Lead Senior Pastor

Tom Nelson

Tom Nelson is the Lead Senior Pastor of Christ Community Church and founded the church over 30 years ago. He also serves as president of Made to Flourish, a network that seeks to empower pastors to lead churches that produce human flourishing for the common good.

Tom is the author of Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work, Economics of Neighborly Love: Investing in Your Community’s Compassion and Capacity, and The Flourishing Pastor: Recovering the Lost Art of Shepherd Leadership.

Tom speaks regularly on faith, work, and economics around the country. Tom has served on the board of regents of Trinity International University and is also a council member of The Gospel Coalition. Tom graduated with a master’s of theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and received his doctorate of ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Tom and his wife, Liz, have two grown children and live in Leawood, Kansas. 

Senior Pastor of Congregational Development

Nathan Miller

Nathan has been a pastor since 2005, when he became one of our first pastoral residents, shortly after receiving his Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. In 2006, Nathan helped launch the Olathe Campus and served as the campus pastor for 10 years before joining the Senior Pastor team. He and his wife, Kelly, have been married since 2002 and have two wonderful children, David and Eden.

Senior Executive Pastor

Mark Askins

Mark and his family moved to the Kansas City area in 1996 and started attending Christ Community very soon thereafter. He comes to the position of executive pastor possessing an undergraduate degree in economics from Cornell University, an MBA in finance from the University of Michigan, and professional experience in the telecommunications, construction, and legal industries. Prior to joining staff, Mark served as an elder at Christ Community on two occasions, was a lay teacher in Razor’s Edge, and served as a lay representative on the Evangelical Free District Board of Ministerial Standing.

Mark and Robin were married in 1978, have two sons, a wonderful daughter-in-law, and two adorable granddaughters. His hobbies include bow hunting, fly fishing, biking, reading, and classical music.

Campus Pastor

Paul Brandes

Paul was born and raised in the Chicago area before attending Sterling College in central Kansas, where he met his wonderful wife Ashley. Married in 2009, they now have three amazing boys: Bevyn, Owen, and Ethan. Paul  served in middle school and high school ministries during college and seminary. After completing his M.Div. at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Paul came to Christ Community Church as part of the pastoral residency program at the Brookside Campus, and remained on staff  from 2014-2019 at Brookside. The Lord then called him back to central Kansas to serve as campus chaplain at Sterling College and to plant a church. In 2022 Paul was thrilled to accept the campus pastor role at Shawnee Campus and transition back into the Christ Community family.

Campus Pastor

Gabe Coyle

After receiving his Master of Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Gabe’s passion for the gospel to transform and develop whole communities gracefully collided with his passion for the arts in the downtown of Kansas City. In the spring of 2012, God called Gabe and his wife, Allie, to  Christ Community’s Downtown Campus to be a part of God’s work for His name’s sake in this city.  Gabe loves running ultra marathons, taking long walks through the neighborhood with his three children, and jamming out on guitars as a family after dinner. Gabe is pursuing his Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary. 

Campus Pastor

Bill Gorman

Bill began attending Christ Community as a freshman in college in 2001. After graduating with a BA in Advanced Biblical Studies and Biblical Languages from Calvary University in Kansas City, he completed a Masters of Divinity degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago. Bill joined the staff of Christ Community in 2008. In 2010, he married Rachel. Bill and Rachel have three children and live in Kansas City, MO.

Campus Pastor

Andrew Jones

Andrew was raised in the Los Angeles area of southern California before attending college in Indiana (it was too warm in California for him). After graduating, he went on to complete his master’s degree (MDiv) at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago and married his wife, Rebekah. They now have two amazing children, Avery and Ben. He has been on staff at Christ Community since 2010.

Campus Pastor

Reid Kapple

Reid has served on staff at Christ Community since 2008, first as pastor of high school ministries at the Leawood campus and now as campus pastor of the Olathe Campus. He is married to his best friend, Megan, and they have the joy of being the parents of Lula, Jane, Pearl, and Edmund. Reid studied rhetoric at Kansas State University, and has his Master of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Reid deeply enjoys tacos, obstacle course races, and repeating stories.

