Our Team
God has blessed us with a gifted team whose aim is to build up the saints and save the lost. Learn more about the pastors, elders, deacons, and staff serving at Indian Hills Community Church.
Pastors ❯
Elders ❯
Deacons ❯
Full-time ❯
Part-time ❯
Pastors
Jesse Randolph
Pastor Teacher
Jesse Randolph has been our Pastor-Teacher at IHCC since June 2022. Jesse is a graduate of the Master’s Seminary, and is committed to seeing followers of Christ built up through the verse-by-verse expositional preaching of God’s Word. Jesse and his wife Jenna are California transplants, and have been blessed with five children, ranging from toddler to the teenage spectrum.
Jeff Horn
Pastor
Jeff is the Executive Pastor at IHCC. After 30 years of secular employment as a technology salesman he joined the staff of IHCC in November of 2016. Jeff and his wife Janice have two children.
Aaron Nicholson
Pastor
Aaron has been a Pastor at IHCC since 2011. With a passion for helping people grow in their walk with Jesus Christ, Aaron oversees the college, online, and connections ministries, and also co-hosts the Sound Words Podcast. He is pursuing his MTS degree at Shepherds Theological Seminary. Aaron is married to his wife Audree, and together they are blessed with four children.
Mike Otazu
Pastor
Pastor Mike serves as an Associate Pastor, overseeing our adult ministries. He’s passionate about preaching the Word of God and seeing the saints equipped for the work of service in the body of Christ. He’s currently studying in the MDiv program at the Master’s Seminary. He’s the husband of Jen and father of three children.
Andrew Thomas
Pastor
Andrew is the Music Pastor at IHCC and oversees all things music including the orchestra, band and choir. He is currently studying at Shepherds Theological Seminary in hopes to be better equipped to keep our songs focused on theologically rich truths while also working towards increasing the musical excellence of our worship through songs. Andrew is married to his wife Vanessa, and they have one son and one daughter.
Curt Kuster
Pastor
Curt serves as a pastor on our Visitation Team. After 40 years as a Pediatric Dentist he now serves by visiting those who are hospitalized, in Care Centers, homebound, etc. He also helps organize the Daily and Weekly Prayer Lists. Curt is married to Peggy and they have two married daughters.
Greg Thomas
Pastor
Greg has been a Visitation Pastor at IHCC since 2019. He previously had served as an elder. He is thankful to be able to teach the Word for an adult Sunday School, and enjoys coming alongside our church members in their times of need and health issues. Greg and his wife Chris have three adult sons who are leading families of their own.
Gil Rugh
Pastor
Gil retired as senior pastor at IHCC in June 2022 after 52+ years of in-depth, faithful, systematic Bible teaching. Gil holds a Ph.D from the California Graduate School of Theology and an M.Div. from Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. Gil is married to his wife Marilyn, and they have two grown children, six grandchildren with children of their own.
Don Goertzen
Pastor
Don was born a plowboy in Hamilton County, NE, in 1937. He graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in Architecture which he practiced in Lincoln until 1973. Don then assumed the executive pastor role for IHCC from 1973 until 2005, then as a part-time staff member. In 2001 he taught the Wednesday night class for 21 years and Sunday School for 55 years. In his retirement Don has focused on harmonizing biblical eschatology. Don and his wife Wanda have 3 daughters, 7 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren.
Elders
Jesse Randolph
Pastor Teacher
Jesse Randolph has been our Pastor-Teacher at IHCC since June 2022. Jesse is a graduate of the Master’s Seminary, and is committed to seeing followers of Christ built up through the verse-by-verse expositional preaching of God’s Word. Jesse and his wife Jenna are California transplants, and have been blessed with five children, ranging from toddler to the teenage spectrum.
Scott Bailey
Elder
Scott has attended IHCC for some 40 years. He serves as an Elder and teacher of God’s Word in adult Sunday School and our college ministry from time to time, and is also involved in the evangelism team outreach. Scott is married to Merrily and they have two daughters and five grandchildren.
Benjamin Buhr
Elder
Benjamin is an Elder and oversees the Ignite High School ministry. Alongside other high school leaders he teaches and encourages students to be strong in their faith, and to be a light to those around them. Benjamin serves with his wife Ashley, and they have a son Hudson, and a daughter Kinley.
Gordie Coffin
Elder
Gordie serves as an Elder at IHCC and oversees the small groups ministry. He also teaches in a home Bible study and is involved in the Nursing Home Ministry. Gordie and his wife Tami have three children.
