Cheryl Brodersen (born 1959 or 1960) is an American Bible teacher, author, and podcast host best known as the youngest daughter of Calvary Chapel founder Chuck Smith and as the wife of pastor Brian Brodersen.
For over four decades, Cheryl has led women’s ministry inside the Calvary Chapel movement, taking over the Joyful Life Bible study her mother, Kay Smith, started and building it into one of the most recognized women’s teaching platforms in Southern California.
Cheryl Brodersen at a Glance
| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Cheryl Brodersen, née Smith |
| Born | 1959 or 1960, Southern California, USA |
| Age | Approximately 66 (as of 2026) |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Brian Brodersen (m. May 23, 1980) |
| Children | Kristyn, Char (Brian Charles), Kelsey, Braden |
| Grandchildren | Seven, including five grandsons and one granddaughter |
| Parents | Chuck Smith (father, founder of Calvary Chapel); Kay Smith (mother) |
| Education | |
| Graduate | Master of Applied Biblical Leadership, Western Seminary |
| Ministry | |
| Role | Bible teacher, Joyful Life women’s ministry, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa |
| Podcasts | Gracious Words; Women Worth Knowing; Living Grace |
| Denomination | Calvary Chapel (non-denominational, Charismatic-adjacent) |
| Career | |
| Books | When a Woman Lets Go of Her Fears; When a Woman Lets Go of the Lies; A Woman’s Battle for Grace; Growing Together as a Couple (with Brian) |
Early Life and Background
Cheryl Brodersen was born the youngest of four children to Chuck Smith and Kay Smith, growing up in the middle of the Jesus Movement that swept through Southern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Her father pastored a small, struggling congregation called Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, and her mother, burdened by the hippies she saw filling local beaches, pushed the church to open its doors to a generation the culture at large had written off.
Cheryl watched that revival unfold firsthand, though she has said in interviews that some popular retellings of the era, including the 2023 film Jesus Revolution, get parts of the story wrong.
Being raised in what she has called a Spirit-filled home did not make her faith automatic.
She has spoken candidly about struggling in college to live up to the image of a “perfect Christian girl,” a tension that later shaped how she approached ministry to other women.
Ministry Career and the Joyful Life Study
Cheryl’s path into ministry started almost by accident. As a young woman, she sewed and crocheted trendy clothing that classmates admired, and her mother invited her to model the pieces at a women’s retreat.
The overwhelming, affirming response from the women there, she has said, did something in her that redirected her path toward teaching.
She met Brian Brodersen at a home Bible study in Huntington Harbor, California. The two married on May 23, 1980, officiated by Cheryl’s father, when Cheryl was 20 years old.
In 1983, the couple moved to Vista, California, where Brian took over a small Calvary Chapel congregation.
Cheryl started a women’s Bible study there with two people that eventually grew to forty, and she co-wrote a study on the book of James with her mother that became the first Joyful Life study.
London and the Return to Costa Mesa
In 1996, the Brodersen family moved to London to plant Calvary Chapel Westminster. Cheryl homeschooled the couple’s four children during this period, led children’s ministry, taught two weekly women’s Bible studies, and hosted a steady stream of visitors.
She has said the smaller scale of ministry in London taught her the value of investing in one person at a time rather than chasing numbers.
The family returned to California in 2000 at Chuck Smith’s request so Brian could begin working alongside him at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.
Cheryl took over leadership of the Joyful Life women’s ministry her mother had started years earlier, a role she has now held for more than two decades.
Rise to Prominence
Cheryl built her platform gradually, through more than 26 years as a retreat speaker, conference speaker, and weekly Bible teacher, long before podcasts made that kind of ministry easy to access nationally.
Her weekly Joyful Life teaching, broadcast through the Gracious Words podcast, extended her reach onto radio stations around the world.
She also co-hosts Women Worth Knowing with author Robin Jones Gunn, a show that profiles influential Christian women throughout history, and hosts Living Grace, a conversational program where she has interviewed guests including Cathe Laurie, wife of Greg Laurie, and Kay Warren, co-founder of Saddleback Church, on topics ranging from ministry transitions to mental illness in the family.
Books and Publications
Cheryl has authored several books focused on women’s spiritual growth and emotional health, alongside numerous Bible study guides used in Joyful Life classes. Notable titles include:
- When a Woman Lets Go of Her Fears
- When a Woman Lets Go of the Lies
- A Woman’s Battle for Grace
- Growing Together as a Couple, co-written with her husband, Brian
- Multiple Bible study guides, including a study through the book of Colossians titled Qualified by Christ
Personal Life
Marriage to Brian Brodersen
Cheryl has been married to Brian Brodersen since 1980. Brian served as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa from 2013 until January 2025, when he stepped down and transitioned into the role of Pastor Emeritus.
Their son, Char Brodersen, was installed as the church’s new lead pastor shortly afterward. Cheryl and Brian now lead a joint ministry called Echoes of Mercy, focused on teaching, writing, and media.
Children and Family Life
Cheryl and Brian have four children: Kristyn, their eldest, born a year after their wedding; Char, whose full name is Brian Charles Brodersen; Kelsey; and Braden.