Early Childhood Coordinator

Katie Bagley

Katie joined the staff in 2018 as the Early Childhood Coordinator after working in public education for 12 years. She loves coming alongside families and their little ones in the early years, to start discussions about Jesus in hopes that each child sees themself in the Big God Story. She and her husband Derek met at Christ Community and have enjoyed worshiping together with their son and daughter. 

Ministry Assistant - Children's and Student Ministries

Gretchen Barlows

Gretchen Barlows has been supporting the mission of Christ Community since 2001.  In her administrative role with Children’s and Student Ministries, she works with families with children from birth through high school.  She and her husband Brian were married in 1986 and have two adult daughters, Lauren and Ashley.

Maintenance Engineer

Nathan Basden

Nathan moved to the Kansas City area in 2019, and in 2020, met and married his wife Shanna, and began attending the Leawood campus of Christ Community. Nathan joined the staff at the beginning of 2022. He brings his varied experience as a mechanical and manufacturing engineer to help maintain and serve all five campuses. He plans to pursue a Master’s of Divinity degree at Fuller Seminary to become a care pastor. When not working, Nathan enjoys reading, listening to music, camping, hiking, and finding good food.

Associate Pastor

Ben Beasley

Ben enjoys communicating God’s Word in both speech and writing, and is interested in the church as a place of gospel transformation for people individually and collectively. He is fond of exploring the many questions of faith and spiritual formation by engaging with the works of authors and artists. Ben received his Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and lives in the River Market.

Director of Finance and Human Resources

Dala Bebee

Dala and her family have been a part of Christ Community since their move to Kansas City in 2006. Dala and Duane have two boys and enjoy spending time outdoors and watching sports. Dala has an undergraduate degree from The University of Nebraska and a Masters Degree from The University of Texas at Dallas. Dala joined the staff of Christ Community in 2007.

Ministry Assistant

Melissa Bennett

Melissa has been attending and serving in various roles at Christ Community, since 2007. She is thankful to be employed by and working with this authentic team of Jesus followers.

Melissa and her husband Bob have four adult children.

Pastor of Corporate Worship

Randy Bonifield

A local boy (Shawnee Mission South grad, loyal Royals & Chiefs fan), Randy is a proud graduate of North Park University and earned his Masters in Worship Studies (M.W.S.) from the Robert Webber Institute for Worship Studies. The son of Salvation Army officer parents, Randy began serving as a worship pastor at Christ Community in 2003. In addition to his leadership at the Leawood Campus, Randy also serves as an adjunct professor at MidAmerica Nazarene University as part of the university’s worship arts degree program. Since 2013, he has released five albums (including Forty4, The Beauty of Weakness, and Songs of Christmas), scored two feature films (The Tree and The Land), and co-produces a podcast (On Carlson Drive) with his wife, Wendy.

Randy and Wendy married in 1989 and are the proud parents of three adult daughters (and one son-in-law), and are deeply devoted to their roles as doting grandparents.

Sound Tech Coordinator

Matt Brown

Matt began attending Christ Community Brookside in 2015 and has served in the band and the tech booth since then. He now serves on staff as the tech director at Brookside Campus, overseeing the soundboard, computer slides, and livestream equipment. He has a degree in Religious Studies with a minor in Audio Production. He enjoys spending time with his family (wife and two girls) and friends, coffee, music, reading, sports (go Chiefs!) and watching movies.

Ministry Assistant

Kaci Calhoun

Kaci attended Christ Community for two years and volunteered in the Children’s and Hospitality Ministries at Brookside before joining the staff in 2020. She has a Doctorate in Physical Therapy and worked in pediatric physical therapy for 15 years. She moved often in her childhood and found friends and community through church. This fuels her desire to care for others and help them connect to the church family. Kaci enjoys gardening, cooking, a good farmer’s market, swimming and paddleboarding. She and her husband Kevin have a wonderful son, Kyle.

Curriculum Assistant

Lauren Campbell

Pastor of Elementary Ministries

Britli Cox

Britli has her degree in Family Studies and Human Services from Kansas State University. She has had experience serving and leading in Children’s Ministries since 2012. She loves walking alongside families, helping them flourish as they view life through a gospel lens. Britli was born and raised in the Kansas City Metro and loves living in the community with her husband Mark. She finds rest while throwing pottery, drinking iced coffee, and cooking in the kitchen.

