Our Pastoral Staff
Fred Herron
Senior Pastor
Fred Herron was raised in the Kansas City area. He met Christ in a life-changing way at a church camp when he was sixteen. It was then he was called to Christian ministry. After graduating from Park Hill High School, Fred attended Baylor University majoring in business administration and religion. While attending Baylor he met Janet, also from Kansas City, and the couple was married in 1982. Upon graduating from Baylor, Fred and Janet moved to Fort Worth, Texas, so Fred could attend Southwestern Baptist Seminary. Fred's first pastoral job was in Hampton, Virginia, where Fred served as an associate pastor in a Baptist church. In 1990 Fred and Janet moved back to Kansas City dreaming of starting a new Vineyard church somewhere in the Northland.
Fred spent many hours, days, weeks, and months contacting people both by going door-to-door and phoning old acquaintances. His Vineyard ministry began with five people in Fred and Janet's small apartment's living room. After a season, and with more people, Sunday evening meetings began in a commercial building just south of KCI airport. By the end of September 1992, Fred, Janet, and the congregation of 50 people initiated Sunday morning services in Lakeview Middle School. In June 2001 Fred received his Doctor of Ministry Degree from Fuller Seminary. By the fall of 2001, a congregation of around five hundred people moved into their first new building. Today, approximately 2,500 people attend Vineyard Church during the four weekend celebrations and Brighton Campus.
In addition to having a keen sense of humor, Fred is an avid reader. He also thoroughly enjoys bike riding and bike racing and has a deep love for the mountains--hiking and fishing.
Email Fred
Other Pastors
| Curt Bartlett | Worship Pastor | Roger Sodsod | Small Group / Discipleship Pastor | |
| Mark Duncan | Junior High Pastor / Facilities | Jeremiah Toole | Brighton Campus Worship Pastor | |
| Tim Dykes | Assimilation and Missions Pastor | Kevin Townsend | Brighton Campus / Young Adult Pastor | |
| Cameron Erlandson | Senior High / Evangelism Pastor | Tony Wilks | Executive Pastor | |
| Ben Gonzales | Ecuador Missionary | Roger Wilson | Children's Pastor | |
| Gary Heese | Pastoral Care/Prayer Pastor | Jim Riegel | Pastor Emeritus | |
| Steve Jones | Young Adult Worship Pastor |
Worship & Arts Pastor
Curt Bartlett is our Worship & Arts Pastor. As a guitarist/singer/writer/producer, Curt has toured and recorded with some of the top contemporary Christian artists over the past 30 years. His vision for the Worship & Arts Ministry is to help facilitate God's presence through the artistic and heartfelt expressions of song, drama, video and contemporary media. He and his wife Jackie have four lovely daughters - Brooke, Rachel, Kristen and Caroline. His hobbies include baseball, motorcycles and all things Apple (Mac).
Junior High Pastor and Facilities Director
Mark Duncan is our Junior High Pastor and Facilities Director.
Mark takes no greater joy than to be involved in students' lives
and their spiritual development--one step at a time. Mark is native
to Kansas City and is married to his wonderful wife, Janelle. He
has two children, Alyssa, 7, and Tyler, 5. Mark was an airline
mechanic for 18 years and holds a Missouri real estate license.
In addition to student ministry, some of Mark's interests include
sports--go figure. Mark is an avid softball player playing in over
100 games a year. He has also led the Vineyard men's softball team
to numerous championships. Mark also loves football and just about
anything else competitive. Lately, he has been fine tuning his
ninja skills--just kidding. Mark's favorite vacation spot is Waikiki
Beach.
Connections and Missions Pastor
Tim Dykes is our Connections and Missions Pastor. He is eager
to take people from visitor to fully-engaged members of the church
serving in the areas that God has created them for. Tim wants to
see you grow in Christ and serve Him with joy. In addition to getting
people connected, Tim enjoys tennis, reading and traveling.
Senior High and Evangelism Pastor
Cameron Erlandson is our Evangelism and Youth Pastor. Cameron holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Bible/Theolody from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and earned a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA. Cameron has been in pastoral ministry since 1999 having served at Bethel Bible Church in Evergreen Park, IL and Central Christian Church in Mesa, AZ before coming to Vineyard. He and his wife, Sharla, have been married for 11 years and have two amazing children, Caleb, 8, and Kiersten, 6. Passionate about preaching God's Truth, Cameron also loves to spend time with his family, play sports, and read.
