Leadership

Lead Pastor / Elder

My family has been members of West Hills Community Church for as long as I can remember. I grew up under the influence of the gospel from parents, Sunday school teachers, mentors, pastors, elders and many others. By God's grace He drew me to Himself at a very young age and my life as His disciple has continued to grow deeper and richer every day.

God called me into gospel ministry at the age of eighteen. I completed a Bachelors degree in Bible and Theology in 2013 and a Master of Divinity in 2017.

I married my wife, Vanessa, in 2010. Together we raise five wonderful children; Calvin, Owen, Geneva, Avonlea, and Olivia. My hobbies include exercising, reading, and just generally being outside anywhere with a view.

Pastor at Large / Elder

After serving as lead pastor of West Hills, Morgan Hill for 35 years, I passed leadership of the campus to Jason Trapp in August of 2024 and transitioned into a new role: Pastor-at-Large. As Pastor-at-Large I serve the church at large where needed, whether at the West Hills Morgan Hill or San Jose campus, or outside West Hills. I also continue to serve on the elder council.

In this new role I am available as a mentor to younger pastors, a spiritual director, and counselor for those in need. I also serve as chaplain for the Morgan Hill Police Department and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department.

I have been married since 1986 to Rachel, who is my closest friend and confidant. We have two married sons, Joshua and David, and a growing number of grandchildren.

I earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as certifications in crisis intervention and trauma/grief counseling. In my leisure time in enjoy spending time with my wife, visiting family, reading, and short road trips.

Executive Pastor / Elder

I joined the staff of West Hills in Jan of 2013 after spending 9+ years as a student ministry director at Morgan Hill Presbyterian Church. I started following Jesus as a high school student in Morgan Hill after being invited to youth group by some friends. After high school, I enrolled at San Jose State to pursue my undergraduate degree in Social Science with the hopes of becoming a teacher. It was at this time that I first started to volunteer in youth ministry which eventually became a part time and then full time ministry position. The Summer of 2004 was a big time for me. In June, David graduated from SJSU and started youth ministry full time at MHPC and then in July married my high school sweetheart Pamela. Realizing a desire for more biblical and theological education, I enrolled in a Master of Divinity program at Western Seminary which I completed the summer of 2010. It was at this time that I felt God’s leading to pursue pastoral ministry, which would eventually lead me to West Hills a few years later.

I have two ministry passions. The first is to teach the Word of God and the second is to equip people to use their spiritual gifting for God’s kingdom. It is great that the two so often go hand in hand. A lot of transformation happens as people interact with the bible, as well as when they experience the grace of God in action through service and the inevitable stretching that comes with using their spiritual gifts. It is a privilege to walk alongside people in this element of discipleship.

I love spending time with my wife and my five kids. Likewise, I am working hard to teach them to love baseball (Go Giants!). I spend much of my free time reading, drinking coffee, running, cycling and playing music.

Pastor of Worship and Young Adults / Elder in Training

I grew up in the South Bay Area and have been attending West Hills Community Church since infancy. Under the shepherding of WHCC, God led me to follow Jesus at age 17. I have volunteered in WHCC youth ministry, worship music ministry, and missions ministry since 2002. I worked as a commercial electrician and estimator/project manager for 10 years before leaving that career to join staff at WHCC. Beginning in 2016, I spent two years as the Pastoral Resident/Worship Leader at the San Jose campus until in 2018 I transferred to the Morgan Hill campus as full-time Pastor of Worship. My main pursuit is knowing Jesus more and making Him known. I'm excited to see people grow into deeper faith in Jesus and thoroughly enjoys seeing God’s healing power at work. I've devoted my life to applying the Gospel to the hardships of this broken world, the greatest of which is the sin we all experience. I absolutely love how God takes simple, lost people like I once was and makes us His children, fellow heirs with Christ!

After meeting and ministering alongside one another at WHCC, my wife Alisha and I were married in 2009. As of now, Alisha has temporarily stepped out of her career as a registered nurse in order to care for our four children, Jachin, Elijah, Kariese, and Asher. Alisha also has experience in youth ministry, music ministry, missions, and young women’s discipleship. Together Alisha and I enjoy family, the outdoors, music, traveling, and SF Giants baseball. We both love people and always love a good celebration or get-together.

After completing my BA in Christian Counseling through Liberty University in 2016, I enrolled in the M. Div program at Western Seminary in Santa Clara, CA. I prayerfully aspire to enter full-time preaching ministry in the coming years and eagerly wait to see where God is planning and directing.

Director of Student Ministries / Elder in Training

I joined the staff as Director of Student Ministry in May of 2020. Although I grew up attending church and youth group in Wisconsin, I did not truly understand the weight of my sin and my need for Jesus until my second year of high school. Soon after my conversion, I became more involved in the student ministry at my church as an intern and began to sense the Lord guiding me toward full-time ministry. After graduating from high school, I followed that calling to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where I graduated with a Master of Divinity, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies from the attached undergraduate college, Boyce College. Throughout my time at Boyce, I was heavily involved in campus ministry, serving as a campus event coordinator, a member of the student government, and as an RA.

