Christian Brothers Automotive- Our Story

We bought our first home in December of 2011. A beautiful brickrow townhome in The Lakes of Blaine (Minnesota). We rented it out for the last five years or so. I had a dream / plan of moving back into it after our kids were grown and out of the house. Emily showed interest in selling the home, especially recently and especially as we’ve talked about the possibility of using the profit we would gain to start some kind of business.

It was late February or early March 2019 and Emily and I began to talk a little more about the possibility of starting some sort of business. We had very little direction. I applied to become a Chick-Fil-A franchisee a couple years ago. That’s like winning the lottery, and I didn’t make it. I briefly looked into Pizza Ranch since I knew some of their corporate employees. It was far too expensive and I didn’t have a strong enough interest anyway. It seemed like just the day after Emily and I prayed about possibilities that someone reached out to me on Facebook. His name is Tommy Keeter. Tommy was on a mission trip that I led a number of years ago in Jamaica. I have not stayed close with him, but he reached out to me and told me that Christian Brothers Automotive (CBA) was looking to grow in the Minneapolis area. He said he thought of me and wanted to encourage me to look into CBA.

Here’s what I know about cars and what I knew of CBA at the time: I changed my spark plugs prior to having kids. I know what brake pads are. I know you should change your oil and do regular maintenance, although I’m not the world’s best at even regular automotive maintenance. For a number of years I thought Christian Brothers Automotive was just Tommy’s shop in Tulsa. They weren’t prevalent in Minnesota. A couple years ago I noticed one in Andover and realized it must be some sort of chain or franchise. That was the extent of my knowledge. But, because I was seeking opportunities and we had prayed that God lead us into something- I did investigate it.

The more I learned about CBA and the more I talked with CBA leadership, the more interested we became. As I have told many people so far, an automotive shop was far from on my list of business ideas. But collaborating and partnering with an organization like Christian Brothers is toward the top. The values of the organization (CBA’s guiding mission: “Love your neighbor as yourself”) resonate with our hearts and our desire for our lives and our work to be something that’s deeply meaningful. CBA is a very transparently Christian organization. Their faith bleeds into everything they do and sets a tone for their business. During my time meeting with their leadership in April the last meeting I had was a time of sharing testimonies with a couple of their executive leaders and at the end of that time I was challenged in a role play scenario in which I was asked to lead one of my customers to The Lord. This is not a typical business, franchise, or automotive shop.

When Emily and I have thought about or discussed business possibilities, we frequently reference friends of ours who have been successful business owners for a number of years, particularly in the world of franchise. After becoming more interested in the opportunity and starting to think we may seriously consider it, I decided to approach our friend for some advice since he knows franchise structures. I will never forget his response or the messages we exchanged. He said to me “Jon- you wouldn’t believe who I talked with today. I spoke with Josh Barker from Christian Brothers about starting a CBA in Minnesota.” Our friends were looking into the opportunity with CBA without us having any knowledge of it. And we come to find out that CBA was only in touch with 4 people in the state of Minnesota. What are the odds?!


It was at this point that we began to realize that this was not something coincidental. This isn’t something that is of our own doing. It quickly became clear to us that God has his hand on this situation. The CBA office happens to be just down the road from the company that I was currently working for- another well respected Christian company in Houston (David Weekley Homes). I’ll never forget pastor Brent Hall’s sermon on April 7th, 2019 when he challenged us to rest in the authority and ambiguity of God- our lives are in His hands. I cried pretty much throughout the entire sermon.


We decided to take a step of faith and list our townhome for sale. It sold three days before we departed for Houston to meet with CBA leadership and we closed on the sale of that home in late May (A big thanks to Mark Thurston). We were blessed to buy that home at the right time and sell it at the right time (providencial), giving us some proceeds to show our commitment with and get started with Christian Brothers. Almost to the dollar, we profited the exact amount we needed to put down after factoring in some future taxes on the sale of the home. Earlier I referenced a meeting with CBA leaders where I was challenged to lead a “customer” to Christ in a role play. That happened in a room in the CBA office called “Evan’s Room.” There have been other things along the way- many of them suttle. Small hints from the Lord. Nudges telling us that this is the path He has for us. It’s crystal clear to us that this is something we are suppose to pursue.


We spent a few days in Houston in late April. I was able to shadow a store owner who is about my age and also has two young children at home. I spent time talking with senior management and I survived an hour long interview with their key leadership all wearing suits and ties and asking me challenging questions. We connected well with their corporate staff. They are personable, loving, and they care about what they do. The support they provide to their franchisees seems top-notch. And the structure of their franchise is unique; it’s built in a way that holds corporate accountable to invest in the franchisee’s success. Our calling, we believe, was confirmed while in Houston. A few days after returning home (and after indicating to corporate that we were in fact still interested in pursuing the opportunity to own a store here in the Twin Cities), we were called by their leadership and extended an invitation to open a Christian Brothers Automotive in Maple Grove, MN. We promptly accepted with anticipation.

In early July at a company meeting my division president announced his departure at David Weekley Homes, triggering some major changes ahead. I decided to tell him that day my intentions and plans to open the Christian Brothers. After leaving my job in mid July I was able to enjoy the rest of the summer with my family and spend extra time with the kids.

There have been what seems like a million providential occurrences throughout the last six months that confirms and reconfirms to us that this is something we are supposed to do. I have encountered numerous connections with Parnassus Prep School, which is our shop’s neighbor. We found out my projected opening date is on my birthday, January 13th. The first phone call I answered while shadowing in the Lakeville CBA happened to be someone I know. We feel we are simply walking in God’s obedience and we want God to be glorified through our work. We brace for the burden of such heavy responsibility but we anticipate great success.


We are so thankful for everyone who has joined us in this adventure so far. Please pray for continued guidance from God and for discernment on our behalf as we get used to this exciting but demanding opportunity.


Jon & Emily Nelson
Owners
Christian Brothers Automotive
Maple Grove, MN

 “Love your neighbor as yourself.” - Mark 12:31