Meet the team

Pastors | Staff | Elders | Deacons

Senior Pastor

Steve DeWitt

It has been Pastor Steve’s joy to serve as Bethel Church’s senior pastor since 1997. His primary responsibilities are teaching at our weekend services, shepherding the people, leading the staff, serving as an elder, and providing overall vision for the church.

Steve’s passions include expository preaching, the doctrines of grace, helping the church engage its culture, and the beauty of God. He often speaks in contexts outside of Bethel, is a council member of The Gospel Coalition, and enjoys traveling as a part of Bethel’s global mission efforts. He also serves on the board of Global Action, an international missions organization providing theological training for church leaders across the world.

In addition to weekends at Bethel, Steve’s teaching ministry can be heard through Bethel’s media ministry, The Journey. This teaching ministry airs weekdays and weekends on stations across the country including Moody Radio. Steve is the author of Eyes Wide Open (2012) and Enjoying God in Everything (2022) and coming in 2024, Loneliness: Don’t Hate it or Waste it. Redeem it.

A graduate of Cornerstone University and Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, Steve’s interests include reading, travel, sports of all kinds, and rooting for University of Iowa teams. You are likely to run into him at a golf course near you.

After serving as a single pastor for many years, Steve was married to Jennifer in August of 2012. You can read their story in this article featured by The Gospel Coalition. They rejoiced at the birth of their daughters Kiralee in 2013 and Madeline in 2015. The DeWitts live in Crown Point.

PASTORS & MINISTRY DIRECTORS

Jared Bryant

Cedar Lake Campus Pastor

Tim Chen

Pastor of Chinese Congregation

Ben Hixson

Hobart/Portage Campus Pastor

PASTORS & MINISTRY DIRECTORS

Dr. Stephen Ganschow

Pastor of Counseling Ministries

Chris Whetstone

Pastor of Small Groups

Dustin Rouse

Pastor of Creative Arts

PASTORS & MINISTRY DIRECTORS

Kim McCool

Director of Women's
Ministry & Connections

Melissa Anderson

Director of Kids Ministry

Daniel Asher

Director of Worship Arts

PASTORS & MINISTRY DIRECTORS

Scott Erwin

Assistant Pastor of Students & Campus Life

Bill Hillegonds

Assistant Pastor of Students & Outreach

Foster Toft

Assistant Pastor of Students

PASTORS & MINISTRY DIRECTORS

Steve DeWitt

Senior Pastor

Brad Lagos

Executive Pastor of Ministries

Dave Harvey

Executive Director of Operations

CROWN POINT STAFF

Brianne Boggs

Small Groups & Connections Assistant

Liz Cuozzo

Kids Ministry Administrative Assistant

Brittany Hnida

Missions Coordinator

CROWN POINT STAFF

Joy Kats

Counseling and Care Ministries Assistant

Payton Wiersema

Associate Director of Worship

Iris Perez

Women's Ministry & Connections Assistant

CROWN POINT STAFF

Mitch Pynnaker

Worship Ministry Resident & Facilities Assistant

Lindsay Rouse

Worship Ministries Assistant

Laura Sauerman

Assistant to the Senior Pastor

CROWN POINT STAFF

Samantha Stooksbury

Student Ministries Coordinator

Jenn Uren

Kids Ministry Coordinator

Robin Von Thaden

Assistant to the Executive Pastor

CEDAR LAKE STAFF

Jared Bryant

Cedar Lake Campus Pastor

Tracy Beck

Cedar Lake Administrative Assistant for Kids & Students Ministries

Anne DeYoung

Cedar Lake Campus Administrative Assistant

CEDAR LAKE STAFF

Bill Hillegonds

Cedar Lake Assistant Pastor of Student Ministries

Ellyn Krusza

Cedar Lake Kids Ministry Coordinator

Amanda Vanderzee

Cedar Lake Women's Ministry Coordinator

HOBART/PORTAGE STAFF

Ben Hixson

Hobart/Portage Campus Pastor

Kari Corbin

Hobart/Portage Kids Ministry Coordinator

Rebekah Douglas

Hobart/Portage Women's Ministry Coordinator

HOBART/PORTAGE STAFF

Scott Erwin

Hobart/Portage Assistant Pastor of Student Ministries

Laurie Rodriguez

Hobart/Portage Kids & Students Ministries Assistant

Denise Stewart

Hobart/Portage Campus Administrative Assistant

OPERATIONS STAFF

Ellen Anderson

Database Administrator

Dana Behler

Director of Finance

Phoenix Bergner

Technical Production Assistant

OPERATIONS STAFF

Richard Bodden

Technical Production Assistant

Judy Huff

Accounting Clerk & Receptionist

Jon Heiniger

Communications Manager

OPERATIONS STAFF

Jason Peak

IT Director

Josh Spinks

Director of Facilities

Rick Thompson

Security Coordinator

OPERATIONS STAFF

Chuck Vandever

Technical Director of Systems Integration

Pam Vroman

Director of Housekeeping

OPERATIONS STAFF

Sandy Wood

Finance Assistant

Gina Wolst

Accounting Coordinator

ELDERS & DEACONS

Elders
Bethel is an elder-led congregation. This means that our Elder Team is ultimately responsible for the ministries and shepherding of the church.

Deacons
Bethel’s deacon team provides leadership and coordination to many practical expressions of church ministry.
These include benevolence ministries, facilities management, communion, baptism, and finance.

Lead Elders

Ben Boggs
Chad Clark
Tyler Carter
Steve DeWitt

Dan Douglas
Raj Selladurai
Kurt Hand
John Von Thaden

Crown Point Campus Elders

Tom Hill
John Mirabella
Nate Napier
Craig Pratt
Josh Taber

Cedar Lake Campus Elders

Harry Beamer
Jeremy Pena

Hobart/Portage Campus Elders

Tim Krug
Dave Lucas

Crown Point Deacons

Dan Craig
Jon Dykstra
Jim Escott
Brian Jonkman
Mike Lenting
Fred Mooney
Mark Smith
Joe Suppes
John Terpstra

Cedar Lake Deacons

Tom Keithley
Brent Mollema
Branden Ruiz

Hobart/Portage Deacons

Dave Carmein
Josh Dubach
Ben Fraley
Ray Ostrander
Rob Rodruigez
Dave Waechter
Charlie Ward
Bruce Wasko