Director of Children's Ministries

Allie Coyle

Facilities Coordinator

Leslie Crane

Leslie moved to Kansas with her family in 2011, and she and her husband Peter have attended Christ Community’s Leawood campus since that time. She joined the staff in 2014, using her background in bank operations and real estate for her role on the Facilities team. She also works on the Communications team as an editor.

Leslie and Peter have an adult son and daughter, a son in law, and a grandson, all who reside in the Kansas City area.

Associate Pastor

John Daigle

Johnny was born and raised on the north side of Pittsburgh, PA, and met his wife Kelly at Wheaton College. They stayed in Chicago after graduating in 2015, and in 2019 Johnny began attending Trinity International University to pursue his Masters in Divinity. They welcomed their son Benjamin into the world in 2020. In 2022 the Daigles moved to Kansas City and Johnny joined the Christ Community staff.  

Worship Leader

Sean Dennis

Church music has been a part of Sean’s life for as long as he can remember — playing violin, piano, and singing with his musical family. He went on to study classical music at St. Olaf College, and started attending Christ Community in 2014. He joined the staff as a worship leader in 2017. When he’s not leading worship, he’s coding a website, running, or getting coffee with a friend.

Associate Pastor

Nikki Dieker

Nikki has been on staff at Christ Community since 2017, but has attended the Olathe Campus with her family since 2007. She is married to her best friend Ryan, and has three incredible children, Noah, Calvin, and Hadley. She loves hiking, getting lost in books, coffee, and spending time with friends. Nikki is passionate about connecting people to one another and the church.

Associate Pastor

Dakota Dietz

Originally from the foothills of the Central Valley in Northern California, Dakota studied biology at UC Berkeley. He met his future wife, Meagan, in a campus ministry there. Upon graduating he apprenticed with a church plant in San Francisco, after which he and Meagan married and interned together at an EFCA church in Berkeley, CA. They moved to Chicago for Dakota to earn his Master of Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Dakota and Meagan have two boys and together they love walks in the park, meals with friends, and good food, coffee, and desserts of all kinds.

Administrative Assistant

Lori Disney

Lori and her husband, Walt have been a part of Christ Community since 2004. Lori serves as administrative assistant to the Executive team as well as at the Leawood Campus in the areas of Women’s Ministries and Adult Ministries. She and Walt have three adult children and one still at home. Best advice she’s been given: be excited to see what the Lord will do!

Children's Ministries Volunteer Coordinator

Olivia Dull

Born in the Kansas City area, Olivia grew up the middle of five children. She has been attending a Christ Community Campus since 2004 and met her husband at the Olathe Campus before they helped start the Shawnee Campus. Olivia worked for ten years as an administrative and executive assistant before she became a stay at home mom. She joined the Shawnee Campus staff in 2019. She loves seeing God move in the lives of the children around her as she knows from her own experience that God can be a very real and influential presence in a child’s life. Olivia and her husband Jake have three children.

Worship Leader - Downtown & Communications Coordinator - Multisite

Aleah Eldridge

Growing up with a love for music and the Church, Aleah pursued both by obtaining a degree in worship arts at John Brown University in 2015. Following graduation, she spent two years in the UK further learning about church ministry and its many roles and traditions. She moved to Kansas City in 2018 to work at Christ Community as one of the Downtown Campus worship leaders, and joined the Communications team shortly thereafter.

Pastor of Middle School Ministries

Cameron Fair

Cameron was born and raised in Sterling, KS, where his youth pastors and leaders made a profound impact on his faith. He joined the Christ Community staff in 2019. Cameron and his camp crush, Marissa, have been married since 2017 and have one exuberant daughter, Lyla. He loves local food, racquet sports, indie rock, and flannel shirts.