Rob Jensen
Elder
Rob has been at IHCC since the late 70’s and an Elder since 2005. His focus is to “finish the race well” which is to God’s glory, and for our Church to continue to hold the biblical foundations which began long before him, but are important to maintain for future generations. Rob is married to his wife Lynne, and they have four children with eleven grandchildren.
Duane Leach
Elder
Duane and his wife Cathie moved to Lincoln after his retirement. He serves as Elder and his desire is to spend his retirement years serving here at Indian Hills. Duane enjoys teaching home Bible studies and adult Sunday School.
Steve Snyder
Elder
Indian Hills was the first church Steve, his wife Lois, and family visited after their move from Michigan over 6 years ago. Two of their five children, Charlie and Jack, are married. Their three girls, Leah, Sarah, and Natalie live here in Lincoln. Steve serves as an Elder, leads the VBS curriculum team, and serves as an occasional substitute Sunday School teacher. One of Steve’s desires is to see IHCC members getting involved and plugged into ministry, serving one another.
Deacons
Brad Andreesen
Deacon – Lay Pastor
Brad is a volunteer Lay Pastor serving in the Visitation ministry. Brad is married to Cindy and they have two married children, each having two children of their own.
Jim Aust
Deacon
Jim is a Deacon and oversees Children’s Church, and has been teaching young children for 40+ years. Children’s Church is grade K-5 where we teach children in their individual grade during the main worship service. Jim is married to Penny, and they have three children.
John Carey
Deacon
John is a Deacon and oversees the Evangelism Ministry. He is retired from 40+ years in sales where he was encouraged to share the gospel. John is now focused on equipping our church to share Christ through their day-to-day activities, as well as planned outreach events. John and his wife Marti also keep busy with their children and grandchildren.
Ed Daly
Deacon
Ed is Deacon of the Adult Sunday School program, and also teaches the EDGE Sunday School. Ed and his wife Anne have four adult children. He has a master’s degree in Theology with a concentration in Biblical Languages from Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, PA. Ed works as a professor of Educational Psychology at UNL.
Steve DeRiese
Deacon
Steve is Deacon of the Girls of Grace ministry. Fathering two daughters made Steve, and his wife Gail, have a passion for ministering to our young ladies. His desire for Girls of Grace is to present Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, which is done through weekly Bible study, music instruction, and teaching basic homemaking skills, as well as manners and etiquette. The desire of Steve, and all of the women involved in Girls of Grace, is to ultimately bring glory and honor to our heavenly Father.
Ben Duval
Deacon
Ben is a Deacon and oversees the Nursery/WeeCare ministry at IHCC since 2018. This ministry includes children from birth through kindergarten. The goal is for children to feel safe, secure and loved while planting the early seeds of God’s Word into their lives. Ben and his wife Angie have been married for 15 years, and have two daughters and two sons.
Jonathan Goodding
Deacon
Jonathan grew up at IHCC and serves as deacon of the Boys of Faith ministry. Jonathan also teaches a home Bible study, and serves in the music ministry. Jonathan and his wife Suzanne have seven children whom they are striving to raise in the Lord.
Nicholas Jacobsen
Deacon
Nicholas is Deacon of the Men’s Ministries. He strives to create opportunities for men to gather in fellowship and study, grow in their love for the Word, and encourage each other to be godly men within their homes and workplaces. Nicholas and his wife Sarah, have been blessed with two boys.
Tom Jordison
Deacon
Tom is our Deacon of Communion and organizes and oversees the serving of the Lord’s table. He also teaches at Adventure Club and serves in the Security Ministry. Tom is married to his wife Andrea, and they have three children.
Tom Price
Deacon
Tom is a Deacon and oversees the nursing home/retirement home ministry, which mainly includes providing Sunday church services to these institutions in the Lincoln area. Visiting individuals, giving a short message and providing special music are all geared to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with the elderly. Tom and his wife Nancy have four adult married children, and four wonderful grandsons.
Todd Smith
Deacon
Todd is a Deacon overseeing the first hour elementary Sunday School classes. He has been employed full time as a CRNA since 1986. He also serves in other ministries including directing the medical response team, member of orchestra and mixed ensemble, and teaches 2nd grade Sunday School children. Todd is married to his wife Carrie, and they have three grown and married children.
Brian Willet
Deacon
Brian is Deacon of Hospitality and leads a team of volunteers who focus on welcoming each visitor and member during worship services, as well as providing resources to get more involved in our church and build deeper relationships. Brian is married to his wife Michelle, and they have two children.
Full-time Support Staff
Twila Beck
Sound Words Manager
Twila manages the day-to-day operations of the Sound Words Bookstore and the distribution of printed resources published by Sound Words Publishing. She also prepares and archives audio content from the sermons and classes taught at IHCC.
