Nate Ferguson
Term Expires N/A (Lead Pastor)
Nate is a country boy from western Illinois. He attended Burnside Christian Church, where his dad was a Pastor. Nate received his graduate degree from Lincoln Christian University, and then worked as Youth Pastor at First Christian Church in Morris, Illinois. First Christian Church challenged Nate to plant a church in Minooka resulting in The Village Christian Church, which opened October 2004.
Nate and his wife, Rachelle, live in Channahon and have 2 adult boys and a daughter-in-law.
Nate provides vision and strategic direction for The Village. His leadership ensures the church stays on mission, to help people experience Life Change, Life Growth, and Life Purpose.
Nate is passionate about teaching the Bible in a way that people can understand and apply to their lives. He speaks from his heart in an honest and transparent way. He communicates in a way that is relevant and you can understand. Nate is passionate about helping people find life in Jesus and he can’t wait to see what God has planned for the future.
Charlie Pierce
Term expires N/A (Executive Pastor)
Charlie was born and raised in Central Florida and attended Drew Park Baptist Temple. Later in his teens he accepted Christ as his Lord & Savior. He is a military veteran of the U.S. Air Force, studied Business Administration at Bellevue College, and has held various senior level positions in logistics for 30+ years in corporate America before being called into ministry.
Charlie and his wife, Bev, live in Joliet with their puppy Gracie. They have 3 daughters, a son-in-law, and 2 granddaughters.
Charlie loves Jesus and has a heart for people. He’s passionate about helping others discover their God-given spiritual gifts and connecting them to their true purpose in Christ. Charlie oversees operations at the Minooka Campus including human resources, finances, security, and more.
Jason Gagliardo
Term expires June 2024
Jason and his wife Devan have been attending The Village Christian Church since 2007. They live in Coal City with their 2 kids. Jason is currently working with Crash Champions and has spent most of his career in the collision repair industry. He and his wife have been Lifegroup leaders and Jason currently serves on the security team. His goal is to help the church continue to grow and meet the needs of others and is excited to see what God will do!
Neil Hall
Term expires June 2024
Neil, and his wife Kelsie, have been attending The Village since 2004. Nate, our Lead Pastor, was Neil’s youth pastor as a kid. He and Kelsie have 4 kids, they live in Seneca and attend the Seneca Campus. Neil is active in Lifegroups, serves on Kid Village Security and Pulse Student Ministries. During his time on the Leadership Team, Neil is looking forward to helping The Village expand into more communities to help more people come to know Jesus.
Sarah White
Term expires June 2024
Sarah has been attending The Village since 2010. She lives in Channahon with her son. Sarah teaches fifth grade in Minooka and has loved having many of our “village kids” in class over the years. Sarah has served in Kid Village, is active in Lifegroups, and organizes The Big Give for Kids annual event. Her goal is to continue to expand our service and the love of Jesus to those in our local and global communities as we grow as a church.
Brian Zabel
Term expires June 2025
Brian and his wife, Tracy, have been attending the Village since 2019. They have three boys and live in Lisbon. Brian has an accounting business in Morris, IL. He has a passion for helping The Village minister and reveal God’s love to people locally, regionally, and globally.
Kelli Diaz
Term expires June 2026
Kelli and her husband, Ramon, have been attending The Village since 2020, and they have loved the community they found at The Village. They have 3 kids, and live on a farm outside of Morris. Kelli is a stay at home mom, and provides childcare for others from her home. She enjoys participating in the monthly worship nights at church, and has served as a facilitator for Rooted as well. Kelli has a heart for discipleship to grow throughout God’s church, and her passion is to see people fall more in love with Jesus, and go deeper and further in their walk with Him.
Derek Manning
Term expires June 2026
Bio coming soon.
Donald rowden
Term expires June 2026
Donald and his wife, Julie started attending the Village in late 2020. They have three children, live in Morris and attend the Coal City campus. Donald currently serves on the Welcome Team and has been active in Lifegroups since joining the church. Donald has a goal of continuing to grow in his relationship with Christ and to help the church reach as many people as possible.