Executive Pastor

Taylor Fair

Taylor spends most of his time with middle and high school students at the Brookside Campus. He was deeply shaped in the small town of Sterling, KS, where he lived from elementary school until graduation from Sterling College with a degree in Christian Ministries. It was there that he met his wife Ashtyn, whom he married in 2016. Two years later, Taylor and Ashtyn moved to Kansas City from Denver, where Taylor had completed his Master of Divinity degree at Denver Seminary. He loves deep conversations, dogs, board games, coffee, disc golf, all things sports, music, and good food. 

Accountant

Rena Finster

Rena and her family moved to Overland Park in 1997 and started attending Christ Community soon after.  Rena joined the Christ Community staff in 2018 and works on the Finance team, primarily in the area of accounts receivable. Rena worked as an auditor for the Defense Contract Audit Agency in Wichita, in the Government Relations department of Northrop Grumman in Chicago, and for a local CPA firm preparing financial statements and income tax returns.

Rena and her husband Paul love spending time with their family which includes two married sons and a grandson who live in the KC metro area.

Ministry Assistant - Communications

Valerie Hallak

Valerie and her husband Steve both grew up in the Kansas City area and have been attending Christ Community since 1994.  Before joining the staff, Valerie volunteered in many capacities including children’s ministries, women’s ministries, event planning and the video arts team. Valerie is thrilled to be part of the Communications team continuing to serve the church family.

Director of Fifty & Better Ministries

Steve Harvey

Steve has been part of Christ Community for more than 20 years. He has served in various leadership positions including Chairman of the Elder Leadership Team. He and his wife Karen have also been community group leaders. During his work career with Sprint, Steve worked with the church staff to develop Fifty & Better Ministries for the Leawood campus. Steve has since transitioned to the position of Director of Fifty & Better ministries. Steve and Karen have been married for more than 45 years and have three adult children who live in the Kansas City area.

Pastor of Family Ministries

Dawn Heckert

Dawn has been working with children and families in Johnson County for over 20 years. Her heart and passion is to dream with God about how to equip the greater church to be a family, and homes to be the place of spiritual formation. Her role as Family Pastor allows her to focus on inspiring the church and the home to be equipped to share their faith with the next generation.

Dawn and her husband John have two daughters, Lina (Caroline) and Annabelle. Their family loves watching movies, creating memories, and laughing together.

Director of Women's Ministries

Deborah Hiser

Deborah joined the staff of Christ Community in 2010, but she and her family have had the privilege of calling Christ Community their church home since 1999. Deborah loves bringing women together to study, serve, and deepen their friendships with each other and their love for Jesus Christ. Her passion is for women to embrace the journey God has for them and to experience the joy of sharing it with others. She and her husband Randy married in 1982 and have five grown children, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and seven grandchildren. One of her greatest joys is spending time with her big, loud, fun family.

Video Editor

Charlotte Jarvis

Charlotte attended Christ Community’s Leawood campus while she was in high school. She left Kansas to study cinema and media arts at Biola University in Los Angeles, California. After graduation Charlotte started working with Christ Community as a video editor consultant, and in August 2020 joined Christ Community’s staff as a part-time video editor. Charlotte is blessed to have the opportunity to work remotely as her husband is currently serving in the military.

Associate Pastor

Caleb Jenkins

After growing up as a missionary kid in Rwanda and Uganda, Caleb studied at Wheaton College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in the Chicago area. He and his wife Sarah moved to Kansas City in 2021. Caleb is passionate about connecting with people of various cultures and backgrounds, helping others experience the beauty and truth in Scripture, and seeing how the gospel transforms every area of life. He loves great coffee, reading, cycling, and playing soccer. You can find him most Saturday mornings at the Dubliner Irish Pub with other soccer fans cheering on Liverpool Football Club.

Early Childhood Coordinator

Cate Jenks

Cate, an East Coast native but midwesterner at heart, has enjoyed many roles in life; wife, mother of three, partner in business with her husband, and now as church staff.  She finds it rewarding to help others in the church grow in some of the same roles she has had.  Cate finds joy in loving on and leading the littlest of God’s children, and empowering parents and volunteers to lead them as well.

