Brandon is the lead pastor at Gospel Community Church. He oversees the teaching and vision of GCC and is passionate about developing young people into leaders in the church who will reach people who are far from God and start new churches and ministries in Santa Cruz County. He has been in full-time ministry since 2010.

Brandon met his wife, Laura, in Santa Cruz while working as summer youth interns at a local church. They have been doing ministry together ever since! They have three children - a beautiful daughter, and two wonderful boys.

Brandon has his B.A. from the Master’s College, M.A. from Reformed Theological Seminary, and DEdMin from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Michael first got involved in ministry working with middle schoolers at a local church. Since then, he’s continued to pursue his love for studying and teaching God’s Word through small groups and Bible studies. As an elder, Michael is passionate about walking alongside other men in discipleship and spiritual growth. He enjoys leading small groups, teaching classes, and investing in the lives of men. His heart is to help men grow in godliness, build strong spiritual habits, and pursue Christ together.

He works as an athletic trainer at Cabrillo College. He and his wife, Rachel, have four beautiful daughters and enjoy hiking, beach days, camping, and spending time with their community group.

Brian first became involved in ministry as a lay leader in his church’s middle school ministry while he was in college. Since coming to GCC, he has faithfully served by leading a community group and discipling men. He is passionate about helping those who are struggling with sin and pointing them to Christ, with a particular heart for those battling addiction. As an elder, he hopes to serve the church by helping others grow, just as GCC has been a source of growth and blessing in his own life.

Brian enjoys swimming, cooking, and reading, and especially values spending time with his wife, Layla. Together they have four adult children and two grandchildren.

Ben has served in ministry for many years, first as a youth pastor and kids ministry director at Calvary Chapel before planting and pastoring Westside Community Church in Santa Cruz. As an elder, he is passionate about teaching God’s Word and seeing people come to faith, be baptized, and grow in Christ. He is grateful to use his gifts to serve the local church and be part of a church committed to Scripture.  

Ben and his wife, Kelly, lead a community group. He studied biblical studies at Calvary Chapel Bible College and church planting at Calvary Chapel University. Outside of his full-time consulting job and service to the church, he enjoys baseball, golf, and spending time with his family. 

Meghan oversees the Connections Team and Women’s Ministry at GCC. After serving in kids and high school ministries for over a decade, she joined the GCC staff in the spring of 2024.

She is passionate about building relationships, helping people feel known and connected, and integrating them into the church community. She is especially excited to strengthen the Women’s Ministry by fostering meaningful community and encouraging women to grow deeper in God’s Word.

Originally from Santa Cruz, Meghan and her husband, Brandon, grew up in the area and met at a local church. They now have two wonderful children.

Mikey oversees discipleship, membership, and community groups. In this role, he helps people grow in their faith and become more connected within the life of the church.

Mikey was raised up as a leader through GCC’s residency program, where he spent several years working with students before formally joining the church staff. During that time, he developed a passion for helping others grow in their understanding of the Gospel and their walk with Christ. He loves seeing God at work in people’s lives as they believe the Gospel and trust in Jesus, and he enjoys being part of a joyful church community where those heart changes can unfold.

Mikey holds a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies from Boyce College and an MDiv from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Jade, have a precious baby boy.

Jonathan oversees the church’s outreach ministries as well as several areas of Christian education, including Sunday School and Baptism Classes.

He first became involved in ministry during college, where he led Bible studies and was active in his campus fellowship. After becoming a member at GCC, Jonathan began exploring ways to meet the needs of people throughout Santa Cruz County. This led him to start a Nursing Home Ministry and begin leading church services at several nursing homes around the county.

Jonathan is currently pursuing an MDiv at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to his wife, Allison.

Henry oversees outreach on local high school campuses and is working to start new campus outreaches. After spending several years in a high school youth group, Henry came to faith while attending UC Santa Cruz. He soon began serving on the core team of Christian Challenge, a college ministry at UCSC. A recent graduate from UC Santa Cruz, Henry holds a B.A. in Linguistics and is using this residency as an opportunity to train for overseas missions work with the goal of reaching unreached people and language groups.

Henry is passionate about evangelism and discipleship. He especially loves seeing new believers learn to share the Gospel and grow in their love for God as they step out in faith. Whether starting Gospel conversations with new people or equipping others to share their faith, Henry is excited to help people confidently make Christ known.

Outside of ministry, he enjoys running and lifting, reading fantasy and science-fiction novels, playing video games, enjoying the beaches around Santa Cruz County, and memorizing Scripture.

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Brittany leads women’s discipleship and serves on the Women’s Ministry Team. She is also involved in Kids Ministry and helps lead the preschool class in our homeschool co-op.

Brittany first became involved in ministry as a freshman at Chico State and joined Christian Challenge’s staff full-time after graduating. Today, she continues to support the ministry and personally disciples several young women.

Brittany is married to Cody, who leads Christian Challenge at UC Santa Cruz, and they have three children. Their family loves sports, spending time at the beach, and being actively involved in the life of GCC.

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Josh oversees GCC’s Nursing Home Ministry, which brings church services to nursing homes throughout Santa Cruz County. In addition to caring for the elderly, this ministry gives our volunteers opportunities to grow by talking to and praying for the residents, leading worship, and preaching. Josh serves full-time with Christian Challenge at UC Santa Cruz, where he shares the gospel with students and disciples young men.

Josh loves seeing people grow in their knowledge of and love for God’s Word through one-on-one discipleship, small groups, and preaching. He holds a Master of Theological Studies from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Josh and his wife, Sarah, have three children - two daughters and a son. They love playing games together as a family, and Josh also enjoys surfing.

Joah serves on GCC’s Connections and Building Search Teams and occasionally gets to help cook for church events. He first became involved in ministry through Christian Camping, serving as a cabin leader and volunteer staff member during and after high school. Joah is grateful to be a child of God and for every opportunity the Spirit gives him to glorify God by loving and serving those around him.

Joah graduated from Emmaus Bible College with degrees in Computer Systems and Biblical Studies. After working at Koinonia Conference Grounds for ten years, he began working as a project manager for a commercial subcontractor.

Joah married his high school sweetheart, Michelle, and together they have three sons. He enjoys watching his sons play sports, spending time with Michelle, and eating his youngest son's baked goods.

Michelle serves on GCC’s Connections and Worship Teams and helps prepare meals for church events. She loves serving behind the scenes and supporting others so they can be even more effective in their ministries.

Having grown up in the church, Michelle has served in many different ways over the years—from wrangling kids at Vacation Bible School to sharing announcements on Sunday mornings. Her most important ministry, however, is at home, where she ministers to her husband, Joah, and their three teenage sons.

Michelle teaches middle school history at a local Christian school. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys cheering on her sons at their sporting events and baking as often as possible.