West Hills Leadership

I currently serve as lead pastor and campus elder of the West Hills San Jose campus. My primary ministries include preaching God’s Word, shepherding, and leading the San Jose campus. I am also privileged to lead a community group, provide addiction recovery counseling, and occasionally lead worship on Sunday mornings.

I live in San Jose, CA with my amazing wife Jeanine and our four sons, Joshua, Samuel, Asaph, and Benaiah. My passion and life pursuit is to see Christ exalted in the Bay Area through the love of God proclaimed, and made manifest, through the local church. It is my goal to shepherd our congregation into the perpetual pursuit of this goal and to partner with other local congregations who are pursuing the same end.

I received my bachelor of science in Kinesiology from Fresno State in 2009 and–after receiving my call to the ministry–completed my Master of Divinity degree through Western Seminary in 2015 . I have enjoyed leading worship and community groups as well as engaging in one on one discipleship and evangelism. Since my installment as Pastor of West Hills San Jose, I have focused primarily on shepherding, and preaching and teaching God’s Word. It is my hope and prayer that, by God’s grace, I can devote the rest of my life to this calling for the glory of God and for the joy and progress of the church’s faith.

Additionally, I enjoy reading, barbecuing, family days, and cheering for the Oakland Raiders. I also love meeting new people so come introduce yourself!

I grew up in a Christian household, and my parents have been and continue to be my exemplars of winsome discipleship to Christ.  I moved to Los Angeles for college to study at Biola University, and I lived in Southern California for sixteen years prior to moving to the Silicon Valley.  I earned my Master of Divinity (with a concentration in Biblical Studies) at Fuller Theological Seminary, and I have spent eighteen years in pastoral ministry serving in different positions: a youth pastor, a college & young adult pastor, a worship pastor, and now as associate pastor. I have a desire to see  people grow in Christian maturity and discover that following Jesus is eminently rational and wildly exciting.

I have the great fortune of being husband to Alissa (that than which no greater wife can be conceived).  She has a degree in music and a graduate degree in counseling psychology.  We are parents to four energetic and entertaining kids.

I am a fan of Philz Coffee and Oklahoma Sooners football (Boomer!).  I am always encouraged by these words of St. Paul:  “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

I had the blessing of growing up in a Christian home. My parent’s faith in Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection is what led me to begin following Christ myself at the age of 18, when I was just starting community college in Ames, Iowa.

Since then God has given me many opportunities to be a part of various ministries in the church. In 2017 my desire to be better equipped for ministry led me to transfer from community college to Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky. From there I received my bachelors degree in Biblical & Theological Studies. I met my wonderful husband Elliot at Boyce and we were married a few months before we graduated in 2020. In the summer of 2020 we moved to Morgan Hill for Elliot to begin serving as the Director of Student Ministries for the West Hills Morgan Hill campus. After a few years of working different full-time positions in the Bay Area, I received the blessing of also coming on staff with West Hills. Outside of ministry and church activities, I enjoy running, reading, spending time with our friends, and most importantly being a mom to our son, Adam, who was born in April 2024!

I grew up in Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC, and began attending church at a young age. Seeing my father come to Christ and radically receive new life in Him left a deep impression on my life. Shortly thereafter, I decided to follow Jesus and experience this new life myself.
I attended college at Bob Jones University in South Carolina, where I graduated with a B.A. in Journalism and a B.S. in Accounting. While attending a mission trip to Antigua, I met my incredible wife, Jessie. As she obtained her M.A. Cross-Cultural Studies, God grew in us a desire to serve in church planting.
After graduation, Jessie and I moved to the Bay Area after learning of the large unchurch population here and wanted to help bring life and light to the those who don’t know Him yet. 
We joined West Hills San Jose in 2018. We also enjoy hosting a community group and anyone else we can welcome into our home. God has given us three wonderful children, Iain, Peter, and Valerie.
 
I currently work in accounting at Marvell Semiconductor. I enjoy basketball, running, reading, and board games.

I've been a member of West Hills San Jose since 2015. I was raised in the East Bay city of Dublin and grew up attending and serving at church together with my family. During my teen years, I had a deep interest in medicine, technology, and the Gospel, and I felt the Lord calling me to a career in bringing the healing message of the Gospel by bringing the healing power of medical technology to people who need it the most. I subsequently graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California and an M.S. in Medical Product Development Management from San José State University and currently work as a Solutions Engineer at a medical device startup.

I've been married to my amazing wife, Jaclyn, since 2022. She is a board-certified Occupational Therapist at a hospital. Together, we enjoy serving in student ministry, leading a midweek community group, and playing and singing on worship team. Outside of church, we enjoy hiking and eating all over the Bay Area and the world. Additionally, I enjoy cheering on the USC Trojans (fight on!), reading, cycling, and geeking out on all things tech.