Associate Pastor

Holly Justice

Holly has served as an associate pastor, leading Adult Ministries since 2019. Holly’s twenty years in the marketplace as an art director and later as co-founder of a technology start-up, laid the foundation for her work with the church of growing leaders, managing teams, developing strategy and organizing events. Holly has been grateful to use all that God has taught her in the workplace to help our church family connect and grow together toward Christ. 

Children's Ministries Assistant

Chelsey Keim

Born and raised in Kansas, Chelsey and her husband David moved to the Kansas City area in 2009. For five years, Chelsey worked with children as a therapy provider at The Kansas City Autism Training Center and later became a stay-at-home mom to their three children, Elias, Eliana, and Elysia. The Keim family began attending Christ Community Church in 2018 and Chelsey joined the staff in December 2021.

Director of Infrastructure

Jason Krogmann

Jason and his family live in Olathe and have been a part of Christ Community since 1998. Before joining the staff in 2007, he worked in IT roles at Gateway Computer, Transamerica and Creative Marketing, and as a video store manager.

Pastor of Children's Ministries

Jennifer Krogmann

Jennifer has been on staff since 2007, but she and her family have been a part of Christ Community since 1998. Her passion has always been working with children and families. She taught first grade for six years and also worked as a social worker in the Family Preservation Program. Now as Children’s Ministries Pastor, she is able to combine that passion for healthy families with sharing her faith. Jennifer is married to her best friend Jason, and together they enjoy the adventure of parenting two amazing boys, Noah and Eli.

Curator - Four Chapter Gallery

Kelly Kruse

Kelly is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice encompasses visual art, writing, curation, performance, and cultivating conversations about the intersection of art and faith. She is passionate about making art that embraces the beauty and complexity of Scripture, theology, and the human experience. Kelly holds a masters degree in vocal performance with an emphasis in opera studies from Indiana University Bloomington. She has over twelve years of teaching experience and is still an active voice teacher in the Kansas City metro. When she’s not creating or spending time with other artists, you’ll likely find her discovering new music or films, reading, creating new recipes, or working in her garden. 

Childcare Coordinator

Nichole LaPiana

Nichole began attending Christ Community in 2015, began volunteering in Children Ministries and now serves as Childcare Coordinator. She is also a wife and mom of two children, and had a career as a corporate and private event coordinator. Nichole enjoys working with families to help support the youngest members of the congregation.

Executive Pastor

Patrick Largen

A Kansas native, Patrick has served on the Christ Community pastoral team since 2008. He serves as Executive Pastor at our Olathe Campus and leads corporate worship as well. He and his beautiful wife, Lindsey, were high school sweethearts, have been married since 2001 and have two wonderful children, Sydney and Xander. They live in Olathe in a neighborhood they adore.

Director of Communications

Jeannie Lucas

Jeannie and her family live in Overland Park, KS and have been a part of Christ Community for close to 20 years. Jeannie has been on staff since 2015. Before joining the staff, Jeannie volunteered in many capacities including children’s and women’s ministries, along with video arts. Jeannie has an undergraduate degree in journalism from Kansas State University. Her background in corporate communications includes work in the advertising and high-tech fields, and  ownership of a communications company. Jeannie and her husband Rick attend the Leawood campus and have two adult children. When not working, Jeannie loves long walks with her dog, podcasts, books, photography, and creating just about anything. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas. 

Child Care Coordinator

Melissa MacKay

Early Childhood Coordinator

Haley Majernik

Haley has been on staff at Christ Community since 2014. She is married to Bj and they have two sons, Ethan and Sam. Haley loves the outdoors and going for walks. She values cultivating growth in others (especially kids), creating order out of chaos, and including all people to celebrate the diverse family of God.

Videographer

Caleb McLellan

Caleb McLellan, his wife Sharon and two sons Harrison and Reinhardt, moved to the Kansas City area in 2020 to be closer to Sharon’s family. In 2022 Caleb joined the Communications team at Christ Community as a videographer. Caleb and Sharon enjoy walks with the family, finding great hole-in-the-wall places to eat, playing a few rounds of cribbage before bed each night, meeting new people and hearing their stories.