Just before graduating, I married my wife, Alex, whom I first started dating while serving as an RA at Boyce. I am passionate about teaching the gospel and watching students learn more and more about the surpassing worth of knowing Christ (Phil 3:8). I have experienced first-hand the spiritual impact of various church staff members and leaders in my own life and feel privileged to serve alongside a team so committed to helping students grow deeper in the understanding of the gospel and God’s Word. When I'm not doing something related to ministry in one way or another, I love getting outdoors, trying new foods, or teaching myself piano and Spanish.

Kids Ministry Director

I grew up in the Bay Area and was very fortunate to be raised in a loving home with parents who taught me about Jesus’s love and sacrifice for me from as early as I can remember. God made me aware of my sin and need for a savior in early elementary school and my faith has grown and matured in fits and starts since then. My faithful extended family and church family were additional influences in my life displaying God’s love to me. I always felt known and seen through the loving hands around me.

I attended Wheaton College in Illinois and majored in elementary education. My husband, Joel, and I got to know each other while working at a Christian camp in northern Wisconsin during a college summer. After graduation, we made it back to the Bay Area to begin our teaching careers - both in 5th grade. We were married in July of 1999. In 2005, we moved to Morgan Hill, I became a full-time mom and later homeschool parent, and we started attending West Hills Community Church. We have four children: Elena, Toby, Hope, and Karina. I volunteered in kids ministry at West Hills and saw first-hand the impact a gospel-centered Sunday school program and faithful, loving teachers had on my own children.

I came on staff as director of kids ministries at West Hills in July of 2024. Spending time with children has always been a passion of mine. They are hilarious, adorable, chaotic, entertaining, and completely endearing. My goal in working with children is to make them feel loved and known - and that Jesus loves them and knows them more intimately than anyone else. They are so open to God’s Word and they have soft hearts. It’s an amazing ministry to be a part of!

In my free time, I enjoy being with family and friends, playing games, and reading - preferably in the sunshine.

Office Coordinator

Photo: coming soon

I came to faith as an adult during a season of searching for something to fill a deep emptiness in my life. For a long time, I tried to fill that space, but nothing truly satisfied. Through the guidance of my now husband, who first shared with me who Jesus is, and through stepping into a church that welcomed me with open arms and showed me the love of Jesus, my heart was opened to faith. I experienced a kind of love and belonging that changed everything for me.

Shortly after coming to faith, I found my way to West Hills and quickly felt called to help create that same welcoming environment for others. I began serving at the welcome table, wanting every person who walked through the doors to feel seen, valued, and loved—just as I had been. What started as a place to serve has now grown into the opportunity to be on staff. 

My faith in Jesus has filled the place in my heart that once felt empty and continues to shape every part of my life. Today, I am blessed to be a wife and mother, and I am passionate about helping others encounter the same life-changing love of Jesus that transformed me.

Operations Coordinator

Bio: Coming Soon

Elder / Chairman

My wife, Betsy and I, first started attending West Hills around 2005 where we found a loving and nurturing place for our family to grow in understanding and application of God’s Word. We have both served in many capacities within West Hills over the years.

I was California born, raised in a Lutheran home, and lived in SoCal and Asia before attending Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo to study Computer Science. As a freshman, God transformed my heart to become a serious believer and follower of Christ, and I was baptized and joined a Reformed Baptist Church. Upon graduation, I moved to San Jose to pursue an awesome career as a Software Engineer at CDC, IBM, and Rocket Software.

God brought Betsy and me together while attending the same church. We were married in Gilroy in 1980, and have since lived a busy, blessed, and full life raising 4 children. They each subsequently married to give us 14 grandchildren.

My current passion is to invest time and energy to build up the Kingdom of God at West Hills, in our local community, and in youth at Vine Academy and Mississippi Robotics. I enjoy hiking and praying, family gatherings, having spiritual discussions, meeting new people, and being involved in relationships where iron sharpens iron and we challenge each other to grow.

Elder

I am a Santa Clara Valley native, born at Stanford Hospital in 1960 and raised in Cupertino. Deborah and I married in Yosemite in 1989 are the delighted parents of Laurel and Avery.

We live in the east foothills of Gilroy. Active in the ministry of Firefighters for Christ for my entire career, I retired as Fire Battalion Chief after 32 years, and am now a Training Specialist with State Fire Training.  

Deb and I were baptized at West Hills in 1991. I became a Christian as a youth, while attending an adult bible study with his parents at Valley Church in Cupertino.

