Leadership

I grew up in a Christian home in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. I majored in Bible and Theology at Wheaton College, and then I spent two years studying under John Piper at The Bethlehem Institute in Minneapolis.

I received my Masters of Divinity degree at Westminster Seminary in California in 2006 where I studied under men such as W. Robert Godfrey and Michael Horton. From 2006 to 2010 I served as an Associate Pastor at Cloverdale United Reformed Church in Boise, Idaho (URCNA).

In November 2010 I moved back to the Twin Cities to begin the process of planting a new church.  My wife, Colleen, our five children, and I love life in Minnesota.  We enjoy getting outdoors during all four seasons!

I am thankful to God for the privilege and joy to serve as the Pastor at Emmaus Road Reformed Church. My prayer is that God would use me to help build His church in the south metro of the Twin Cities to the glory of His Name.

I have lived in Michigan, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Maryland before finally moving to Minnesota and joining Emmaus Road Reformed Church.

My family lives in Chanhassen, and I work as an electrical engineer. I have served as a deacon since 2019.

I am married to Lisa and we have three children. My hometown is Bloomington and I grew up in what I refer to as Historic East Bloomington.

I was raised Lutheran, but I have learned more about Martin Luther, his theology and the gospel from Presbyterian and Reformed pastors and theologians than I did in my home church growing up. I have been reading and listening to the late RC Sproul and the late James Montgomery Boice since the late 1980s.

I served in several roles in Bible Study Fellowship including Discussion Leader, Class Administrator, Substitute Teaching Leader and as a Children’s Leader.

My family and I started attending Emmaus Road in the late summer 2014. I began serving as an Elder at Emmaus Road in 2017.

I am married to Sarah, and we have three daughters, Stella, Grace, and Chloe.

I grew up on a small farm in rural Ohio, and graduated from Cedarville University where I met Sarah, and was first introduced to the doctrines of grace.

I moved to Minnesota in 2005 to pursue a career in finance, and have spent the majority of my career as an equity analyst and portfolio manager.  Since 2013, I have worked at a boutique investment management firm, where I am a principal and co-founder.

I love being a husband and dad, and I enjoy downhill skiing, canoeing in the Boundary Waters, cooking, and traveling with Sarah.

We first visited Emmaus in 2017 looking for a church that held to a Reformed confession. We joined the church as members in 2018. We love the community of believers at Emmaus and the faithful preaching of God’s word.  

I am a homegrown Minnesota boy: I grew up in Inver Grove Heights and graduated from Simley High School  in ‘76. My family were members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (IGH) in my early years. I have been employed with the U.S. Postal Service since 1994. I am the father of 2 children: a daughter and a son.
 
The Lord revealed Himself to me through a confluence of events in late 1989 and I was led out of darkness and into His marvelous light! I have laid hold of the Reformed tradition through the teachings of several ministries that uphold the creedal, biblical, and theological doctrines, exegetical preaching and the sacraments. I have had the honor of serving as a deacon for New Life Church in Woodbury in the late ‘90s, and I am grateful to serve as a deacon for Emmaus Road Reformed Church.
 
My interests include reading, walking, sporting events (particularly baseball & hockey), and always a good cup of coffee!

Born and raised in Minnesota, while attending my childhood Lutheran church, I first believed the Gospel as a teenager.

I graduated from St. Olaf College with a double major, where I met and eventually married my wife, Kari, of 45 years. We have 4 married adult children and 7 grandchildren.

My career as a financial advisor spanned nearly 40 years.

I love our people at Emmaus Road and enjoy serving them.

My favorite activities include reading, gardening and exercising - especially skiing!

 I was raised Catholic in a military family that stationed in Mississippi and California. We moved to Minnesota when my Dad retired.

My wife Sharon and I have four daughters, and we have lived in Shakopee for 25 years.

I earn a living selling food to restaurants and enjoy board games with friends and family at my leisure.

Although I have always believed in God and Jesus Christ as my personal savior, the truths of the Gospel were not opened to me until the beginning of adulthood.  I praise God for all his blessings and his gift of true faith.

The Lord has been gracious to give me a sincere faith that first dwelt in my parents. By His amazing grace, I have never known a day that I did not call Him Father and know that Jesus, the friend of sinners, was a friend to me.

I met my wife, Linda, in college and the Lord has given us four children. We thank the the Lord every day for His grace that He has shown them in making them to walk with them as well.

Now for the vital statistics. I was born in St. Louis, MO, went to Wheaton College, got an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and work in commercial real estate. I became convinced that Reformed theology best fit with the Bible and was a member of a PCA and an OPC church before joining Redeemer Reformed Church in Golden Valley. I became an elder there and was part of the church plant team that started Emmaus Road.

I love worshiping with my Emmaus family and serving our wonderful Lord together.

Dean and his bride Barbara have been married for over 35 years. They have three children, Luke, Isaac, and Hannah (married to Micah), all of whom live in the Twin Cities area.

The Veldkamps have been at Emmaus Road Reformed Church since 2014. Dean served in the past as an elder and deacon at Calvary Christian Reformed Church.

Dean is the CFO at Mid America Marketing in Eden Prairie.

I spent the first twenty-two years of my life in the rolling hills of southern Indiana where I learned to love Christ and His church. Within days of moving to Minnesota, I started attending Emmaus Road, seeking for and finding a church that had sound teaching and a genuine love for one another.
 
I live in Delano where I enjoy a mixture of outdoor projects and outdoor recreation. I began serving Emmaus as church treasurer in 2018 and as deacon starting in 2022.