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 2,100 people attend Vineyard Church during the six weekend celebrations.
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 | Tammy Johnston | Children's Director | |
| Mark Duncan | Junior High Pastor / Facilities | Steve Jones | Young Adult Worship Pastor | |
| Tim Dykes | Assimilation Pastor | Maggie Pope | Equipping Pastor | |
| Cameron Erlandson | Senior High Pastor | Jim Riegel | Men's/Senior Adult Pastor | |
| Ben Gonzales | Ecuador Missionary | Roger Sodsod | Small Group Pastor | |
| Gary Heese | Pastoral Care/Prayer Pastor | Tony Wilks | Executive 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
Mark Duncan is our Junior High Pastor. 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 eighteen 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.
Assimilation Pastor
Tim Dykes is our Assimilation 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 Pastor
Cameron Erlandson is our Senior High pastor. A graduate of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Cameron has been in pastoral ministry since 1999. He and his wife, Sharla, have been married for eight years and have two amazing children, Caleb, 5, and Kiersten, 3. Passionate about preaching God's Truth, Cameron also loves to spend time with his family, play sports, and read. Originally from Mesa, Arizona, he is an avid Pittsburgh Steeler fan, though he has never been to Pittsburgh. Other interesting facts about Cameron--he collects GI Joe figures from the 1980s, loves to exercise, reads on average a book a week, and majored in biblical Greek in college.
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.
Children's Director
Tammy is our Children's Director. She was born and raised in Kansas City. Tammy committed her life to Christ when she was 22, has attended Vineyard Church for 17 years, and has served in the Children's Ministry for 15 years. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, a Masters Degree in Educational Technology, and most importantly, a call from God to minister to young people. In addition to ministry, Tammy enjoys running, watching baseball, spending time with her five nieces and nephews, and organizing.
Young Adult Worship Pastor
Steve Jones is our Young Adult Worship 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.
Equipping Pastor
Greg and Maggie Pope came to Vineyard in November 2004. They are
thrilled to have found their church home here. Both have found
so much purpose within this community: Greg through prayer ministry
and Maggie through equipping.
Maggie came on staff as a pastoral intern in 2007, completed Vineyard Leadership
Institute in 2008. She was then hired as our Equipping Pastor in January of 2009.
Maggie is passionate about helping others find their significance and purpose
through a life lived for Christ.
Previously Maggie worked as a nurse and is a graduate of St. Luke's School of
Nursing here in Kansas City. Her favorite pastime is spending time in nature
with her family. Reading is her guilty pleasure.
Senior Adult Pastor
Jim Riegel is our Senior Adult Pastor. He also oversees Men's Ministry and is pastoral advisor to smaller Vineyard churches in our area, primarily in Kansas. Jim and his wife Darlene have been part of Vineyard Church staff in Kansas City North since early 1997. During those years he has 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.
Small Group Pastor
Roger oversees our small groups, discipleship classes, Vineyard
Leadership Institute (VLI), pastoral internship program, and our
website. 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 5 year old son, Aiden, and a basset-beagle dog
named Arnold.
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,
motorcycles, martial arts, modular
origami, and hanging out with
Aiden on Saturday mornings. Obscure
facts about Roger: he has the number pi memorized
to 50 digits, he is an avid Mac user,
he is an ENTJ on
the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and he drinks cafe
americanos with
cream.
Executive Pastor
Tony Wilks is our 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."
Staff
 Denise Bearce, Administrative Assistant - Youth Ministry (Grades 7-12) |
 Laurie Hampton, Administrative Assistant - Welcome & Assimilation Ministry |
 Kerryn May, Business Administrator |
 Connie Mueller, Administrative Assistant - Pastoral Prayer & Care Ministry |
Darlene Riegel, Personal Assistant to Senior Pastor, Fred Herron |
 Susie Schroeder, Executive Assistant to Executive Pastor, Tony Wilks |
 Lisa Kunkel, Administrative Assistant - Children's Ministry (Nursery-Grade 6) |
 Dawn Uthe, Administrative Assistant - Attendance & Assimilation Ministry |
Megan Wiest,
Administrative Assistant to Small Group Pastor, Roger Sodsod
Jenny
Siercks, Administrative Assistant -
Facility Scheduling & Purchasing
Interns
Krystal Ragone, Interning
with Curt Bartlett and Steve Jones, Worship Pastors