John Reed | Lead Pastor
john.r@ourterranova.com
With a focus on teaching and leading, John’s hope has always been that we would create the kind of community where people can come as they are -- no matter what they believe or what they have done -- and begin to connect with God. If he’s not spending quality time with his wife Debbie and their 3 kids, John loves running, reading, and having deep conversations with people about God -- especially with people who are wired a little more skeptically, like him. It’s hard not to see the great things that TerraNova does for others and the community, and John loves that making God’s love famous is something that we thrive on.
Lyle Castellaw | Pastor
lyle.c@ourterranova.com
Lyle serves in reaching both local and global communities through projects that seek to make God's love famous, along with giving momentum to both growth and transformation at TerraNova through lifegroups and providing next steps. Getting people out of their comfort zones is one of Lyle’s passions and he makes sure to do the same whether he’s surfing, mountain biking, hiking or just meeting new people. You’re sure to see his wife, Dana and their 3 sons along for the adventure.
Christian Steffen | Celebration Arts
christian.s@ourterranova.com
Christian is passionate about helping people connect to God and his unending grace for them. He and the celebration arts team are always looking for fresh and creative ways to help us see God’s truth more clearly. He and his wife Amy live in Lake Forest and are raising 3 awesome (and sometimes crazy) boys with a love for classic rock and superhero movies. When Christian isn’t on stage at TerraNova, you can usually find him enjoying some espresso, listening to music (vinyl, anyone?) and planning that next guitar purchase. He loves that TerraNova is a place where people feel right at home, even on their first visit.
Scott Simons | Executive Pastor
scott.s@ourterranova.com
Scott provides coaching and support to our staff team and handles a lot of the planning and implementation around TerraNova. He and his wife, Lindsay, have two children. In his free time, Scott loves hanging with his family, watching basketball, and taking walks. He loves that TerraNova is an accessible place for people of different spiritual backgrounds to experience inclusivity, grace, and life-transformation.
Dana Castellaw | Women
dana.c@ourterranova.com
Pastor to women, and mentor to many, Dana engages women to connect with God and one another. She hopes to bring women of all ages closer to God through adventure of body, soul and spirit, and find the freedom that Jesus offers through knowing Him. Hiking, wakeboarding, snowboarding and backpacking with anyone and everyone including her husband Lyle and 3 sons might sound exhausting to most, but Dana finds herself energized by the outdoors, and also by watching a little bit of football here and there with the fam (go Broncos).
TESSA NEASE | CHILDREN
tessa.n@ourterranova.com
Tessa has been a part of the TerraNova family for the past five years, and is excited to lead the SuperNova Kids ministry. She was an elementary school teacher for eight years and prior to that, worked in various ministry positions at her childhood church. Tessa finds so much joy in teaching children' about God’s love. She also has a passion for the arts, and loves to incorporate creativity into learning whenever possible. Tessa and her husband, Brandon, have two young children, Owen and Piper-Rose. In her free time, she loves to be with her family, drink coffee with her sisters, and read, bake, and crochet as much as she can! Tessa strives to provide meaningfully fun experiences for children and their parents that reveal who Jesus is and why we should follow him.
ELLEN DAVIS | ADMINISTRATOR
ellen.d@ourterranova.com
Ellen works behind the scenes taking care of all things administrative and supporting the team with any projects or events that come up. Ellen and her family have been involved at TerraNova for about 15 years and she loves to serve in SuperNova Kids. When she isn’t at TerraNova, Ellen is likely spending time with her husband Scott or running her son, Asher, to one of his many activities. She also loves baking, reading and spending time outside. Ellen hopes to make a difference here at TerraNova and to see the kids of SNK grow in their knowledge of and relationship with Jesus.
Doah Lynd | Junior High
doah.l@ourterranova.com
Doah directs the Junior High ministry and has been pouring into 7th & 8th grade students for 20 years. With several strengths including teaching and mentoring, Doah focuses on instilling healthy identities, specifically in 7th & 8th graders, that are rooted in God, and not cultural perceptions. Weekend gatherings are his favorite and you can usually find him talking movies and music with just about anyone. The Academy Awards are his “superbowl,” and his wife Chrisy and 4 kids will back up his reputation as a movie snob -- in an endearing way of course.
Ashley Neelands | Social media/app
ashley.n@ourterranova.com
Ashley spends most of her time behind the scenes sharing on our social media so that others can feel connected to TerraNova and what God is doing even if they aren’t in the room. She also designs/runs our TerraNova App- be sure to download it if you haven’t already! She’s been in ministry since she was 19 years old, is married to her husband Zack and raising their daughter, Junie. Ashley’s hope is that no matter where you are in your life, that you would feel connected to the church(all of us) and thus the grander story God is telling through it.
Jackie Jordan | One-Step & Single Parents
jackie.j@ourterranova.com
Jackie focuses on single parents’ pathways to living fulfilling lives, and helps to make God’s love famous through incarnation projects in our community. Her hope is to get single parents connected to resources and people, and then encourage them to take a step towards Jesus and the accepting community built around Him. 4 daughters and 3 grandchildren fill Jackie’s heart and time, along with two-step and ball-room dancing -- it’s her sport of choice on top of kayaking and reading on sunny afternoons.
John GARCIA | guest experience
john.g@ourterranova.com
John pours into our Guest Services teams and provides leadership to community creation. He strives to create a space for people to experience Jesus in a new way and be a community where people don’t have to be perfect to be loved and known by Jesus. He was born in Venezuela, but John enjoys hanging with his wife and 3 kids here in Southern California - painting, going to the beach, playing soccer (or any sport) and even has a background in graffiti.