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 have spent eighteen years in pastoral ministry serving in different positions: a youth pastor, a college & young adult pastor, and a worship pastor. I have a desire to see  people grow in Christian maturity and discover that following Jesus is eminently rational and wildly exciting. I regard myself as privileged to be part of the caring community at West Hills Community Church.

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 to also come on staff with West Hills.