General Board

The central role of the General Board is to function as the Fellowship’s administrative overseers.  This includes employment, finances, properties, and organizational purpose, policies, and practices.

Marc Buwalda, Lead Pastor, Fairview Fellowship, Kendalville, IN
Jonathan Farrell, Lead Pastor, Grace Church, Morton, IL
Marc Friesen, Grace Community Church, Newton, KS
Greg Grimwood, Lead Pastor, Southside Community Church, Wooster, OH
Kip Kratche, Leader Pastor, Pathway Church, Strongsville, OH
Monica Matheny, Connections Directors, Life Community Church, Hilliard, OH
Heidi Olszewski, Westwood Fellowship, Woodburn, IN
Rocky Rocholl, FEC President, Fort Wayne, IN
Levi Stuckey, Lead Pastor, Crossroads Church, Napoleon, OH
Dave Walters, PastorServe & Kingdom Collective, Fort Wayne, IN

Elder Board

The central role of the Elder Board is to function as the Fellowship’s spiritual overseers.  This includes interpretation and application of bylaws & Article of Faith, credentialing, and counsel, correction, and care to credentialed personnel.

Matt Boyers, Lead Pastor, Crossroads Community Church, Wauseon, OH
Mark Biehl, Lead Pastor, Upland Community Church, Upland, IN
Mark Causing, Pastor, Hayat Jadida/New Life, Toledo, OH
Jonathan Farrell, Lead Pastor, Grace Church, Morton, IL
Neal Hauser, Lead Pastor, Dewey Church, Dewey, IL
Dave Reimer, Grace Community Church, Newton, KS
Rocky Rocholl, FEC President, Fort Wayne, IN
Nate Schumacher, Lead Pastor, Highland Gospel Church, Fort Wayne, IN

Our Staff

Rocky Rocholl - FEC Office

Rocky Rocholl

FEC President
R.Rocholl@fecministries.org
Growing up in a pastor’s home may have set the stage for Rocky to eventually become president of the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches. This foundation has helped develop a passion in Rocky to see FEC churches live out the Great Commandment by fulfilling the Great Commission. With experience in the for-profit sector as an Operations Manager as well as a long history of pastoral ministry, Rocky has been uniquely prepared to provide leadership, vision, and guidance to FEC. Rocky graduated from Bethel University where he played football, baseball and basketball. After some graduate work in business and economics, Rocky began work as Operations Manager for Specialty Feeds in Omaha, Nebraska. It was during this time that he distinctly heard the call to full-time ministry. This call eventually led to Rocky serving at Brookside Church in Fort Wayne, IN as Executive Pastor for over twelve years. Rocky, then, became the president of FEC in 2010. When asked, what, as a child, he wanted to be when he grew up, Rocky answers, without hesitation, a football player. While there’s not a lot of passing and blocking at the office, his vision and leadership are helping to move the ball for something that matters a whole lot more than any game.

Tom Bennardo - Executive Director of Church Multiplication & Leadership

Tom Bennardo

Executive Director of Church Multiplication & Leadership
T.Bennardo@fecministries.org
Tom Bennardo is a native of Brooklyn, New York who has lived on both coasts and various places in-between. In 35 years of ministry he has served as a staff pastor, youth pastor, church planter, and senior pastor. Tom holds a B.A. and M.Div. from Grace College & Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana, and a doctorate from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. After more than 21 years as founder and lead pastor of Life Community Church, an FEC church in Hilliard, Ohio, Tom joined the staff of FEC in 2017. Now residing on the west coast, Tom’s role is multi-faceted: serving as Executive Director of Church Multiplication & Leadership. Tom and his wife Marcia have two daughters.

Tom Bennardo - Executive Director of Church Multiplication & Leadership

Linda Burton

Accountant 
l.burton@fecministries.org
Linda Burton, a Fort Wayne native, considers herself to be both privileged and blessed to be a part of the FEC team. After many years at Raytheon followed by a short season at a local bank, Linda was extremely thankful to join the FEC. “I feel that I am able to use my analytical nature in this position, and it fits me well,” Linda shares. When Linda needed to move into full-time work, FEC had an opening, and Linda was able to fill in the gap, working part-time for CSF and part-time for FEC. “God orchestrated the perfect scenario at just the right time. In a season when I needed “family” and an encouraging atmosphere, God provided abundantly through an organization I already loved.” Linda lends accounting assistance to Nate Zimmerman, the Administrative Director, in a variety of accounting responsibilities and some special projects.  “I love that my position with FEC provides a variety of tasks and also has given me the opportunity to serve God alongside people that I consider to be like family.”

