Meet Our Team | Elmwood Church

John came to know Jesus during his junior year of high school. He sensed a call to ministry and was a leader/teacher in the youth group at his home church for the three years leading up to college. He married Dena in the summer of 2013, and they now live in Columbia Heights with their two daughters, Chloe and Makenna.

John received a degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from the University of Northwestern—St. Paul, and then went on to receive his Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is a lifelong learner, and places great value on team-ministry and collaboration. In addition to his ministry passions, John loves coffee, reading books, and hiking mountains.

Dave came to know Jesus as his Savior and his Lord while he was attending the University of Minnesota. It was at the U of M that he met his wife Chelsea, and they were married, after they had both graduated, in the winter of 2007. Before coming to Elmwood Dave graduated from Bethel Seminary with a Master of Arts in Community Ministry Leadership, served as the planting and Lead Pastor of a church plant in Northeast Minneapolis for eight years, walked beside his wife as she became a brain cancer survivor (praise the Lord!), and now has three wonderful kids: Sophie, Selah, and Josiah. They live in New Brighton, and Dave is excited to see the ways that God is moving in the hearts of the Next Generation in the northern suburbs to know and follow Him.

When Dave isn’t at church he loves to hang out with his kids: swimming, coaching soccer, camping, and encouraging them to be better-women and a better-man.

Sage first gave her life to Jesus at a bible camp when she was 13 years old. It wasn’t until the summer before her junior year of High School that she made her Faith her own. She originally came to the Twin Cities area after graduating from High School in 2023, in pursuit of a Kinesiology degree, which she later felt called to switch her degree. She is currently working on getting her Associate’s of Business Management from Rasmussen University. Shortly after getting married to her husband, Jonathan, they began attending Elmwood and instantly felt at home.

In her free time, Sage enjoys many things like coffee, crocheting, water activities and cheering on the Minnesota United Soccer team!

Jessica came to know Jesus at 16 years old. She studied music at Saint Cloud State University, and after a few years felt called to switch majors to the medical field. She received her associate's degree from Rasmussen College and moved to the Minneapolis area where she worked in the medical field for seven years. In 2015 She met her husband Andrew, and they married in 2016.

In 2020, Andrew, Jessica, and their two kids, Jack and Thea, moved to Fridley Minnesota where they currently live. Leaving the professional field, she embraced her calling as a stay-at-home mom. After five years of being home with her children full-time, she felt the Lord was calling her to work and serve. In April of 2024, she accepted a substitute teacher position in a local Christian preschool and joined the staff team at Elmwood as the “Queen of Clean.” In her free time, she enjoys meeting new people, helping others, fellowship with friends, gardening/yard work, long walks, worship music, and traveling with her family.