Brandan Robertson (born June 24, 1992, in Silver Spring, Maryland, often searched online as “Brandon Robertson”) is an American pastor, author, and public theologian who serves as Pastor of Sunnyside Reformed Church in Queens, New York City. Known widely as the “TikTok Pastor,” Robertson built one of the largest platforms in progressive Christianity by talking openly about queer theology, biblical scholarship, and inclusion, reaching hundreds of thousands of followers across social media. His path from Independent Baptist fundamentalism to progressive Christian ministry is one of the more closely watched faith journeys of his generation.
[IMAGE: Rev. Brandan Robertson speaking at a church event]
At a Glance
| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Brandan Robertson |
| Born | June 24, 1992, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA |
| Age | 34 (as of 2026) |
| Nationality | American |
| Pronouns | He/him |
| Education | |
| Undergraduate | Moody Bible Institute, BA in Pastoral Ministry and Biblical Studies (2014) |
| Graduate | Iliff School of Theology, Master of Theological Studies (2017) |
| Graduate | Eastern Illinois University, MA in Political Science and Public Administration (2020) |
| Doctoral | Drew University, PhD in Biblical Studies (in progress, began 2022) |
| Ministry | |
| Title | Pastor |
| Church | Sunnyside Reformed Church, Queens, New York City |
| Denomination | United Church of Christ (ordained); Sunnyside is affiliated with both the Reformed Church in America and the UCC |
| Since | 2022/2023 |
| Other roles | Theologian in Residence, Coral Gables Congregational UCC, Miami; Founder, DevOUT Foundation |
| Career | |
| Known for | “TikTok Pastor,” queer theology, progressive Christian advocacy |
| Books | 20+ authored, edited, or contributed to, including Queer & Christian and True Inclusion |
| Website | brandanrobertson.com |
Early Life and Background
Brandan Robertson was born on June 24, 1992, and raised in Columbia, Maryland, in what he has described as a largely non-religious household. He became a Christian at age 12 after connecting with a local Baptist church, and he quickly gravitated toward the fundamentalist, Independent Baptist end of American evangelicalism. That early formation, strict and doctrinally rigid, shaped both his theology and the identity crisis he’d wrestle with a few years later.
Education
Robertson enrolled at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, a flagship evangelical school, to study Pastoral Ministry and Biblical Studies. While there, he hosted a radio show and interviewed a range of Christian leaders, including David Platt. But Robertson was also quietly working through doubts about his sexuality and his church’s teaching on it. According to his own account, he was threatened with expulsion from Moody more than once as he began voicing theological questions, and was at one point strongly encouraged to pursue conversion therapy to prove his commitment to an evangelical view of homosexuality. He graduated with his BA in 2014.
He later completed a Master of Theological Studies at the more progressive Iliff School of Theology in 2017, an MA in Political Science and Public Administration from Eastern Illinois University in 2020, and began a PhD in Biblical Studies at Drew University in 2022.
Ministry Journey: From Evangelical Spokesman to Progressive Pastor
Evangelicals for Marriage Equality
Right after graduating Moody in 2014, Robertson moved to Washington, D.C. and became the national spokesperson for Evangelicals for Marriage Equality, a group encouraging evangelicals to support civil marriage equality even if they weren’t ready to embrace it inside the church. The launch, announced via a TIME op-ed, drew immediate pushback. The Southern Baptist Convention‘s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission publicly condemned the effort as unbiblical. That same year, Robertson led a widely covered meeting between Southern Baptist leaders and LGBTQ advocates at the SBC’s national conference in Nashville, a moment that made him a lightning rod on both sides of the debate.
[IMAGE: Brandan Robertson at a marriage equality panel or public speaking event]
Coming Out and the Fallout
In January 2015, Robertson publicly came out as a queer man. The response from parts of the evangelical world was swift. His evangelical publisher, Destiny Image, dropped the contract for his first book, Nomad: A Spirituality for Traveling Light, after buyers refused to carry it. Some conservative Christian leaders labeled him a false teacher. Robertson has said the experience, while painful, pushed him deeper into biblical scholarship and queer theology, which he later described as saving him from the trauma of religious rejection.
Missiongathering Christian Church, San Diego
After finishing his master’s degree at Iliff in 2017, Robertson was called as Lead Pastor of Missiongathering Christian Church, a progressive, LGBTQ-affirming congregation in San Diego. He spent several years there, releasing six more books during his tenure, mostly focused on LGBTQ+ inclusion and racial justice, along with two bestselling devotionals.
Becoming the “TikTok Pastor”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Robertson shifted much of his ministry online. His short-form videos on inclusive theology found a large audience fast, and he became one of the most-followed progressive Christian voices on TikTok, eventually reaching several hundred thousand followers and millions of views across platforms.
Sunnyside Reformed Church
In 2022, Robertson relocated to New York City to begin his doctoral work at Drew University and was appointed pastor of Sunnyside Reformed Church in Queens, a small, historic congregation affiliated with both the Reformed Church in America and the United Church of Christ. He’s led Sunnyside as a part-time pastor since, alongside his writing, speaking, and role as Theologian in Residence at Coral Gables Congregational UCC in Miami.
Books and Publications
Robertson has authored, edited, or contributed to more than 20 books, several of which have made an impact well beyond church circles.