Elder

I am a native Californian having been born and raised in Santa Clara. I attended San Jose State University where I completed a B.A. Economics and an M.S. Accounting. After college I received a CPA credential and worked as a consultant serving international clients. In 2005 the Lord blessed me with the opportunity to transition from Silicon Valley into vocational ministry. I completed an M.A. Biblical Counseling at The Master’s College in 2009 to better equip me for the work the Lord has called me to do.

I currently live in Gilroy with my wife Colleen and our children Hannah, Essie, Elle, Mario and Arvi. Colleen is my constant help in ministry. Prior to our marriage, Colleen served as a missionary in Albania, teaching English and working within the church. We have a special heart for adoption and disability ministry as God has blessed us with 5 unique children with 5 unique stories, including 2 who are teaching us about life with Down Syndrome.

I became a Christian in high school as the result of the witness of another student (the gospel was new to me as I did not grow up in the church). The years that followed were marked by a slow but steady spiritual growth and a desire to enter missions. After college, I struggled spiritually as I grappled with career pressures and the fruit of my own spiritual compromise. This season ended when the Lord confronted me with my sin and showed me in a way I had never comprehended before the beauty of the gospel. Because the Lord started putting me in situations where I was informally counseling others I began taking counseling classes at The Master’s College to become better equipped for ministry. One of my passions in ministry is to connect with people who are grappling with the messiness of real life and help them connect where they are with what it means to walk with Jesus in the “real life” world that we live in.

Elder in Training

Bio coming soon.

Elder in Training

I was born in San Jose, California and have lived in the South Bay all of my life. I was extremely blessed to be raised and discipled by my amazing parents, Charlie and Michelle, who were examples to me of what it means to put Christ first in your life in all circumstances and what it looks like to follow Jesus with humble and obedient hearts.

I first believed and put my trust in Jesus in my elementary years, but my faith in Jesus was truly tested and solidified in my late teen years as I was stretched to fully rely on Him for everything. My wife Hillary and I were married in June of 2004 and the Lord has blessed us with four fantastic kids, Collin, Elise, Judah and Joshua. Our family moved to Morgan Hill in 2014 and we have loved being a part of the West Hills community of believers.

I enjoy serving on Sundays with the worship team and praising God with the local body of believers through song, communion, prayer and the study of the Word together. I am so blessed to be part of this family of believers at West Hills. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, playing disc golf, watching my kids play sports, going on adventures, and I am always up for exploring or doing something new.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” - Psalm 127:1

Elder in Training

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." – Proverbs 3:6

Growing up in a small family farmhouse in Northern Ireland, my walls were adorned with biblical phrases, but the one from Proverbs above stands out in my memory. Little did I know how foundational that verse would be to my life’s journey.

My Presbyterian parents displayed tremendous love and selflessness, supporting me in pursuing higher education and a career in technology rather than helping on the small family farm. In a time of unrest in Ireland, this meant leaving home early to study in Edinburgh, and then working in England, where I met my wife, Liz, 45 years ago. This journey eventually led us to emigrate to Arizona in 1982, where we spent almost 20 years and were blessed with our children, Thomas and Lucy, before moving to Morgan Hill in 2000.

It wasn’t until we joined West Hills Church nearly 20 years ago that my walk with Christ was truly restored. Pastor Mike Burchfield’s sermons played a pivotal role in reigniting my faith.

Today, I am blessed to serve at West Hills as a Community Group leader, a member of the Benevolence Ministry, and a member of the Welcome Team. Having recently retired, I now have the privilege of dedicating more time to the Word, prayer, and growing in my role as an Elder-in-Training.

Outside of my church service, I enjoy spending time with my family including our new grandson, Joseph. I also love hiking, traveling, and reading.

I am excited to see what future paths God has in store for me as I continue to strive to live a life that glorifies Him.

Elder in Training

Born in San Leandro, raised in Fremont, I am a California native. Both my parents are believers, and I was brought up knowing God. I decided to change that knowledge into an actual relationship when I was about 11, having lost my paternal grandfather and deciding I didn’t want to live without Jesus and the hope of salvation.

I have always believed, but God would grow that belief and challenge me through the difficult circumstances we all seem to face, (though the specifics are no doubt different). Through those circumstances, God would show me the incredible love He has for us, and how none of us are forgotten or forsaken.

I met Chantel in June, 2007, married in October 2008, and welcomed our two girls—Amélie and Kyla—in November of 2010, and April 2014. We have lived in Morgan Hill since 2011. We transferred our membership to West Hills in 2017 because of the strong children’s program, and the sound, expositional teaching on Sundays.

I teach High School English and as you might expect, I enjoy reading and writing. But I also love to build furniture and fix/repair old pieces I find at garage sales during the summer. Additionally, I have fun painting seascapes (or teaching myself how to) as the beach is one of my family’s favorite places to go.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’” declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” – Jeremiah 29:11