Diana Krieger
Administrative Assistant
Diana is our Administrative Assistant and has attended IHCC since the late 80’s. She assists with accounting, proofreading, and provides clerical support for our many ministries. Diana has three grown and married sons, and loves spending time with her grandchildren.
Ethan Parks
Director of Digital Media
Ethan is the Director of Digital Media at IHCC and is the music leader for the Alpha Omega College Ministry. He produces video content that both encourages and educates believers at Indian Hills and creates online content as a resource for other believers to further spread the gospel. Ethan is married to his wife Kelsey, and they have two daughters and one son.
John Scholle
Media/Publications Director
John has worked full-time at IHCC since 1999. His responsibilities include graphic design for both our printed and digital media ministries, producing all printed materials, as well as overseeing the live video production of our weekly services and assisting with other video projects. John and his wife, Denelle, oversee our junior high ministry (JHAM), where they have been serving for 27+ years. They have two grown children.
Kevin Wheat
Maintenance Director
Kevin is our Maintenance Director for the last 25+ years. He maintains and oversees our church buildings including the Alpha Omega House on the UNL campus, as well as maintains and repairs church vehicles and equipment. Kevin and his team of skilled volunteers provide lawn care, snow removal, carpentry and remodel project assistance. Kevin is married to his wife Tammy, and they have five adult children.
Part-time Support Staff
Doug Andrews
Security
Doug has served in Security for many years at IHCC, ensuring the building is open for events, answers phone calls, and makes sure the building is secure in the evening and weekend. Doug is married to Joanna and they have one son, Eric.
Stephen Bede
Audio/Visual Specialist
Stephen serves in our Audio/Visual department since 2010. He strives to provide a seamless worship service for both the musicians and congregation to glorify God in song and music. Stephen is married to his wife Emily since 2011, and they have been blessed with four children.
Joel Buettner
Security
Joel is a civil engineering major at UNL. He became a believer in eighth grade and serves part-time in Security in the evening and rotating weekends. Joel has attended IHCC his entire life.
Jared Ganshorn
Security
Jared is a sophomore at UNL with a dual major in electrical engineering and English. He also is a member of the Alpha Omega Campus Ministry and lives at the Alpha Omega house on campus. Jared has attended IHCC all of his life and has been working Security in the evening and occasional weekends for four years now.
Jake Krieger
Sound Engineer
Jake is our part-time Sound Engineer. He configures and maintains sound equipment throughout the building and operates equipment for our worship services. He also enjoys filling in as needed in our music ministry as a drummer. Jake is married to his wife Kathleen, and they have two young sons.
Carroll Lavalleur
Assistant Treasurer
Carroll serves as the Assistant Treasurer at IHCC. As a CPA he provides support for the church’s financial reporting needs and assists church members with their giving goals. He and his wife, Sharon, first met while in IHCC’s college ministry and have been married for over 40 years with four children.
Gerry Pool
Security
Gerry serves part-time in Security in the evening and rotating weekends. He makes sure the building is open for events and secure at closing, as well as assists with questions and phone calls that come up. Gerry can be heard singing from a joyful heart wherever he serves singing with our Four By Grace quartet. Gerry is married to his wife Joyce and has attended IHCC for a number of years.
James Seuferer
Security
James serves in our evening and weekend security team, opening the building for events, assisting visitors, and ensuring the building is secure at closing. He is taking classes through the Shepherds Theological Seminary Cluster Program here at IHCC. James recently joined our choir and also serves as an usher.
Kat Waters
Receptionist
Kat is a part-time Receptionist who enjoys greeting and assisting visitors at our Information Desk, as well as editing sermon transcripts. Kat is a part-time Southern Californian and lives with her son, his wife and two grandsons in Lincoln, along with 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 birds, and a rogue hamster. Kat loves to galavant the world and volunteers in various community organizations with her favorite being a train engineer at the local zoo.
Dakota Wheat
Receptionist
Dakota is a part-time Receptionist at IHCC. She is an active member of Alpha Omega College Ministry and serves in children’s ministries, music ministries, and more. Dakota enjoys connecting with the church body and serving at the Information Desk.
Drew Vandergriend
Media Specialist
Drew Vandergriend is an SCC graduate with a degree in graphic design & media arts. He began attending Indian Hills shortly after coming to know Christ in 2021, and has had a passion for serving in church ministries ever since. He is currently living at the Alpha Omega college house. Some of the primary roles for Drew as media specialist include assisting in SoundWords Podcast filming/ editing, social media content creation, and the Bott Radio sermon series.