Administrative board
Debbie Sherard, Moderator
Carol Pittman, Vice Moderator
Janet Pullen, Treasurer
Ron Johnson, Secretary
Erin York, At-Large Member
Brian Kirk
Lead Pastor
Pastor Brian Kirk (he/him/his) is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
A native of Jefferson City, Missouri, Brian has a master of divinity degree, as well as degrees in psychology and education.
He has served as pastor at churches in Missouri and Illinois and taught as adjunct faculty at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis.
Brian is a published curriculum writer and co-author of Missional Youth Ministry (2011, Harper Collins).
He currently serves on the local boards of the St. Joseph Public Library and Faith in Action. He is president of Community Missions and is secretary of the board of the local PFLAG chapter.
Brian’s husband, Johnathan, is an arts educator and co-caretaker of their dog companions, Charlie and Tiki.
Kenny Crawford
Church and Office Administrator
When you call the church office, you will probably hear the friendly voice of Kenny Crawford.
Kenny keeps our church office organized and running smoothly. When not at church, Kenny serves as the director of the Grand River Harmony Acapella Chorus and is active with the planning team for our local Pride festival.
Kenny and husband, Miles, and their family are also active members of First Christian.
You can find Kenny in the church office from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Jason Jasper
Online Ministry Coordinator
Jason Jasper (he/him/his), a native of Omaha, Nebraska, is thrilled at the opportunity to serve First Christian with his social media skills and technological knowledge. He and his husband, Michael, value the affirmation of diversity and social justice work of the church.
Starting at First Presbyterian Church as their music intern six years ago, Jason has served for the last five years in the staff position of Assistant to the Music Ministry and in many other capacities including marketing and technology. He works full time as a pharmacy technician for the Defense Health Agency, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense, at Fort Leavenworth’s Munson Army Health Center.
Jason has been a pianist and worship leader for several churches including the Church of the Resurrection West, Olathe, Kansas. He studied music therapy at the University of Kansas and possesses extensive experience in choral ensembles, playing trumpet and piano in an orchestra and symphonic, marching and jazz bands as well as studying classical guitar, ukulele and djembe.
In his spare time, Jason records as a solo pianist and vocalist with music released on Apple Music and Spotify. He and his husband are the devoted parents of four cats.
As our new online ministry coordinator, Jason will work closely with Pastor Brian to produce our online weekly worship experiences.
Ann Zárate
Minister of Innovation and the Arts
Ann Zárate (s/h) relocated to St. Joseph with husband, Manuel, and toddler, Shaffer.
Ann has ministered in Texas, Missouri, Colorado, Guatemala and Chile. Her specialities include faith and the arts, the Torah, and women.
As a theatre artist, Ann has acted across the country. As Artistic Director of HBMG Foundation, she ran Colorado’s National Winter Playwrights Retreat and oversaw the podcast “The American Playbook.”
She is Founder and Artistic Director of Trinity Street Players, an outreach ministry to Austin Arts by First Baptist Church of Austin.
Ann’s parents, Mike and Carol Pittman, attend FCC. Ann serves part-time as Minister of Innovation and the Arts.