Ecuador Missionary
Bennie and Patty met in Hawaii at University of the Nations, a
missions school. Seventeen years later they find themselves full
circle, back on the mission field planting churches in Ecuador.
Bennie served as youth pastor, (and various other hats) at Vineyard
for nearly ten years until he and Patty felt called to plant the
first Vineyards in Ecuador. They and their daughters, Ashley and
Trinity, have been on the field since June 2007 and will continue
to serve for a minimum of seven years.
Please check out their website www.gonzalesfam.com to
learn more about their mission, to see pictures, and to read their blog. If
you would like to be on their prayer list please email quitovineyard@gmail.com.
Pastoral Care/Prayer Pastor
Gary and Carla began serving as missionaries in Youth with a Mission (YWAM) at the YWAM base in Kona, Hawaii in 1989. They returned to Kansas City in 1993 and continued serving in local churches in the areas of inner healing and counseling. The highlight of their time in missions was their time working in South America.
They returned to Kansas City in 1993 and shortly after, their fourth grandchild was born. They now have 6 granddaughters and one grandson. Carla enjoys quilting with her sister, Donna, time with her grandkids and romantic dinners with Gary at Hy-Vee. Their daughter Patty, her husband Ben, and daughters Ashley and Trinity have moved to Ecuador to plant a Vineyard Church. Gary enjoys bow hunting and fishing with his sons and water skiing. Gary also enjoys the outdoors when riding his motorcycle.
Young Adult Worship/Leadership Development Pastor
Steve Jones is our Young Adult Worship/Leadership Development Pastor. He is also a songwriter
who has written such Vineyard songs as Saving Grace and Free. Steve
is also the lead singer for the band, Autumn in Repair. Some of
his musical influences are Ryan Adams, Ryan Delmore, Pete Yorn,
Damien Rice, Our Lady Peace, Raine Maida, Lovedrug, Rachael Yamagata,
Bob Dylan, Bob Howard, The Beatles, and Augustana. Favorite movies
include Jeremiah Johnson (a commentary on life alone in the mountains),
The Village (a commentary on what values are worth building a community
upon), and Pan's Labyrinth (a commentary on what it is like to
realize you are truly a princess of a magical underground kingdom...
i can't explain it... it just resonates. i'll work it out in therapy).
Favorite authors/teachers include Rob Bell, Brennan Manning, Brian
McClaren, Tim Keel, Kurt Vonnegut, and Jack Keroac.
Small Group / Discipleship Pastor
Roger oversees our small groups, discipleship classes, men's
ministry, women's ministry, our website, and serves on the executive pastoral team. He is passionate about
building authentic community in Christ through an expanding small
group system that evangelizes seekers, matures believers, and releases
Spirit-filled leaders. Originally from Winter Park, Florida, Roger
is married to Jackie, and they have a 7 year old son, Aiden, and a dog, Sadie.
Roger has a Bachelor of Music
degree from the University
of South Florida and a Master of Music
degree from the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While
beginning his career as an opera singer, the Lord abruptly called
him into ministry (at an Encounter God retreat). Roger is a graduate
from the Vineyard
Leadership Institute and completed his pastoral
internship at The
Vineyard Church in Urbana, Illinois (senior pastor:
Happy Leman). Prior to coming on staff at our church, Roger was
the Director of Small Groups and Webmaster at New
Horizon United Methodist Church in Champaign, Illinois. In addition
to small groups, some of Roger's interests include reading, movies,
Apple computers, modular
origami, and training in Youn Wha
Ryu with
Aiden. Favorite scripture: Philippians
3:8-14 (read the Message
translation)
Brighton Campus Worship Pastor
Jeremiah is our Brighton Worship Pastor and has been involved in leading worship, running sound, and service production for the past 13 years. He is very passionate about worship in the local church and songwriting for our worship time together.
In his spare time, you can find him working as a music producer in his home-studio BearTrack Recording, and writing for his own music project, BearFace (seems fitting, right?). He also enjoys reading and his favorite authors are C.S. Lewis, Rob Bell, and Donald Miller. His favorite music comes from U2, The Rocketboys, Midlake, Radiohead, Bruce Springsteen (a guilty pleasure), and Bing Crosby. He's also a sucker for a good war film, old or new.
Side-note: if you need assistance relating to color, Jeremiah is NOT the guy to help you out. His colorblindness will not enhance your decision making.
