Lifespring Community Christian Church

Sat: 5PM   Sun: 9:30AM & 11:15AM

9850 CAROLINA TRACE RD

LIFESPRING STAFF

Andy Dalton

Church Planting Resident

Anna Ellison

Connections Pastor

Beka Jackson

Family Pastor

Caleb Herrick

Worship Pastor

Jeff Duerler

Senior Pastor

John Calabrese

Associate Pastor

John Taylor

Facilities Director

Josh Bennett

Elementary Director

Kelly Smith

Digital Media Manager

Kristy Kathman

Office Administrator

Robert Reese

Associate Pastor

Seth Phelps

Student Pastor

Scott Janszen

Facilities Director

LifeSpring is led by a group of elders to lead the congregation to accomplish its mission. LifeSpring elders are first proven as ministry leaders and then assume the additional responsibility of overseeing and shepherding the congregation. The elders are nominated on the basis of biblical qualifications including spiritual maturity, character, and leadership, and they are affirmed by the church annually to serve one-year terms. 


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LEADERSHIP COMMUNITY

More than 100 leaders devote countless hours with hundreds of volunteers in more than a dozen ministries, all with one heartbeat and for one driving reason - His name is Jesus, and He is the spark and prize of every sacrificial servant at LifeSpring.

Andy Dalton

Church Planting Resident

Andy is new on staff as he just accepted the Church Planter Residency position in June of 2023! Andy is married to his wife Katherine and they have 3 fun and loving children (Oaklie, KJ, and Millie). In his free time, Andy loves to run, workout, play pickle ball, and of course hang out with his family. You also might have seen him around as he is a Middle School P.E. teacher at Harrison Junior School and coaches High School football for Harrison as well. Andy is passionate about serving the Lord and seeing people come to know the saving grace only Jesus can provide. If you see Andy around, make sure to say hi as he loves meeting new people!


Contact Andy: adalton@lscommunity.org

Anna Ellison

CONNECTIONS PASTOR

Anna has been on staff at LifeSpring since July 2022. She has been married to her husband Richard since 2014 and she loves having fun all around Cincinnati with her kids! 


Anna loves building stronger connections between her two favorite things—Jesus and people. She is passionate about making disciples and helping others do the same. Anna also enjoys art, beaches, and iced coffee!


Contact Anna: aellison@lscommunity.org

Beka Jackson

FAMILY PASTOR

Beka grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and came to Cincinnati for college. After traveling around the midwest for several years, they moved back to the area for round 2. She’s crazy about her husband of 25 years, Bobby. They’ve had so much fun raising 5 (bio) kids and currently one foster daughter. Family time is super precious to her.


Beka gets excited when she can encourage those around her through God’s Word, His character, and His love. She especially loves to help kids and families connect with Jesus and His plans for them. 


A perfect day off for Beka would include exploring in the woods, getting lost in a good book, creating something new, and spending time with her people.


Contact Beka: bjackson@lscommunity.org

Caleb Herrick

WORSHIP PASTOR

Caleb has been with LifeSpring leading worship since 2015. He has been happily married to his wife Kelsey since 2017. Together they are foster parents and also have biological twins.


Caleb is a self-identified Bible nerd with a desire for seeing people come to a deeper understanding of the richness of God's Word, and He has a deep passion for helping our community engage in life-altering worship of King Jesus. He also loves spending a quiet morning working or reading at a local coffee shop and sipping on a nice cappuccino.


Contact Caleb: cherrick@lscommunity.org

Jeff Duerler

SENIOR PASTOR

Jeff loves to get off the beaten path to explore something new. When he was in high school, he thought Christianity was just for kids and elderly women, but when he encountered the real Jesus, everything changed. His calling is to help others trust and follow the real King Jesus who calls us to brave, adventurous, abundant living. He is passionate about mobilizing others to join God in restoring a broken world. 


Jeff grew up in the Dayton area but was born in Indonesia (his parents were medical missionaries). He and Julie, his wife, came to Cincinnati for Jeff's Ph.D. studies. Jeff and Julie are blessed to have two precious daughters, Kayla and Rachel. In 2018, at the age of 16, Kayla was in a fatal automobile accident. This created a Jesus earthquake that is bringing countless people to Christ. You can read about Kayla's legacy in She Had No Regrets: the Life of a Girl Who Knew Who She Was.


