Jonathan Laurie (born 1986) is an American pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, and the younger son of renowned evangelist Greg Laurie.
Raised inside one of America’s largest churches, Jonathan now serves on the Harvest pastoral staff, carrying forward a ministry built by his father and shaped by deep personal loss.
Jonathan Laurie at a Glance
| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jonathan Laurie |
| Born | 1986 Riverside, California, USA |
| Age | Approximately 40 (as of 2026) |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Brittni Laurie |
| Children | Rylie, Allie, and Christopher Laurie |
| Parents | Greg Laurie (father); Cathe Laurie (mother) |
| Siblings | Christopher David Laurie (older brother, deceased 2008) |
| Ministry | |
| Title | Pastor |
| Church | Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside, California |
| Denomination | Southern Baptist Convention (affiliated since 2017), formerly Calvary Chapel association |
| Pastor since | 2015 |
| Career | |
| Previous work | Aerospace industry |
| Favorite verse | 2 Corinthians 5:17 |
| Website | harvest.church |
Early Life and Background
Jonathan Laurie was born in 1986 in Riverside, California, the younger of two sons born to Greg Laurie and his wife, Cathe.
Greg Laurie had founded Harvest Christian Fellowship more than a decade earlier, out of a small Bible study that grew into one of the largest churches in America.
Jonathan and his older brother, Christopher, were raised inside that church, a reality that carries its own weight for any pastor’s child.
By his own account, Jonathan believed in Jesus from an early age, but that belief did not stop him from drifting during his teenage years.
He has described walking away from the Lord for a period before fully recommitting his life to Christ.
Before entering ministry, Jonathan worked in the aerospace industry, a career path far removed from the pulpit he would later step into.
Ministry Journey
The Turning Point
Jonathan’s return to faith is tied directly to his older brother, Christopher. Christopher, who worked as art director at Harvest Christian Fellowship, once asked Jonathan a simple but pointed question: what would it take for him to give his life to Christ. Not long after that conversation, Christopher died.
On July 24, 2008, Christopher Laurie, then 33 years old, was killed in a car accident on the Riverside Freeway in Corona, California, after his vehicle struck the last truck in a road crew convoy at high speed.
He left behind his wife, Brittany, and their young daughter, Stella. Greg Laurie has described that day as the most devastating of his life.
It was his brother’s death, and the question Christopher had asked him, that finally moved Jonathan to fully commit his life to Christ.
That loss became the foundation of the calling that eventually led him into pastoral ministry.
Joining the Harvest Staff
Jonathan Laurie has served as a pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship since 2015.
He now teaches and preaches regularly at Harvest’s California campuses, including sermons broadcast through “Harvest at Home,” the church’s online worship platform.
His messages often draw on themes of leadership, repentance, and remembering God’s faithfulness through hardship, subjects shaped by his own family’s story.
Harvest Christian Fellowship, founded by his father in the early 1970s during the Jesus Movement, has grown into a congregation of more than 8,000 members with campuses across California and one in Hawaii.
In 2017, under Greg Laurie’s leadership, the church formally joined the Southern Baptist Convention after decades of affiliation with the Calvary Chapel movement.
Jonathan’s ministry today operates within that same denominational structure.
Personal Life
Jonathan is married to Brittni Laurie. The couple has known each other since junior high, at age 11, long before either of them entered ministry.
Together they have three children: Rylie, Allie, and Christopher, the youngest named in memory of Jonathan’s late brother.
Jonathan’s favorite Bible verse, 2 Corinthians 5:17, speaks to becoming a new creation in Christ, a theme that runs directly through his personal testimony of walking away from faith as a teenager and later returning to it after tragedy.
Family Legacy
Jonathan Laurie is part of a family whose ministry story became widely known beyond church circles.
In 2023, his parents’ conversion story during the 1960s and ’70s Jesus Movement was depicted in the Lionsgate film Jesus Revolution, starring Kelsey Grammer and Jonathan Roumie.
The film brought new attention to Harvest Christian Fellowship’s origins and, by extension, to the family that has led it for more than five decades.
As the sole surviving son of Greg and Cathe Laurie, Jonathan now represents the next generation of leadership at Harvest, a church built by his father from a Bible study of 30 people into a ministry with a global broadcast reach.
Interesting Facts
- Jonathan worked in the aerospace industry before transitioning into full-time pastoral ministry.
- He and his wife, Brittni, have known each other since they were 11 years old.
- His youngest child is named Christopher, after his late older brother.
- Jonathan’s family story was depicted in the 2023 film Jesus Revolution.
- He became a pastor at Harvest the same year, 2015, that marked seven years since his brother Christopher’s death.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1986 | Born in Riverside, California, to Greg and Cathe Laurie |
| 2008 | Older brother Christopher dies in a car accident on July 24; Jonathan recommits fully to Christ |
| 2015 | Joins the pastoral staff at Harvest Christian Fellowship |
| 2017 | Harvest Christian Fellowship joins the Southern Baptist Convention under Greg Laurie’s leadership |
| 2023 | Family’s conversion story depicted in the film Jesus Revolution |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jonathan Laurie’s wife?
Jonathan Laurie is married to Brittni Laurie. The couple has known each other since junior high school and have three children together.
What are Jonathan Laurie’s kids’ names?
Jonathan and Brittni Laurie have three children: Rylie, Allie, and Christopher.
What did Jonathan Laurie study or do before ministry?
Before entering pastoral ministry, Jonathan Laurie worked in the aerospace industry. Detailed information about his formal education beyond that career has not been made public.
What is Jonathan Laurie’s net worth?
No verified net worth figure for Jonathan Laurie has been published. As a pastor on a church staff rather than a public business figure, his finances are not part of the public record.
Is Jonathan Laurie related to Greg Laurie?
Yes. Jonathan Laurie is the younger son of evangelist Greg Laurie and his wife, Cathe, and now serves as a pastor at the church his father founded, Harvest Christian Fellowship.
