jackie, became missionaries — becoming one of the first families to move to Angola after pandemic lockdowns eased, Fairman said.
“I am confident that he can see from his point of view how his family will be cared for, and it is not difficult for him to trust our good Father,” he wrote in his letter to congregants.
“From our perspective and the perspective of Jackie and the children, we must now trust Jesus in a season we could never have imagined.
“We must trust Him without demanding that He understand why He allowed this to happen,” Fairman continued.
“It’s hard and increases our faith.”
He and his wife, Jackie, moved their family to Angola in 2021 to become missionaries with SIM USA
Troy Easton, who succeeded Shroyer as lead pastor of Lakes Area Vineyard Church, also wrote in his own letter to congregants.
“Moments like these raise so many unanswerable questions for us and it only adds to the pain knowing that we may never understand why our Father allowed something like this to happen,” he said.
“And yet, amid the shock and grief, we must not forget the truths in the scriptures that point to his wise, merciful, gracious, faithful, trustworthy, and ever-loving character, as well as the truth that Beau was a man who, because of his love for the Lord, he gave his life to point the lost, the hurting, the desperate, and the broken to the God who rescued, saved, and transformed his life.”
He added that he has been in contact with the Shroyer family and told congregants, “Be assured that even in their shock and grief, they are strong in the Lord and have His word and tremendous support around them.”
“As more details become available about what’s next for the family, what arrangements are being made to celebrate and honor Beau’s life, and practical ways you can love and serve them, we will be sure to share them with you,” promised Easton.
In addition to his wife, Shroyer is survived by children Bella, Avery, Oakley, Iva and Eden.