Our Pastors & Staff

Pastor Jonathan has been in professional ministry since 2002. Along the way he’s worked with children & youth, in camping, and campus ministry. Since 2010 he has served as an Ordained Pastor leading congregations from South Carolina to Pennsylvania. He’s served in smaller rural congregations and larger, multi-staff downtown churches; he’s even had a stint in a house church! He’s a 2006 graduate of Lander University with a Bachelor degree in History and a 2010 graduate of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary with a Masters in Pastoral Ministry and Theology. Pastor Jonathan is passionate about grace oriented ministry; whether it's in the familiar center of faith or out on its unexpected edge; he likes to help people wonder where God is in all of this? He had the good fortune to be married to April and is the proud father of Mckinney, Maxton, and Alastair. He loves to cook, ride his bikes, podcast, and nerd out on Star Wars.

Pastor Christina came to Grace in February 2022 after serving in her first call as the solo pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church in Shelby, halfway between Asheville and Charlotte. She also worked as a part-time hospital staff chaplain and has completed the clinical pastoral education (CPE) needed to become eligible for board certification for chaplaincy. She earned her MDiv at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN (2013) and her undergraduate degree at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. (1992) Prior to entering full-time pastoral ministry, Pastor Christina worked in nonprofit fundraising and communications for fifteen years. She’s married to Jamie, a teacher and houseparent at Christ School, an Episcopal boys’ boarding school in Arden and they have two adult children, Casey and Emerson and a menagerie of VW buses and a dog. They live in Mills River.

Deacon Kimberly considers herself extremely blessed to be part of the Grace family. Before coming to Grace, she served as Outreach Ministry Coordinator at Good Shepherd, Brevard. She earned degrees in Psychology (UNC-Charlotte, 1996) and Social Work (Cleveland State University, 1999), and spent the majority of her early working life in mental health crisis services. After feeling a call to ministry, she began the candidacy process through the NC Synod and received her Master's in Religious Leadership (Lenoir-Rhyne University/Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, 2021). Deacon Kimberly is grateful to be the mother of 16-year-old Sophie. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, going for walks, attending live theater and music concerts, spending time with friends, and watching social justice-oriented movies and documentaries.

Greg brings more than 36 years of nonprofit management experience with the YMCA and the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches, the last 26 years in the camping field. He has a BA from Wilmington College in Business Administration and Youth Agency Administration with a minor in Accounting. Greg is in charge of operations, including building use and maintenance, membership data, support staff and finance. Greg and his wife Nancy have three children - Breana, Ashley and Jonathan.

Burton earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Greensboro College and a Master of Sacred Music degree from Southern Methodist University. He began piano lessons in elementary school and began playing hymns for the Men’s Bible class at his church when he was in middle school. Some lessons from the church organist convinced him during high school that he wanted to study music in college. In 1995 he received a fellowship award to study with composer Alice Parker in New York City. He has written and arranged music for organ and for chorus published by Hinshaw, Warner Brothers and G.I.A. He began writing plays in 1994 and to date more that 65 of his scripts have been published. Many of his scripts are particularly appropriate for middle and high school students. Burton is honored and blessed to be a part of staff of Grace Church.

Jill, a lifelong Lutheran and member of Grace, brings a solid faith foundation combined with parenting skills honed by her four children, excellent organizational experience from the business world, and a deep passion to support parents in nurturing faith within their families.Jill earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Marketing from American University in Washington DC. She spent 13 years in business before having her family and becoming a stay-at-home mother and was active as a volunteer in her children’s schools. Jill has been a teacher for 3 and 4-year olds, a substitute preschool teacher at Grace and has spearheaded the theme development and execution of numerous successful fundraisers at Atkinson Elementary School in Hendersonville.As Director of Children and Family Ministry at Grace, Jill leads and directs programs for children from birth through elementary school (5th grade) including their families. She provides programs or develops new ones as necessary to meet the spiritual needs of children and their families.

Jenna, a lifelong Lutheran, grew up knowing she wanted to work with youth in some capacity. In high school, she was the NC Synod Youth Representative and was introduced to the world of youth ministry in a new light. She quickly fell in love and worked at Lutheridge for a total of three summers, two as a camp counselor and a third as a Lutheroad Area Director. She graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne University with a Bachelor's Degree in Youth and Family Ministry with a minor in Children's Ministry and has two years experience working with youth in a church setting. In her free time, she enjoys reading, going on hikes and petting all the dogs!! She is so excited to begin her journey with Grace!

Beth Ann loves being Grace’s Preschool Director! She has worked with children and families since 1992. She started her family-centered journey by supporting breastfeeding moms, became a Preschool teacher and Aftercare care provider, was the director of her own children’s home care, and, in 2001, began her career as a Preschool Director at Grace. The Preschool Director position is a culmination of all her life experiences, human resource manager and trainer, counsellor, facilitator, project manager, mission director, and public relations. Her life’s purpose is to make a difference in society by helping make the world a better place to live in now and in the future.Beth Ann has been married to her best friend, Brian since 1988 and has three amazing children! She loves to spend time with family and travels all over the world. In her down time, she runs, dances, hikes and camps, enjoys reading, knitting, and watching theater, music, and movies. She is grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to our community and children’s lives!

A native of Henderson County, Ami comes to Grace Lutheran Preschool with many years of customer service, sales and marketing experience. She graduated from UNC-Asheville with a BA in Marketing and Business Management. She manages preschool communication, finance and public relations. Her two teenage daughters keep her busy with school and social activities.

Jolie keeps Grace Lutheran Church connected and thriving by managing communications, supporting both members and visitors, and lending a hand with church administration. She holds a Psychology degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, along with certification in paralegal studies. Before joining Grace, Jolie brought her skills to a variety of nonprofit organizations, where serving others was always at the heart of her work. Originally from the West Coast, Jolie has happily made this community her new home. When she’s not at church, you’ll often find her with her rescue dogs, riding her bike and exploring local spots, or giving back through volunteer work.

Dave and his wife, Beth, have been active members of Grace for a number of years. Dave has long shared his expertise and experience in video as a volunteer by providing CDs of worship for homebound members, recording and uploading sermons to YouTube, and producing videos for preschool and other ministry events. His responsibilities include scheduling & producing videos to support the ministry of Grace, directing the live streaming worship services, and training others to serve in the various support roles essential for this ministry to flourish and continue.

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