Brighton Campus / Young Adult Pastor
Kevin is the Brighton Campus and Young Adult Pastor. He and his wife Diane have been married since 1990 and have lived here in Kansas City since 1991. They met while Kevin was doing mission work one summer in college in upstate New York. Kevin was born and raised in the Houston, TX area and will always be a proud Texan at heart. He graduated with a religion degree from East Texas Baptist University and received his Master’s from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary here in KC. Kevin worked full time in the ministry for several years as Campus Minister here in the northland. He went on to serve as Associate Pastor of Students and Discipleship at Winnwood Baptist Church for nearly eight years. The past few years Kevin has enjoyed growing his own company, selling online. Diane and Kevin both enjoy traveling and baseball, especially traveling to watch baseball.
Executive Pastor
Tony serves Vineyard Church by overseeing our strategic growth, buildings & grounds, stewardship programs, communication systems, and staff administration. Originally from Garden City, Kansas, Tony graduated from Kansas
State University as Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Architecture. Tony has been the design architect on several fire stations, city halls and multiple churches in the metro area, including the revised master plan for our building & grounds.
Tony is married to Beth and they have three children--Matthew, Julia and Andrea. Tony loves being a husband & dad, camping with friends & family, traveling, teaching, and watching good action movies.
Obscure facts: he was once a fire fighter, a disc-jockey, head chef in a cajun restaurant, loves motorcycles--but doesn't own one anymore (don't ask), rebuilt a 74 Camaro and now loathes driving a mini-van.
Favorite Quote: "Life is a grindstone. Whether it wears
you out, or shines you up--depends upon what you are made of."
Favorite Scripture: Micah 6:8 "What does the Lord require
of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
Children's Pastor
Roger was born in Fairview Oklahoma, raised in Kansas City, and has attended Vineyard for several years. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Baker University. He carries 10+ years of management experience in the financial services industry, and has been an active volunteer in student ministries for 10 years. He is passionate about families, and supporting them through Children’s Ministry. He also serves on the executive pastoral team. Roger has been a follower of Jesus since age 16.
Roger and his wife, Jennine met as teenagers, and have been married for fifteen years. They have one child, Dominic. He loves to spend time with his family doing anything, loves to cook, and is an NFL fan (go Chiefs).
Other Favorites... Books: The Bible, My Side of the Mountain (Jean Craighead George), Farmer Boy (Laura Ingalls Wilder), Hinds Feet on High Places (Hannah Hurnard), and My Utmost for His Highest (Oswald Chambers). Movies: A River Runs Through It, Better Off Dead, A Christmas Story, and It’s a Wonderful Life. Music: U2, Jars of Clay, Reliant K, Harry Connick Jr, and the Foo Fighters.
Pastor Emeritus
Jim and Darlene have recently retired but are still active in several
volunteer roles at Vineyard Church. They have been a part of Vineyard
Church since early 1997. During those
years he worked with assimilation, small groups, pastoral care,
leadership development, administration and preaching. Jim is a
veteran church planting pastor in and out of the Vineyard movement,
having planted 3 churches. He has also been a youth pastor, lead
pastor of an existing church, associate pastor of a 3,300 member
mainline denomination church, sending pastor of 2 successful church
plants, and area pastor to Vineyard pastors. Jim enjoys hanging
out with his wife and best friend, Darlene – taking walks with their
dog, watching movies, working in their yard, listening to audio
books, and traveling. Jim is also an avid sports fan. Jim and Darlene
have 4 children and 7 grandchildren, with whom they enjoy spending
time.
Staff
 Denise Bearce, Administrative Assistant - Youth Ministry (Cameron Erlandson & Mark Duncan) |
 Krystal Ragone, Administrative Assistant - Welcome & Assimilation Ministry (Tim Dykes) |
 Kerryn May, Administrative Assistant to Senior Pastor, Fred Herron |
 Connie Mueller, Administrative Assistant - Pastoral Prayer & Care Ministry (Gary Heese) |
 Susie Schroeder, Director of Communications & Administrative Assistant (Tony Wilks) |
 Debbie Maynard, Business Administrator |
Lisa Kunkel, Administrative Assistant - Children's Ministry (Roger Wilson) |
Dawn Uthe, Administrative Assistant - Attendance & Assimilation Ministry (Tim Dykes) |
 Jenny Siercks, Administrative Assistant - Facility Scheduling & Purchasing |
 Angie Evans, Small
Group Administrative |
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