Executive Pastor

Alan Mercer

After 22 years in student ministries, Alan transitioned to his current role in January 2012. He now focuses on more “behind the scenes” leadership and operational aspects of the Leawood Campus. He enjoys being the first contact for anyone having questions and not knowing where to get the answers.. Alan loves to help Christ Community continue to become a more beautiful expression of the bride of Christ.

Technical Arts Associate

Lisanne Mullinax

Lisanne moved to the Kansas City area from Tennessee in 1999. Two years later she began attending the Leawood Campus of Christ Community, becoming active in a variety of ways.  After several years of volunteering in the sound booth, Lisanne came on staff. When she isn’t in the booth at Leawood or performing some other task for the tech team, she is a high school Special Education teacher in the Belton School District. She has ten nieces and nephews that she loves dearly who take up any free time she has.

Project Manager

Lindsey Neher

Lindsey has a bachelor’s degree in Communications and joined the staff in 2021, bringing her experience of working in other churches and her love of art and design to the Christ Community Communications team. Her favorite things include her rescue dog, time with her family, walks, music, singing and volleyball.

Associate Pastor

Brent Nelsen

Brent grew up in the Chicago area before heading to Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He spent another nine years in Madison, Wisconsin working in IT before attending seminary at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago, receiving his MDiv in 2020. He and Emily have been married since 2010 and they have two sons, Caleb and Joel. Brent loves to teach the Bible and help others connect their story to the Grand Story of the gospel. He enjoys baseball, backpacking, and hiking in the woods with his family.

Child Care Coordinator

Emily Nelsen

Emily grew up in Davenport, IA and attended Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In 2010 she married Brent and they have two sons, Caleb and Joel. From 2015 to 2020, Emily ran her own small business, Emily Makes. After spending three years in Illinois while Brent attended seminary, in 2021 their family moved to Overland Park when Brent began the residency program at Christ Community. Emily loves woodworking, crafting, and spending time outdoors.

Children's Ministries Volunteer Coordinator

Sarah Nickel

The Nickel family began attending Christ Community in 2011, and Sarah joined the staff in 2014. She and her husband Clay have three children, Audrey, Andrew, and AJ. Sarah is a born and bred Wichita State Shocker fan who loves to have people in her home to enjoy good food and lots of laughs. She is passionate about helping people understand and realize their God given strengths, and empowering them to find ways to use those strengths to serve others and the church.   

IT Systems Administrator

Dean Parker

Pastor of Corporate Worship

Sharla Pair

Sharla grew up as a preacher’s kid and knew she wanted to be in full-time ministry from an early age. She began leading worship in high school and because of her experiences, strongly believes in giving teenagers opportunities to use their gifts in the local church. Sharla graduated from Central Bible College in 2007 with her bachelors degree in Ministry in Arts. She married her husband Kris in 2005 and they have a daughter Victoria and son Jaxon. Sharla and her family enjoy playing games, watching and participating in sports, and just hanging out.

Office Manager

Debbie Perry

Debbie joined the staff of Christ Community in 2009 as administrative assistant to the Student Ministries team at Leawood but then transitioned to the Leawood office manager. Debbie and her family have been blessed to call Christ Community their church home since 2003. She and her husband Tony have two amazing daughters, two incredible sons-in-law, and two young grandsons that are the joy of her life. Debbie enjoys camping, road trips and spending time with family.

Ministry Assistant

Carolyn Poage

Carolyn grew up an army brat and never lived in one place longer than three years. Reliance on God and family were the themes of her childhood spent moving around the country and world. Carolyn went to K-State and joined the Christian Challenge staff after graduating. In 2010 she married a wonderful guy, Jeremiah, and they have three kids, Grace, Clark, and Penny. They began attending Christ Community in 2016 and Carolyn joined the staff in 2020.

Communications Coordinator

Joni Prize

Joni has been part of the Christ Community staff since 2008 and is now serving on the Communications team. She is the mother of two daughters and 10 grandchildren. Her week-ends and evenings are filled with art projects of many kinds, reading and classic movies.  