The family now includes two sons-in-law, two daughters-in-law, and seven grandchildren, five grandsons and one granddaughter, plus a Golden-Doodle named Barnabas.
Theology and Ministry Philosophy
Cheryl teaches within the Calvary Chapel tradition’s emphasis on verse-by-verse Bible study, working through entire books of Scripture with her Joyful Life classes rather than topic-driven sermons alone.
Her teaching leans heavily on personal transparency, encouraging women to name their fears and insecurities honestly rather than perform a version of faith that hides struggle.
That approach traces directly back to her mother’s ministry model. Kay Smith built Joyful Life around meeting women, particularly those on the margins of respectable church culture, exactly where they were.
Cheryl has continued that pattern, adapting the ministry’s tone for a generation dealing with different pressures than the hippies her parents once reached on the beaches of Southern California.
Influence and Legacy
Cheryl represents a direct link between two generations of women’s ministry inside the Calvary Chapel movement, carrying forward a ministry her mother started and expanding it well beyond a single congregation through podcasts and national radio syndication.
Her interviews and teaching have reached women across the broader Calvary Global Network and beyond it, into wider evangelical circles through guests like Kay Warren.
She has also become one of the more visible voices explaining the Jesus Movement’s actual history firsthand, correcting misconceptions that have circulated since Hollywood took an interest in the story through Jesus Revolution.
Criticism and Controversies
Cheryl herself has not been the direct subject of significant public controversy.
She has, however, been affected by scrutiny aimed at her husband, particularly criticism from more conservative voices within the Calvary Chapel movement over Brian’s leadership of the Calvary Global Network following its 2016 split from the Calvary Chapel Association.
Cheryl has continued her own ministry work throughout that period without becoming a central figure in the dispute herself.
Net Worth
There is no independently verified net worth figure specifically attached to Cheryl Brodersen. Her income sources are tied to her husband’s pastoral compensation, her own book royalties, and speaking engagements, none of which are publicly disclosed in detail. Flicxa does not attach a speculative number to her finances.
Interesting Facts About Cheryl Brodersen
- She grew up watching the Jesus Movement unfold firsthand inside her father’s church and has publicly corrected details from the 2023 film Jesus Revolution
- Her ministry career started with sewing and modeling clothing at a women’s retreat, not with formal Bible teaching
- She co-wrote the first Joyful Life Bible study, on the book of James, together with her mother, Kay Smith
- She holds a Master of Applied Biblical Leadership degree from Western Seminary
- She and Brian have a Golden-Doodle named Barnabas
Timeline of Key Events
- 1959 or 1960: Born the youngest of four children to Chuck and Kay Smith
- Late 1960s to early 1970s: Grows up in the middle of the Jesus Movement at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa
- May 23, 1980: Marries Brian Brodersen, officiated by her father, Chuck Smith
- 1981: First child, Kristyn, is born
- 1983: Moves to Vista, California, and starts a women’s Bible study that grows into the first Joyful Life class
- 1996: Moves to London to help plant Calvary Chapel Westminster
- 2000: Returns to Costa Mesa and takes over leadership of the Joyful Life ministry from her mother
- October 3, 2013: Her father, Chuck Smith, dies; Brian is appointed senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa days later
- 2021: Her mother, Kay Smith, dies at age 94
- January 2025: Brian steps down as senior pastor; their son Char becomes lead pastor
- 2025: Cheryl and Brian launch the Echoes of Mercy ministry together
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cheryl Brodersen known for?
Cheryl Brodersen is best known for leading the Joyful Life women’s Bible study at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, a ministry started by her mother, Kay Smith, and for hosting the podcasts Gracious Words, Women Worth Knowing, and Living Grace.
How many children does Brian Brodersen have?
Brian and Cheryl Brodersen have four children together: Kristyn, Char, Kelsey, and Braden, along with seven grandchildren.
Who took over Calvary Chapel after Chuck Smith?
Brian Brodersen, Chuck Smith’s son-in-law and Cheryl’s husband, became senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in October 2013, days after Smith’s death. Brian led the church until January 2025, when their son, Char Brodersen, took over as lead pastor.
What happened to Pastor Brian Brodersen?
Brian Brodersen stepped down as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in January 2025 after 11 years leading the church, transitioning into the role of Pastor Emeritus. He and Cheryl now lead a new ministry together called Echoes of Mercy, and Brian remains president of the Calvary Global Network.
How old is Cheryl Brodersen?
Cheryl Brodersen was 20 years old when she married in May 1980, which places her birth year around 1959 or 1960, making her approximately 66 years old as of 2026. Her exact birth date has not been publicly confirmed.
Who is Cheryl Brodersen’s husband?
Her husband is Brian Brodersen, who served as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa from 2013 to 2025 and now leads the Calvary Global Network.
Final Word
Cheryl Brodersen has spent more than four decades doing the kind of ministry that rarely makes headlines but shapes a church from the inside, teaching the same women’s Bible study her mother started, one book of Scripture at a time. Between two podcasts, a seminary degree, and a front-row seat to the Jesus Movement itself, she has built a body of work that stands on its own, not just as “Chuck Smith’s daughter” or “Brian Brodersen’s wife.”
