Staff & Elders
Our Staff
Dedicated to Loving God & Loving People
Pastoral Staff
Barry Lind
Lead Pastor
Pastor Barry has been the Senior Pastor at Northwood for 30 years. He is an alumnus of Northwest Christian College (now Bushnell University). Pastor Barry has lead Northwood through many changes, including the latest construction of a new facility, large enough to house Northwood’s growing congregation. Pastor Barry is married to Michelle, and they had 5 grown children and 6 grandchildren. Pastor Barry is an avid Washington Husky fan and you will often see him walking his dog, Pepper.
Aaron Dilla
Associate Pastor
Pastor Aaron joined Northwood after several years as a Lead Pastor at a church in Eugene. He brings experience and wisdom to the Northwood family. Aaron is the head of the Connections Team and works hard to make sure everyone at Northwood feels seen, loved, and connected. Aaron is married to Bethany, and they have a young son and daughter. Aaron loves camping with family and friends, reading a good book, connecting with people on a deep level, and eating pizza from track town.
Worship Ministry and Media Staff
Adam Rasmussen
Worship Pastor
Adam is a graduate of music ministry at Northwest Christian College (now Bushnell University). He designs our worship services and leads us each week in music. Adam manages a large team of volunteer musicians and leads our choir. Adam’s ministry is more than music; he is a dedicated leader and passionate about connecting with people. Adam is married to Jessie, and they have 2 teenage sons.
Joel Brock
MEDIA supervisor
Hired in 2022, Joel oversees all our technology and media for the church. He manages video and audio for sermons, podcasts, and creative projects.
Connections Staff
Emmy Rider
Connections Ministry Lead
Emmy just recently joined the team in February 2025 and is excited to lead our church in creating connections and small groups.
Marcia Doughan
Volunteer Coordinator
Hired in 2016, Marcia is capable of fixing any case of boredom by setting folks up with several volunteer and service opportunities. She also is one who loves to go camping and geocaching.
Young Adult & Youth Ministry Staff
John Bowling
Young Adult Pastor
Hired in 2011, John has been serving in the local church for over 20 years. John is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (2009) and was ordained at Northwood in 2020. In 2024 John completed his training as a Spiritual Director and began his spiritual direction practice. John’s favorite part about ministry is creating space for people to experience God in a meaningful way. John is married to Val, and they have 3 school age kids. John loves the Dodgers and is an excellent cook.
Brian Erdmann
Youth Ministry Leader
Recently hired in 2024, Brian is excited to lead the charge integrating youth into the life of the church.
Ryan Fike
middle school ministry Leader
Hired in 2024, Ryan loves youth group so much he decided to never leave. He is eager to serve and connect with the youth and parents, and excited about what God will do with Northwood Youth. He enjoys playing guitar and rock climbing and is a student at Bushnell University, majoring in youth ministry.
Children's Ministry Staff
Rachel Wininger
Dir. children's ministry & Dir. of Preschool
Rachel began at Northwood as a preschool teacher, then became the Preschool Director in 2021. Rachel now is both the Preschool Director and the Director of Children’s Ministry and is excited to lead our Kids Team!
Jessie Duncan
Children's Ministry Assistant
Jessie is a long-time servant of the Children’s Ministry.
Deliene Miller
Children's Ministry Assistant
Deliene officially joined the Northwood team in 2022 and assists with our Kids church, but she has been teaching Sunday school for years!
Administrative and Support Staff
Barbara Utt
Administrator
Hired in 2012, Barb oversees day-to-day business and facility operations. She is well-traveled, having gone to South Africa for her honeymoon and also lived in New Jersey for three years!
Emily Peterson
Administrative Assistant
Emily joined the staff in July 2024 and is the first face you’ll see in the front office during the week. Emily handles administrative support for our whole staff.
Wendy Raz
Finance & HR Manager
Hired in 2020, Wendy has been a long-time servant and leader in the Northwood community.
Katie Lind
Web Content Specialist
Katie was hired in 2022 to maintain Northwood’s website and online presence and assist in church communications.
Paul Bastinelli
Custodian
Hired in 2019, Paul helps keep the Northwood campus looking great so everyone feels welcome and a place that they could call home. Paul found himself trying to retire but got bored, so here he is!
John Carlile
Custodian
Hired in 2019, John helps keep the Northwood campus looking great so everyone feels welcome and a place that they could call home. John is the resident jokester, always looking to inspire joy in those he is around.
