our pastors
PASTOR LESH AND JENNIFER JOHNSON
Pastor Lesh Johnson is a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana. He has been in involved in ministry since he was nineteen years of age. Through college, he served as youth pastor of several churches, later serving as assistant pastor and evangelist. In 1998 he married Jennifer Dunlap, a native to Missouri, who grew up in Lake Saint Louis, O'Fallon, and surrounding areas.
Jennifer is an alumnus of Missouri Baptist College (presently Missouri Baptist University) where she studied church music and business communications. She has served in full-time ministry in several churches as a music minister, as a kindergarten teacher, in Information Technology, and presently leads the Creative Ministries at Family Church, as well as serving as Business and Administrative Ministry Director.
Lesh and Jennifer have three sons, Jonah, Jude, and Joel of whom they are so proud! When Lesh isn't fishing for people, you will find him fly fishing for trout in the cool streams of the Ozarks. Jennifer enjoys interior and graphic design, photography, event planning, and an eclectic mix of music.
Together they envision a spirit-filled body of believers who are developing ministries to reach individual needs in order to become a healthy, whole, church body. God has faithfully led them on this incredible church planting journey and has proved faithful, even when Lesh nearly lost his life in 2009 in a near-fatal ejection. To read more about Pastor Lesh's miraculous story of recovery and healing, visit www.leshjohnson.com.
VISION TEAM
The Vision Team of Family Church consists of an amazingly talented and passionate group of ministry leaders who serve Family Church on a weekly basis. They come together to pray, sharpen, and build up one another as they seek to grow together as a group, and develop into more effective leaders in their respective ministry "Dream Teams" detailed below.
Our Mission
The Mission of the Dream Team is to build the body of Christ by each person fulfilling their calling and serving to make an eternal difference.
DREAM TEAM
What is the Dream Team?
The Dream Team is a group of incredible people that have discovered their gifts and passions and are actively serving in them. From creating a comfortable environment by serving on a Host Team, to leading the next generation to Jesus by serving on a Student Ministries Team, to crafting a dynamic experience with the Service Experience Team, to tearing down barriers across our city by leading a Small Group or partnering with the community charities - we are a group that forcefully advances the Kingdom of God.
our teams
Guest Services
We warmly welcome our community to Family Church. We consider our guests the most important people in any service, and so Guest Services representatives are ready to greet, serve and welcome all who come, as well as provide information about ministries and our facility. Our main goal is to make a guest's stay as pleasant as possible and his/her return inevitable. Our Guest Services Team embodies the command to "practice hospitality" (Romans 12:13, NIV) and includes our hosting, hospitality and usher teams.
Music & Creative Arts
Music lifts the spirit, opens the heart, and ushers us into the presence of God. The Music Team, working in unison with the Media and Sound Team, use music to minister to other people and to God. Our services feature contemporary music rounded out with a few other musical styles.
Media & Sound
Our media team not only provides lyric and scripture projection, but vibrant graphics for announcements as well as other video presentations. Media enhances our worship services greatly and helps us communicate in a visual way. Our sound engineers work hard to create a good audio environment by monitoring audio levels through praise and worship and preaching times. They also assist singers and speakers with tracks, clips, and any other audio needs.
Connections
This ministry is all about encouragement! They send cards and notes to people who are sick, needing prayer, and encouragement.
Married Couples
Married couples of all ages join together on a quarterly basis at Family Church to fellowship, do marriage strengthening studies and activities and communicate with other married couples with questions, lessons learned, and general sharing. Our theme dinners are accompanied by great music, date night give-a-ways, hilarious games, free child care, and just a lot of fun. Our purpose for the Married Couples Ministry is to create an environment where married couples can gain practical skills toward developing and maintaining lasting marriage relationships.
Prayer Team
Prayer is integral to who we are at Family Church. Jesus endeavoured that the church would be a house of prayer and at Family Church, there are many opportunities to seek God through prayer. We pray for our world, our nation, and our community. We pray to grow closer to God (James 4:8) and we pray for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of ourselves and others (Philippians 4:6-7).
City Care
This ministry is integral to who we are as a church..it's a way of life! We want Jesus to shine through us as we care for those in our church, our community, and in our world! We have ongoing projects and special projects. To find out how you can get involved in serving others, hop over to our Contact page and send us a message!
Babies
The Family Church Nursery Ministry provides attentive care to babies and toddlers through age 2.5 in a well staffed, clean, and nurturing environment. As our team holds and cares for your little ones, they are praying for them to know God and fulfill His purpose in their lives.
Preschool, Elementary, Middle School, and High School
Preschool, KidZ Church, Middle School, High School and College classes lead students to Christ using age appropriate methods, equipping them with knowledge of the bible so they can live abundant, overcoming lives and become effective witnesses for Christ. Using media, music, puppets, and crafts, our teachers drive biblical principles home while making the stories of the bible come alive!
CHOSEN Youth (Friday Evenings)
Youth ministry has always been a primary focus at Family Church and CHOSEN youth gather nearly every Friday evening for worship, devotion and unity building activities! These students also have yearly opportunities to attend retreats, lock-ins, and youth camps! This vibrant group of youth (11 and up) meet each week on Friday evenings at 7:30 at Family Church or at alternate locations for special activities.
Men
The purpose of Men's Ministry is to connect men to God, to their families, to church, and to their careers. Special events and activities include Men's Breakfasts and devotions, fishing, camping, and float trips as well as barbecues, which provide a time for men to bring friends and co-workers as well as interact with one another, and to combine fellowship with a special time of prayer.
Ladies
The primary goal of Ladies Ministry is to connect women to God, to their families, to church, and to their careers. From Bible studies rich with fellowship and fun to Spring and Fall gatherings, ladies are provided with numerous avenues to join in fellowship and to grow personally and spiritually.
Lawn Care
The primary goal of Lawn Care ministry is to make our campus look the very best it can so that guests and members receive a warm welcome. If you are interested in serving on this team, send us email to info@familychurch.net
Service Leaders, Teaching and Preaching Team
Our service leaders, teachers, and preachers help to usher the congregation into God's presence through encouraging words, leading in worship, focused prayer, and sharing good reports.
Hospitality
Our Hospitality Team welcomes guests each Sunday with hot, fresh coffee and donuts or other baked goodies! If you would like to share in this ministry, contact us at info@familychurch.net.
Expansion Team
Our expansion team assists the pastor in exploring growth opportunities for Family Church through real estate research, building projects, as well as help in maintaining our facility.
Want To Join the Dream Team?
The Dream Team is designed to help you use your gifts and passions to make a difference here at Family Church and in your community. We offer many different teams to make it easy for you to serve. From greeting visitors on Sunday, to leading a Small Group. Each team makes an eternal impact.
Are you ready to take your next step and join the Dream Team? Take the next step in joining the Dream Team by getting started on the Growth Track. The Growth Track is designed to equip you to live life as a fully-devoted follower of Christ - from learning the essentials of our faith to discovering and fulfilling your God-given purpose. Completed Growth Track? SIGN-UP HERE TO BEGIN MAKING A DIFFERENCE.