I grew up in a small Midwest town where you could see for endless miles on a clear day — and it primed my heart to sing when I first saw the mountains of Colorado. I love calling this place home. I’m one of the pastors at Redeemer Longmont and focus on leading teams, throwing parties, preaching, and helping our community become more beautiful. My passion is for the local church to embody the kindness, courage, and delight of God. I haven’t always experienced those things from Christians — and that grieves me — but it only increases my eagerness to share what I’ve generously been given in Jesus: the hope that I don’t need to hold it all together and the joy of a redeemed story.
Before moving to Longmont in 2017, I spent time in Chicago and then got my undergraduate degree at Southern Illinois University–Edwardsville. After that I moved to St. Louis for my masters degree in theology and stumbled into helping plant a church. I then moved to southwest Florida where I served as an assistant pastor—and also spent a few months making the best batting tees on the planet. I currently volunteer with Longmont Community Justice Partnership.
My wife, Caitlyn, and I are college sweethearts, and we are (literally) the proudest parents of our son, Myles.
Interests: Longmont parades, finding new bottles of Armagnac, reading fiction, saying “I’ll start running soon”
Favorite Harry Potter Book: Half-Blood Prince
Favorite 90’s NBA Player: Reggie Miller
I grew up in the Seattle area and have always loved living near mountains. Now at home in the Front Range, I’m one of the pastors at Redeemer Longmont and focus on spiritual formation, justice, and creativity. In our increasingly post-Christian culture, I'm fascinated by how Jesus remains the greatest hope and meaning to life the world has ever known. I desire for everyone to come to enjoy God more, and I yearn for the darkest parts of our city to be met with the compassion and resolve of Jesus.
Back in the day, I studied music composition at Whitworth University and then received an MDiv from Covenant Theological Seminary. Prior to Colorado, I served as a pastor and musician at churches in Nashville and Santa Barbara—where I met my beloved wife, Lizzy. My current musical project is The Wood Drake Sessions—a songwriting collaboration bringing songs of hope to the church.
Interests: gardening, telemark skiing, backpacking, kuub, wine, most things Norwegian
Favorite Hobbit: Sam
Favorite Nordic Center: Snow Mountain Ranch
I grew up (quite literally) among corn and soybean fields, dreaming of the opportunity to explore new places. On a high school youth group trip to Estes Park, I remember riding in a 14-passenger van up the mountains and declaring to the entire van, “One day I will live in Colorado.” It only took 17 years for it to happen, but I made it!
When I am not helping with the children’s ministry at Redeemer, you can find me working as a nurse practitioner in family medicine, trying to find the best spicy chai latte in town, spending time with friends and neighbors, trying to convince my husband Justin that hiking is *actually* fun, or delighting in my children.
So many of my greatest memories as a child were in the church community — relationships, knowledge, and practices that proved deeply formative in my life. In addition to equipping families to seek Christ together outside of Sundays, I long for the church to be a place where children and youth feel like they belong, and that their contributions and presence are invaluable in shaping church culture.
Interests: nature, being outside, hiking, spending time with people, reading
Favorite Spicy Chai in Town: Juniper Goods
Favorite book: Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher
I was born and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania. After completing my undergraduate degree at Duquesne University, I packed my bags and headed west for some adventure in Colorado! Little did I know that this adventure would lead me to my husband, JT. Eight years later, and four kids under 6, we ended up back on the east coast where I spend most of my days feeding and homeschooling our kids.
Before heading back to the east coast, I worked within the undergraduate recruitment department at Colorado Christian University, and completed my Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University during that time also.
It’s a privilege to be a part of this team and to feel like I play a small role in the work the Lord is doing at Redeemer Longmont!
Interests: being with my family, biking, hiking, DIY-ing, trying new restaurants, coffee
Favorite emoji: 🥳
Favorite karaoke song: Wannabe - Spice Girls
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