Our Elders
Spiritual leaders of our community
Bruce Cummings
Elder Chair
Bruce and his wife Pat and I have been married 49 yrs and have been attending Northwood Christian since roughly 2015. He enjoys volunteering for and with the church in a variety of different ways and is excited to join the elders.
Grace Bergen
Elder
Grace began her time as an elder in July 2024.
Shane Boothe
Elder
Shane retired from the Air Force after 20 years in November 1993. He started his walk with Christ in 2001 at Thurston Christian Church where he learned how to pray, tithe, and served as a Deacon. While driving by Northwood in January in 2011, Shane felt a voice telling him to make a left. He joined the church in May 2011 and got involved in the Alpha program. Shane’s first time serving as an elder was 2014-2020. He is glad to be back as an elder since July 2024.
Ron Davis
Elder
Ron has been at Northwood since roughly 2015 and is an active weekly volunteer at the Eugene Mission. He finds relaxation in his shop building, sharing the journey of the build, and during the summer months, gardening and tending the harvest.
Karen LaFluer
Elder
Karen has been married to her husband, Dave, for 49 years. Mother to two grown daughters: Nicole, married with a son, Gavin; and Megan, married with a daughter, Kendall. Retirement finds Karen happily spending time enjoying growing/working with flowers and starting mornings early, drinking coffee while watching the sunrise during her quiet time. Karen also enjoys volunteering at church, delivering food for “Meals on Wheels” weekly, and especially spending time being Grandma to her two grandchildren.
Chip Lindsey
Elder
Chip and his wife, Heidi, joined Northwood in 2018 after moving to the Cedar Flat area. After beginning his walk with Christ at age 17, he soon discovered his favorite Bible verse to be Matthew 28:18-20. Chip enjoys building engines, water/snow skiing, hunting/fishing, camping, and spending time with family!
John Matthews
Elder
John was born and raised in Springfield. He has two grown children from a previous marriage. John met his wife Vicki at church in 2000, got married in 2007, and legally adopted Kassidy as their daughter in 2013. John has believed in God his whole life, but never thought God believed in him until he experienced God’s full power, love, and care when John began his recovery from drug and alcohol abuse 25 years ago. John believes his experiences (both good and bad) have afforded him a practical perspective about Christianity: he wants to follow Jesus’s example each day.
Mike Mercer
Elder
Elder since 2020, Mike has spent 35 years in the financial industry and has led Financial Peace University classes for 20 years. He enjoys helping people overcome financial challenges, loves to use his gift of hospitality, and travels with his two daughters.
John Sargeant
Elder
John began regularly attending Northwood in 1988. He met his wife Stephanie at Northwood and they raised their four children here. John has served as an Elder at Northwood for 15 years. John and Stephanie are big Oregon Duck fans and love going to Duck games together.
Richard Smith
Elder
Richard began serving as an Elder in July 2022. Richard and his wife of 37 years, Wanda, have been a member of the Northwood family since 1997. Richard began service at Northwood by running the PowerPoint for services many years ago. Previously, Richard has been Stewardship Chair and Vice Chair of our Board. He introduced Financial Peace University to Northwood in 2009. Richard’s interests include walking every day, doing Duolingo Spanish and traveling with Wanda as much as they can!
Charlene Snow
Elder
Charlene has been attending Northwood since 2017. Charlene and Ed have been married 54 years and are blessed with two daughters, a son and 7 grandchildren. They moved to Springfield from Issaquah, Washington after retiring. They love living near their youngest grandchildren and closer to their oldest in Albany. Charlene and Ed visited Northwood many times before moving, and each time felt so welcomed, knowing it would someday be their new church home! Charlene loves to volunteer and looks forward to serving this amazing church family!
Deena Swartout
Elder
Deena has been a member of Northwood since 2006. Deena has spent nearly 40 years enjoying working in Children, Youth, Young Adult, and Small Group Ministries. Deena has a passion for loving God’s people and encouraging them in their daily walk with Jesus.
Nancy Wolgamott
Elder
Nancy was born and raised in Eugene. After graduation from the University of Oregon, she moved to the North Bend/Coos Bay area where she taught school for 34 years. Nancy is married to Gary, who is a retired pastor. Gary and Nancy moved back to Springfield early in 2022 to help care for Nancy’s late father, Mel Mead. Nancy loves to spoil her grandchildren, work in her yard, and take long walks while listening to audio books. Nancy and Gary host a small group.