New to Central

Meet the Staff

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Rob has been the lead pastor at Central Church since May of 2005. Prior to coming to Kansas, Rob was at Nazarene churches in these Michigan towns:

Bad Axe (yes, there is a town named “Bad Axe”),

Roseville (possibly named for roses that adorn the streets), and

Otisville (definitely not named for the town drunk in the old Andy Griffith Show)

He and Karla were married in 1988 (when he was 4 and she was 2 okay maybe they were a tad older than that when they exchanged vows). They have two fine sons, Alex and Ben, and a beagle named Maggy. Alex is a student at MidAmerica Nazarene University and Ben is in high School.

Rob is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University and Nazarene Theological Seminary.

Rob likes sports (all Detroit teams), travelling (preferably a place with a sandy beach) and finding a new restaurant to share a nice meal with Karla. And Karla tolerates sports, likes yard work, and works part time for a small insurance agency in Prairie Village.

Rob’s passion is Jesus. Sharing the Great News that God loves everyone and really does offer the world a tremendous hope in His Son is the best part of his job!

You can connect with Rob via e-mail at rprince@kccentral.org; or twitter or facebook.

Though I grew up in Michigan, the great people of Central Church have helped Kansas become home (however I will forever root for my beloved Michigan State Spartans). My wife Sarah and our two boys, Nathan and Tyler, have had the privilege of serving at Central since 2009.

While my current role at Central is the Executive Pastor of Ministries I have had the privilege of serving in many different roles at several different churches including Worship Pastor, Children’s Pastor and Compassionate Ministries Director. I am a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University (Social Work) and Indiana Wesleyan University (Master’s in Ministerial Leadership).

I love serving at Central and enjoy helping us share God's love in our community and around the world.

Contact me at afoster@kccentral.org

I have been serving as the Worship and Arts Pastor at Central Church since December of 1998, and I am a proud Mid America Nazarene University

graduate, where I met my wife, Julie, while she was studying to be an RN.

In addition to music and worship, my passions include following my favorite sports teams. I love rooting for my KC Royals, Pittsburgh Steelers and the 2008 National Champion, Kansas Jayhawks.

I also enjoy riding motorcycles and hanging out with my beautiful wife and two daughters, Faith and Lauren. I love watching my daughters' soccer games, attending their recitals, and seeing them grow in their faith. God has given me the best family in the world!

If you have questions regarding Worship and Arts, please contact me.

Tabita (08/10) and David (07/21) joined the Central team in January 2012, serving as co-pastors for the Cross-Cultural Ministry. They got married in 2007 and came to the United States after their wedding in Brazil. David was born and raised in Mexico and he is the middle child of a pastoral family. He served as a missionary for the Church of the Nazarene in the former Mexico and Central America Region, living in Guatemala for six years. David graduated with a major in Business Arts and minor in Music through the University of Veracruz in Mexico, he also has a Master degree in Religion Sciences through the Seminario Nazareno de las Américas in Costa Rica. Tabita is also the middle child and was born and raised in Brazil. Despite growing up in a Christian home, she made a personal decision for Christ by the age of 11 and was baptized by the age of 16 at her birthday and father’s day celebration! She has a major in Sociology and a minor in Education through the University of Campinas in Brazil. She also graduated from the Brazilian Nazarene Theological Seminary for the Basic Ministry Course for Licensure and has a master in Pastoral Counseling through the MidAmerica Nazarene University. Both have a heart for the Lord and for the cross-cultural community. They claim not having any problems when Brazil is playing against Mexico in a soccer competition, at least this is what they say…

Tabita (08/10) y David (07/21) se unieron al equipo pastoral de la Iglesia Central en enero del 2012, sirviendo como pastores del ministerio transcultural. Se casaron en el año 2007 y después de su boda, en Brazil, vinieron a los Estados Unidos. David nació y creció en Mexico y es el segundo hijo de una familia pastoral. David sirvió como misionero de la Iglesia del Nazareno en la región antes conocida como México y Centro América, viviendo en Guatemala por seis años. David graduó de la Universidad Veracruzana con una licenciatura en Administración de Empresas y un bachillerato en Música, también obtuvo su maestría en Ciencias de la Religión en el Seminario Nazareno de las Américas en Costa Rica. Tabita es también la segunda hija y nació y creció en Brasil. A pesar de crecer en un hogar cristiano, ella hizo su decisión personal por Cristo a la edad 11 y fue bautizada cuando tenía 16, en su cumpleaños y celebración del día del padre. Ella tiene una licenciatura en Sociología y un bachillerato en Educación a través de la Universidad de Campinas en Brasil. Ella es graduada del Seminario Nazareno de Brasil donde completo el curso modular y además tiene una maestría en Consejería Pastoral obtenida en la Universidad Nazarena MidAmerica. Ambos tienen un corazón para el Señor y la comunidad transcultural. Ellos aseguran que no tienen problemas cuando Brasil juega fútbol contra México, al menos eso es lo que dicen ellos...

I was raised in a Christian home in Indiana. My parents taught me early what it meant to love God. I was very active in children and youth activities, but never would I have imagined that years later God would call me into ministry.

I graduated from Olivet Nazarene University with plans to teach French and Spanish. While I loved teaching, God had other plans for me. He gathered up my passion for teaching and redirected me toward teaching spiritual truths rather than academic ones. I moved to Kansas City in 2000 to begin studies at Nazarene Theological Seminary, graduating with an MDiv in 2006.