Beth Clouser - FEC Office

Beth Clouser

Office Administrator
b.clouser@fecministries.org
Have you ever seen the world’s largest ball of paint? Most of us would say nope and never. But not Beth. Beth says it’s on her bucket list. She says – “I like quirky things like that.” When Beth and her husband Mike go on road trips, this must make for some interesting stops.  Beth serves FEC as the Office Administrator. This means she gets to do a little bit of everything from answering the phone to helping to coordinate and plan events. One of her pet peeves is a cluttered kitchen counter. When her counters are clear, “all is well.” We’re not sure how she feels about the counters here at FEC, but we’re happy that she on point to keep them organized.

Chris Eder - FEC Office

Chris Eder

Development Director
c.eder@fecministries.org
An astronaut – that’s what Chris wanted to be as a child. While his career in wildlife biology and conservation fundraising took him to almost every state and province in North America, he never had the chance to travel to outer space – yet! Chris serves FEC as the Development Director. In this role he has the opportunity to put his relational skills and network to use for the Kingdom – helping other see how they can be a part of what God is doing around the world through FEC. With 4 grandchildren from his 2 grown kids, he has plenty of time to be an astronaut with the grandkids!

Eric Hall - FEC Office

Eric Hall

Director of Church Relations & Communications
E.Hall@fecministries.org
Having spent 15 years in the non-profit world as a pastor and then 15 years in for-profit world in digital marketing, Eric is a unique mix. And, that’s what makes him such a good fit to be the Director of Church Relations and Communication. In this role, Eric helps tell stories for FEC while also building relationships with FEC churches and leaders. Eric and his wife Becky have been married over 30 years and have three grown children and two grandchildren. If you ask him to describe himself, he may look at you somewhat confused and say “It depends.”

Nate Hamblin - FEC Office

Nate Hamblin

Executive Director of Ministry Resourcing
N.Hamblin@fecministries.org
Nate grew up loving movies like Lean on Me (the story of Joe Clark who turned around a school), Braveheart (the tale of the rag tag leader William Wallace) and Remember the Titans (Coach Boone leading an integrated high school football team in segregated VA). It’s no wonder Nate is drawn to leaders who pull together unexpected teammates to accomplish great change, like Jesus. We think Nate is also one of those leaders who can pull together a diverse group of teammates to accomplish great change. That’s why he’s the ideal fit as Executive Director of Ministry Resourcing. It’s in this role that Nate has the opportunity to help FEC function as a team and be sure we are serving and supporting our churches as faithfully and effectively as possible. It’s in this role that Nate has the opportunity to help FEC function as a team and be sure we are serving and supporting our churches as faithfully and effectively as possible. Nate lives in Fort Wayne with his wife Amanda and his two sons – Eli and Oliver. When asked what a typical day looks like for him, his response is that he prefers non-typical days. This fact alone makes Nate the perfect fit at FEC.

Abby Hyde - FEC Offices

Abby Hyde

Executive Assistant
A.Hyde@fecministries.org
Abby and her mom were first invited to an FEC church when they visited the lead pastor’s garage sale. Her family started attending and it was the church where Abby met her husband, the youth pastor! She’s been a part of FEC ever since. That “random” encounter might be the best thing event found at a garage sale. And, it’s proving to be quite a benefit to the FEC office as well. Abby works to help manage all things office at FEC. Abby is a regular attender at Pine Hills Church in Fort Wayne where she is regularly involved with the worship team. When asked about her special skills and abilities, Abby said that she can make three loops in her tongue. We’re not really sure what that means, but we think it makes her a perfect fit for the FEC team.

Hal Lehman - FEC Offices

Hal Lehman

Cross-Cultural Church Multiplication Coordinator
H.Lehman@fecministries.org
He’s been in 29 countries and six of the seven continents.  He speaks three languages.  He’s flown a plane in remote jungles, rugged mountains, and isolated rain forests. And he’s served on staff as a pastor.  So, we think Hal is uniquely qualified to serve FEC as International Church Multiplication Director. After graduating from Fort Wayne Bible College, Hal spent several years at Crossview Church in Grabill, IN, followed by serving in both the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.  After completing his degree in mission aviation technology from Moody, Hal served in Indonesia for four years before joining the FEC team in 2002.  He consistently seeks new cross-cultural opportunities that God may open for FEC, and desires to resource local churches seeking international involvement.  When asked what one thing he would like to do before he dies, Hal answers that he would love to climb the pyramids in Egypt. That sounds like the answer we’d expect from someone passionate about planting churches around the world.  Plus, it would increase his number of countries visited to 30.