- Nomad: A Spirituality for Traveling Light — his first book, part memoir, part reflection on progressive faith
- True Inclusion: Creating Communities of Radical Embrace — an INDIES Book of the Year Award finalist
- Queer & Christian: Reclaiming the Bible, Our Faith, and Our Place at the Table — his most comprehensive work on LGBTQ+ inclusion in Christianity, released through St. Martin’s Essentials
His writing and commentary have appeared in TIME, CNN, The Washington Post, NBC, and The Huffington Post. He also writes as a columnist for Baptist News Global and hosts the Faith for the Rest of Us podcast.
Theology and Ministry Philosophy
Robertson identifies as a progressive Christian working at what he calls the intersection of spirituality, sexuality, and social renewal. His central theological argument, laid out across his books and TikTok content, is that queer identity and Christian faith are not in conflict, and that Scripture, read carefully, supports full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the life of the church. He’s an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and has built much of his public ministry around what he calls “queer hermeneutics,” a way of reading the Bible through the lens of the marginalized and excluded.
In 2020, Robertson founded the DevOUT Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at countering far-right religious narratives and amplifying inclusive faith voices in both digital and traditional media.
Personal Life
Robertson has spoken and written extensively about his own journey as a gay Christian, including his years of internal conflict growing up in a fundamentalist church environment and the pressure he faced at Moody Bible Institute. He has referenced plans toward marriage in public commentary, but no confirmed details about a husband or spouse are publicly available at this time. Robertson currently lives in the New York City area.
Influence and Legacy
Robertson’s reach is unusual for a part-time pastor of a small Queens congregation. His TikTok following, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, has made him one of the most visible faces of progressive Christianity to a generation raised online, and Out Magazine named him to its 2025 list of the 100 most impactful LGBTQ+ people in America. He regularly speaks at universities, interfaith gatherings, and public institutions, including appearances connected to the White House and Oxford University, on the subject of faith and LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Criticism and Controversies
Robertson’s public theology has drawn sustained criticism from conservative and evangelical Christians, who reject his affirming positions on same-sex relationships as a departure from historic biblical teaching. His 2014 advocacy work drew formal pushback from the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and his 2015 coming-out led an evangelical publisher to cancel his book contract.
His public comments have also drawn controversy from within more traditional corners of the church on other fronts. In 2018, commentary attributed to Robertson describing polyamorous relationships in favorable spiritual terms drew strong criticism from conservative outlets, who argued the position conflicts with traditional Christian teaching on marriage. Robertson has continued to describe himself as working at the edges of what mainstream Christianity considers acceptable, a position he treats as core to his ministry rather than as a controversy to walk back.
Awards and Recognition
- Named to Out Magazine’s 2025 Out100 list of the most influential LGBTQ+ people in America
- True Inclusion: Creating Communities of Radical Embrace — INDIES Book of the Year Award finalist
- Honored at the LGBTQ Religious Archives Network gala, October 2024
Interesting Facts
- Robertson’s radio show at Moody Bible Institute once featured an interview with evangelical pastor and author David Platt, years before his own break with evangelicalism.
- He publicly came out as queer in January 2015, just months after becoming the national spokesperson for a marriage equality organization aimed at evangelicals.
- He is affectionately known online as the “TikTok Pastor,” a nickname that stuck after his short-form videos on inclusive theology went viral during the pandemic.
- Despite training at one of the most conservative evangelical schools in the country, he now pastors a congregation affiliated with two of the more progressive American denominations.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1992 | Born June 24 in Silver Spring, Maryland |
| 2004 | Becomes a Christian at age 12 |
| 2014 | Graduates Moody Bible Institute; becomes national spokesperson for Evangelicals for Marriage Equality |
| 2015 | Publicly comes out as queer; evangelical publisher cancels his first book contract |
| 2017 | Completes Master of Theological Studies at Iliff School of Theology; becomes Lead Pastor of Missiongathering Christian Church, San Diego |
| 2020 | Rises to prominence on TikTok during the pandemic; founds the DevOUT Foundation |
| 2022 | Begins PhD at Drew University; appointed Pastor of Sunnyside Reformed Church, Queens, NYC |
| 2024 | Releases Queer & Christian: Reclaiming the Bible, Our Faith, and Our Place at the Table |
| 2025 | Named to Out Magazine’s Out100 list of influential LGBTQ+ Americans |
Frequently Asked Questions
What denomination is Brandan Robertson?
Brandan Robertson is ordained in the United Church of Christ. He pastors Sunnyside Reformed Church, a congregation affiliated with both the United Church of Christ and the Reformed Church in America.
What church does Brandan Robertson lead?
He is the pastor of Sunnyside Reformed Church in Queens, New York City, a role he’s held since 2022.
Is Brandan Robertson married?
No confirmed, publicly verified information about a husband or marriage is currently available. Robertson has spoken generally about his life as a gay Christian but hasn’t shared confirmed marital details.
What is Brandan Robertson known for?
He’s known as the “TikTok Pastor,” a progressive Christian author and public theologian focused on queer theology and LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church, with a large following built through short-form video content.
Did Brandan Robertson used to be evangelical?
Yes. He grew up in an Independent Baptist evangelical context and trained at Moody Bible Institute before coming out in 2015 and moving into progressive Christian ministry.
Whether you agree with his theology or not, Brandan Robertson’s story raises real questions about faith, identity, and belonging. What’s your take? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Read Also
- David Platt Biography
- John Piper: Biography, Family, Ministry & Where He Is Now
- Mark Driscoll Biography
About the author: This biography was researched and written by the Flicxa editorial team, dedicated to accurate, well-sourced profiles of pastors, ministry leaders, and gospel artists across the full spectrum of the Christian tradition.