In that time God has taught me through incredible mentors, teachers, and friends. I have developed such a deep gratitude for God’s grace and have dedicated my life to sharing that gift with others. My passion is teaching through mentoring, Bible studies, Sunday School, and any other venue God brings my way.

In addition to my Central responsibilities, I am blessed to have another opportunity to serve. I am an administrative assistant in the office of Clergy Development at the Global Ministry Center for the Church of the Nazarene. What a privilege to serve the Church in both areas of ministry!

When I’m not working (which is pretty much all the time!), I enjoy watching sports, reading, and spending time with friends. I am a Tour de France aficionado and was even in Paris for the end of the 1996 race.

Pastor Trey joined the Central family in December 2012. Prior to this, he served at Children’s Pastor at Grace Point Church of the Nazarene in Fort Wayne, IN. He loves ministering to children and families and growing closer to Christ together. He is a native of Arkansas and holds a B.A. in Theology and Ministry from Southern Nazarene University, a Master of Divinity from Nazarene Theological Seminary and is an Ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene. He is blessed with a beautiful wife and partner in ministry, Candice, and two wonderful children, Sophia and Levi.

My husband Ray and I both arrived at Central our freshman year at MNU in 2007 (though we weren't married then), and interned under Pastor Cory with the youth group. Though we were deeply involved, I never dreamed I would get the privilege of being a part of Central's staff. We were married January 2, 2009, and continued on at MidAmerica. My husband and I both graduated in May 2011, I with a major in Youth and Family ministry and a minor in Graphic Design while Ray has a major in Ministry with a concentration in Music.

I have felt a calling to work with junior high students since high school when I began tutoring 4 junior high girls from my home youth group. Being a part of their lives, was a critical piece in shaping my call to ministry.

I was hired on officially in July 2010 as the junior high pastor to work alongside Cory in ministering to our youth. I am passionate about these sometimes-dramatic, sometimes-crazy adolescents-in-transition. I don't feel that they are the Church of tomorrow, but the Church of today. I hope and pray that your student finds a place here with us, but more importantly finds their place in the Kingdom of God.

I have made a few good decisions in my life. One of those was to marry my beautiful wife, Jenni, and another was to follow a slew of amazing youth pastors to minister to students at KC Central. I was born and raised in Indiana and overtime fell in love with a few things: God, Jenni, baseball, basketball, and ministry. These loves have led me to some pretty amazing journeys in life. Mainly, to my wedding day on 6.26.2010, my ordination as an ordained elder in the spring of 2012, graduate of ONU (B.A., 2005) and NTS (M.Div., 2010), minister to youth at Pekin, IL and Port Orange, FL, a passionate IU Hoosiers fan, and a loyal long suffering Cubs fan.

I am excited to continue this journey as a pastor to Sr. High students and families at KC Central. I believe that students have the right balance between vision and naiveté to make a major impact in the world. When you combine these elements with the gospel it will change the world. This is what excites me about youth and why I am so excited to be here at Central.

You can connect with me here:

E-mail: jedwards@kccentral.org

Twitter: @jacobdetroy

Facebook: Jacob Edwards

I am married to my lovely wife, Monica, and we have one daughter, Addison, and one son, Jonathan. I serve as the Pastor of Visitation and teach the Adult Bible Study on Wednesday nights. In addition to my work at Central, I am the Marketing Manager for BSN, a sporting goods company out of Dallas, Texas.

I was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, where I became a loyal fan of the Michigan State Spartans. After graduating from college and completing an M.A. in Religion at Olivet Nazarene University, my family moved to Kansas City so I could complete a Master of Divinity degree at Nazarene Theological Seminary—a degree finally completed in the spring of 2010! Currently my wife, Monica, a proud K-State alum, is a stay-at-home Mom, Addie is a talkative kindergartner, and Jonathan eats and sleeps!

I believe God has called us, the church, to care for and love one another. As the Pastor of Visitation my goal is to help our folks live that out in concrete acts of service to one another. The ministry of visitation is not for “religious professionals” only; rather, as the Body of Christ we are to look after the other parts of our Body. Locally, this takes place as we visit one another before and after surgery, providing follow-up after medical procedures, and as we visit those folks whose situation prevents them from attending church on a regular basis. If you believe God has given you the gifts for this ministry we’d love to have you get involved!

I've been going to central since 2006 when I moved to Kansas City to start seminary education at Nazarene Theological Seminary. I went to Northwest Nazarene University prior to that where I met Amanda, my wife, when I was a senior and she was a freshman (Yup. Robbing the cradle). Her family lives in Alaska, and my family lives in Oregon where I was raised most of my life. Amanda's not from Alaska, though. Her family moved around a lot because her dad was in the military when she was younger and then he became a pastor when she was in high school. Amanda's dad, Bob Sugden, pastors "the farthest North Church of the Nazarene" in Two Rivers, Alaska.

I really like photography and I'm getting much better at videography too. I'd someday like to merge my gifts of videography to "make more and better disciples" in a way that our generation resonates with. That's what I think about on my free time. In the mean time, though, I have been preparing for a call into missions.

I felt a calling to missions when I was in high school, and have been preparing ever since. First college with a undergraduate degree in "Missions," and then a more general "Master of Divinity degree" (90 hours) in seminary. Now I'm pursuing ordination and waiting for God to more specifically direct His call on my life into missions.