Ashley Nighswander - FEC Office

Ashley Nighswander

Receptionist
A.Nighswander@fecministries.org
She married her high school sweetheart, is raising three children, fostered 5, adopted one, and helped launch an FEC church plant.  All this makes her a perfect fit for her current role here at FEC – Office Administrator.  We might call her the glue that helps to hold FEC together.  Whether it’s answering the phone, dealing with mail, or helping set up for FEC events, Ashley helps keep it all together.  She’s part of the glue that holds it all together.  Just don’t call her the sticky gum that keeps things together.  Her pet peeve is chewed gum.  She admits that she just can’t stand chewed gum – especially when people leave it on their plates.

Nate Zimmerman - FEC Office

Nate Zimmerman

Director of Finance & Benefits
N.Zimmerman@fecministries.org
Nate is FEC’s glue. It’s as simple as that. He gets things done, holds everything together, and fills in the gaps wherever needed. Nate’s also a lifelong member of FEC. His grandmother was from Sterling Church and his grandfather from Salem Church. Nate grew up attending Brookside Church in Fort Wayne where he is still heavily involved – more evidence of his glue-like character. Nate graduated early from Taylor University with a degree in business management. After graduation he began working in his family’s financial business until joining FEC team in 2015. Nate handles all the financials for FEC and provides back office support to missionaries, planters, and pastors literally around the world. When asked to describe himself in three words, Nate responds with “loyal, willing, and fun-loving.” We agree and would add sticky, like glue.

Rocky Rocholl - President FEC

Steve Adriansen

Pastoral Care Coordinator
S.Adriansen@fecministries.org
A born & bred Buckeye, Steve has served through a wide variety of pastoral positions since placing his personal trust in Christ as a high school student in the 1970’s. While serving on 4 different church pastoral staffs in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana between 1984 and 2010, Steve experienced a growing burden to personally encourage pastors, missionaries, and Christian leaders. In 2010 Steve launched Behind the Scenes, a ministry to “serve those who serve our Savior” in various leadership capacities. His work most often finds Steve in the Midwest, while 1/3 of his ministry is currently devoted to those serving on foreign soil. Steve joined the FEC team in 2021 as a part-time staff member to focus on encouraging pastors & leaders in FEC churches. Steve is a graduate of Grace College & Grace Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana and lives with his wife Kathy near Detroit, Michigan, where he has developed a cadre of fellow Buckeye fans.

Rick Lessing - FEC Office

Rick Lessing

Education Coordinator
R.Lessing@fecministries.org
When describing Saul of Tarsus from the Bible, Rick says that Saul was “forever a misunderstood genius. Even after his miraculous transformation, he seemed to always be a lightning rod of controversy. Yet, because of him, the course of Christianity, and even history, was significantly altered.” Rick’s focus on education at FEC allows him to alter the course of pastors who need to continue their own training. As a graduate of Fort Wayne Bible College with a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies as well as Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with an M.Div. & Th.M. in Systematic Theology, Rick is clearly in his sweet spot of ministry. Rick lives in Fort Wayne with his wife Darlene. He has two grown sons (both married) and six grandchildren. When asked to describe himself in three words, Rick says he is loyal, encouraging, and shepherding. And, if that isn’t enough, he was also trained with the FBI and is a member of their “Citizen’s Academy.”

Bruce Rocke - FEC Office - Quizzing

Bruce Rocke

Quizzing Coordinator
brucerocke@gmail.com

When asked to list his top pet peeves, Bruce Rocke responds that nothing comes to mind! That’s probably a good character trait for someone who is the Quizzing Coordinator for FEC. Bruce has been married for over 43 years and has 5 grown children and several grandchildren. He’s served in five different FEC churches and is currently the Lead Pastor for Berne Evangelical Church. As FEC’s Quizzing Coordinator, Bruce has the privilege of helping students in grades 6-12 memorize Scripture while also having fun at area quizzing competitions. To learn more about FEC’s quizzing program, click here.