Leadership

Travis grew up in the mountains of Montana. He has been serving in ministry since his youth, and spent most of the first decade of his marriage with his wife Jennica helping church plants. It was through helping other pastors with church planting that they discerned their calling to plant a church in Goshen Indiana, in 2014. Travis enjoys life with his wife and three children: Ezekiel, Elliet and Judah. Travis is a natural-born entrepreneur and often dreams up business ideas he’ll never use, just for the fun of it. In his free time, he prefers any activity that gets him outside and into the woods. He is passionate about helping people connect to God and each other through intentional relationships.

Jennica, alongside her husband, Lead Pastor Travis Conklin, have three children, including two teenagers and a toddler, which keeps their lives full of bad smells, and lots of joy. Passionate about discipleship, Jennica loves helping others to know, love and follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Fun and joy for her come through things like jumping and screaming at concerts, dominating at game nights, playing in the waves of Lake Michigan, worship nights, or time with family. She loves a good pun, sunshine, thrift stores, and drinking chai by the upper window with the comfy chairs at Mainstreet Coffee.

Jordan grew up here in the Elkhart area. He has been serving full time in ministry for the last 12 years. He loves serving through leading worship and developing leaders. Jordan and Cheyenne moved into the area two years ago from California. They have two children, Elliot and Birdy. They are passionate about serving Jesus alongside others. As a family they love going for walks and discovering new places to eat and drink coffee.

Jenna is a Purdue University alumni and a current student of Northern Seminary with a passion for preaching God's word. Born and raised in the Michiana area, Jenna met and married her husband Jared. Jenna serves on the teaching team and will happily nerd out about the Bible over coffee. Jenna and Jared are both avid gamers, who can often be found gaming together on date nights. 

Michele was born and raised in the Michiana area. She is married to Dow. Mom to 3 adult children: Mabel, Isaac, and John and to Lola who is entering teen years. She is Nana to Remington who is four. She was sent to a Christian school in her early years by her grandparents. In those years she learned how to study and love God’s word. Her heart's desire is to be actively seeking the hurting and lost; introducing them to Jesus. As the Next Gen Ministries Director, she is excited to see what God has in store for our kids and youth.

Bill was born and raised in Elkhart where he met his lovely wife Valerie in 1994. Married in 1996 they have 4 grown children, Sean, Katie, Megan and Nathan and 10 grandchildren that keep them busy. Bill loves running, hiking, camping and anything that keeps him in the woods. One of Bills favorite places is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where many hiking and camping vacations have taken place. Bill has been in the RV Industry for 25 years in various service and warranty positions and has been employed with Lippert Components in Goshen for the last 8 years. When not doing one of these things Bill also enjoys reading and traveling. Bill has a heart for helping and guiding people and feels that this is why God has called him to pursue ministry.

Lisa Welling grew up in Warsaw, IN and moved to Goshen after she graduated from college. She met and married Tim Welling a little over a year and a half later. They have 4 grown boys, Joshua, Nathan, Jeremy, and Daniel. They also have a daughter, Renee, and daughter-in laws, Mariah, Lindsey and Bethany. They also will be welcoming a granddaughter, Clementine, in May of 2024. Lisa spent over 13 years homeschooling her children, leading co-ops and serving in various ministries in the church. She has a passion to help people connect to Jesus and help them take the next steps to understand the life changing love of God. Lisa loves reading and starts her mornings talking to God with a mug full of good coffee. She especially likes to spend time in nature intentionally seeking to hear from God through his creation.

Meet our Newcomer Coordinator, Desarae Cripe, a passionate individual dedicated to creating connections and fostering relationships within our church community. A West Virginia native, she brings a warm and welcoming spirit. Married to David Cripe, she finds joy in raising her four energetic sons. Her commitment to building a close-knit church family makes her a valuable asset in helping newcomers feel at home. Beyond her role at the church, she enjoys the thrill of weightlifting or engaging in spirited game nights. A true epicurean at heart, she savors the art of food and delights in sharing flavorful meals with friends, turning every gathering into a feast of fellowship.

Preston Baker grew up in Warsaw, Indiana and moved to Goshen as a young adult. He met his wife, Karin while attending a church in Elkhart where they both served for a number of years. Preston and Karin live in South Bend with Mom and their chug (chihuahua pug) Zoe. He has a huge heart for serving and sees church members as family. Preston enjoys doing many things and has had a wide variety of jobs over the years: cake decorating, concrete foundations, computers, production scheduling, and church staff. His pastime is mostly movies, video games, and watching YouTube videos to fix stuff around his mother-in-law’s house.

Melody has a passion for Jesus and serving others. She is also the owner of a thriving professional photography business that contributes to her heart for community and a love for capturing precious moments through her lens. She has been happily married to her husband, Trey, for 11 years. Together, they are blessed with a son named Kason. Melody enjoys activities such as building things, bible studies, and she never turns down a Lord of the Rings marathon! 

Joe grew up in Hawaii and Southern California and has resided in Indiana since 2017. He has helped hundreds of brands, small businesses, nonprofits and churches establish their online presence which gave him the experience to help manage and grow the online presence for The Vine. He is passionate about telling the story of Jesus through artistic expressions whether it is through music or through social media and digital art. Joe also serves on the worship team and leads the audio and video production team. He also loves animals, kids and dad jokes.