Contact Jeff: jduerler@lscommunity.org

John Calabrese

ASSOCIATE PASTOR

John grew up in Cleveland, but don't hold that against him, he is now firmly planted in Harrison and calls this home. Since moving to Harrison in 2009, John has served all over at LifeSpring and became Associate Pastor in April of 2015. He is a coach to his very core. When he is not in the schools, he is out in our community fostering relationships with business leaders, other churches and families. John's favorite moment in ministry is when someone "gets it" and understands that they own their faith and their relationship with Jesus Christ is to be shared with others.


John likes to get out and play anything with a ball or stick. He is adventurous fun and loves to spend time with his family. He and his wife Angela have two children together, Cara and Ben. He also has a daughter Alicia and a grandson that live in the Cleveland area.


Contact John: jcalabrese@lscommunity.org

John Taylor

FACILITIES DIRECTOR

John and his wife Mary Kay have been members of LifeSpring (from its pre-multi site days) for over 40 years. They have three children: Kathryn, Joshua, Jacob, and multiple grandchildren. John is the Facilities Director of the Community Commons and Broadway Commons buildings and serves in other areas as well. He retired from the Hamilton County Sheriffs' Office as a captain after 30 years of service and was also the Athletic Director and men's baseball coach at Cincinnati Christian University.


Contact John: facilities@lscommunity.org

Josh Bennett

ELEMENTARY DIRECTOR

Josh has been a part of LifeSpring leadership since 2011 in a volunteer role. He joined the team as a staff member in 2022. He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Jamie, since 2000 and they have five children. 


Josh is a big kid at heart, which is why serving in Kid’s Ministry comes so naturally to him. He loves to creatively share Jesus with kids and equip them to become disciples that make disciples, even at a young age. In his free time, Josh enjoys art, music, sports of all sorts and spending quality time with his family and friends. 


Contact Josh: jbennett@lscommunity.org

Kelly Smith

DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER

Kelly is a soft-spoken extrovert who loves using her creative gifts and passions to further the Kingdom. She has a background in photography, and after serving as a volunteer graphic designer for many years, she came on staff in October 2022.


Kelly and her husband, Donny, have four kids and are very involved in the Harrison community. She loves camping, working out, iced coffee, and new adventures.


Contact Kelly: ksmith@lscommunity.org

Kristy Kathman

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR | COMMUNICATIONS LEADER

Kristy, or "Office Chick" (as she likes to refer to herself), has been the Office Administrator, Communications Leader, and Culture Queen since 2018.  She is energetic, inquisitive, and loyal (kinda like her mutt, Cooper), and values clear communication. Kristy has a beautiful blend of administrative aptitude and passion for people!


When she's not improving processes or finding new ways to inspire her fellow co-workers, Kristy is spending her vacation days visiting national parks around the country with her husband and three kids. You can usually find her front and center during worship services, soaking in the teaching and taking lots of notes. 


Contact Kristy: kkathman@lscommunity.org

Robert Reese

ASSOCIATE PASTOR

Bob, or Robert for long, is a lover of all things Jesus. He has been married to his wife, Lauren, since 2013 and has an ever-increasing number of children. He loves to read, be outside, and listen to God, nature, music, and people. Robert is also a licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice. He has been an associate pastor at LifeSpring since 2018.


Contact Robert: rreese@lscommunity.org

Seth Phelps

STUDENT PASTOR

Seth, known for his friendly smile and love for people and Jesus, is the student pastor at LifeSpring. Seth was born and raised in the Harrison area, was homeschooled, and went on to Miami University. When Seth is not connecting with students, you can find Seth playing pickleball, meeting friends at Raising Canes or Crumbl Cookie, enjoying a new game, or making someone laugh. He loves cheesecake, celebrating his birthday on June 1st, and baking. Seth is a great addition to LifeSpring and if you haven’t met him yet, go say “hi”. You won’t regret it.


Contact Seth: sphelps@lscommunity.org

Scott Janszen

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Scott grew up in the Cincinnati area and is a graduate of Georgetown College. Shortly after graduation, he started working for The Kroger Co. and spent 38 years in various leadership positions. Scott has a  passion for people and loves building successful teams. He has been the Operations Director at LifeSpring since 2020. Scott and his wife Amy have two daughters, Hannah and Emily. They have been attending Lifespring for years and became members in 2017.


Contact Scott: operations@lscommunity.org

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