A former senior pastor of a Minnesota church was murdered after he moved with his family to Africa to become a missionary.
Beau Shroyer, 44, was the senior 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 for the SIM USA organization.
The pastor previously described the African area as a “remote village” with no electricity, sewage or water systems. reports the Detroit Lakes Tribune.
But Randy Fairman, the president of SIM USA, he told the parishioners from the pastor’s church who received a call on Friday ‘informing me that Beau Shroyer was murdered while serving Jesus in Angola and is now with his Savior.’
Many details about Shroyer’s death remain unclear as church and mission officials work to obtain information from Angolan authorities.
Beau Shroyer, 44, was killed while serving as a missionary in Angola, Africa
He had previously served as senior 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, according to the Tribune.
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 believe that from his point of view, he can see how his family will be taken care of, and it is not difficult for him to trust our good Father,” he wrote in his letter to parishioners.
‘From our perspective and that of Jackie and the children, we must now trust in Jesus in a season we never imagined.
“We must trust Him without demanding that He give us insight into why He allowed this,” Fairman continued.
“It’s difficult and it strengthens our faith.”
He and his wife, Jackie, moved their family to Angola in 2021 to become SIM USA missionaries.
Troy Easton, who succeeded Shroyer as senior pastor of Lakes Area Vineyard Church, also wrote in his own letter to parishioners.
“Moments like these create so many unanswered questions for us and it adds to the pain knowing that we may never understand why our Father has allowed something like this to happen,” he said.
‘And yet, in the midst of shock and pain, we must not forget the truths found in the Scriptures that point to His wise, merciful, merciful, faithful, trustworthy and ever-loving character, as well as the truth of that Beau was a man who, out of his love for the Lord, 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 parishioners, “Rest assured that even in your shock and pain, you are strong in the Lord and His word and you have wonderful support around you.”
“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 the practical ways you can love and serve them, we will be sure to share them with you,” Easton promised.
In addition to his wife, Shroyer is survived by children Bella, Avery, Oakley, Iva and Eden.