Worship Leader

Chance Roberts

Pastor of Children's Ministries

Anna Lynn Rolf

Anna Lynn has a passion for children and families and has served Christ Community in Children’s Ministries since 2012. Before ministering to children and families in the church, she taught elementary school for seven years. She has a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and a Specialist in Administration. Anna Lynn and her husband Adam met in college at the University of Missouri-Columbia and married and moved to Kansas City in 2004. It is Anna Lynn’s desire to come alongside families and support and equip them in their role as the primary spiritual nurturers of their children.

Infrastructure Engineer

Allen Seaman

Allen began attending Christ Community in 2010, and quickly became a valuable volunteer in the Olathe campus sound booth for Sunday morning services and other events. In 2018 he joined the staff, providing his varied life and work experience to the Facilities team to serve all five campuses. Allen is always willing to work, find a solution, and create order out of chaos. He is married and has four adult children.

Ministry Assistant

Heidi Shea

Growing up in a military family, home is important to Heidi and since 2021 Christ Community Downtown has become home for her, providing friends and a community. Heidi received her Bachelor of Music in voice from Wheaton College, and is pursuing a master’s degree in music at UMKC which brought her to the KC area. Her love of theology and various personal experiences cultivated the importance of knowing and understanding God and she wants her work to be a part of bringing that knowledge to others. Heidi considers her singing an act of love, giving, and of worship to our God, even if the music is secular. She enjoys sharing dinner with Community Group pals, taking long walks at the park while chatting on the phone with a friend, and reading. And if you do not see Heidi, you will probably hear her absent-mindedly humming an opera chorus while scurrying around the Downtown Campus performing her administrative tasks.

Ministry Assistant

Sara Spence

Sara and her family have been a part of Christ Community since 2007, and she joined the staff in 2013. She has been married to Brian since 1999 and they have two wonderful daughters, Alyana and Ainsley. She loves K-State basketball and card games with friends. Sara loves working behind the scenes to provide information and answer questions.

Human Resources Administrator

Kelly Stein

Kelly joined the Awesome Kids Preschool staff in 2008. Her prior work includes experience in corporate human resources. Kelly and husband Paul have two adult children, who both attended Awesome Kids Preschool. Kelly enjoys spending time with family and friends, her dogs, and traveling.

Facilities Supervisor

Dennis Stone

Dennis and his wife Corrie moved to Kansas City to teach in a Christian school shortly after graduating from college in Iowa. God blessed their marriage with three children and three grandchildren. Dennis has served on the Facilities team since 2012.  He spends his free time hunting, fishing and pretending to work in his man cave. Dennis and Corrie enjoy working at a Christian camp during vacations and participating in missions trips.

Director of Awesome Kids Preschool

Bonnie Traynor

Working with children has been a lifelong desire of Bonnie’s, beginning with her home daycare named Bonzo’s Zoo. She had more traditional teaching and administration roles at Kidslink Christian Preschool in Wichita, KS, until her move to Kansas City in 2000. She has been privileged to design and implement the Awesome Kids Preschool at Christ Community’s Leawood Campus which began in 2001. She and her husband Warren have been married for over 35 years. Bonnie enjoys sewing, cooking, attending acoustic guitar concerts, going on long road trips, and spending time with her family.

Pastor of Care Ministries

Warren Traynor

Warren is a graduate of Manhattan Christian College with a degree in Bible and Ethics. After many years of serving on a large church staff in Wichita Kansas, in early 2000 Warren became Christ Community’s first full-time Children’s Ministries pastor. In 2006, he transitioned to a new position as Pastor of Care Ministries at the Leawood Campus. Warren’s joy is his 30+ year marriage to Bonnie and his two grown children, their spouses and six grandchildren. 

Child Care Coordinator

Natalie VanHolbeck

Accounting Assistant

Jessica Van Maanen

Pastor of High School Ministries

Jonathan VanMaanen

Jonathan has been volunteering or working with teenagers since 2000, and on staff with Christ Community since 2016. He graduated from Iowa State University with an elementary education degree. He has been married to Jessica, his high school Band-Buddy and Choir-Chum, since 2002. At the Van Maanen Frat House, their four pledges: Asher, Phin, Caleb, & Zeke keep them laughing and on their toes. Besides getting lost in a good story through books or movies, Jonathan enjoys photography and coffee shops with a good vibe..