Wim C. - Executive Director - Wim Codington is passionate about serving those in Christian ministry by doing everything possible to help them be glad in God. Wim is also eager to promote helpful administrative practices for Christian organizations and churches. In his shepherding role, Wim (together with his wife Libby) seeks to pinpoint and eliminate areas in the lives of CCN staff that threaten to steal away the fullness of their joy through effective use of the Bible, prayer, and counseling. In his administrative role, Wim desires to create and sustain the financial, legal, website, and communication tools of CCN for the purpose of maximizing clarity, transparency, stewardship, and unity in the body of Christ.
In both of these areas, Wim aims to assist the body of Christ to be effectively mobilized and strengthened for the supremely valuable work of proclaiming the good news of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ to those people who have not yet heard.
Kenneth D. - Director of Administration - Kenneth and his wife Emily are in Franklin, TN where they home school their two daughters Claire and Katherine. The met In college in Chicago and were married in 2004. They moved to Nashville in 2010 to continue his career at the CPA firm of EY where he first encountered Wim Codington (he is a tough interviewer). Just like the 100 year flood in 2010 brought about a transformation to the city of Nashville, their move to Nashville has been transformative in their own lives. While his career has led to new roles in different companies at the foundation of it all is a heart for the community in which they reside and being faithful to God’s calling to serve those around them.
Serving for them has taken on various formats including fostering young children, being a refuge for single mom’s and helping provide living quarters for those in life transitions. Kenneth grew up in Qatar and observed the need and significant impact having a stable home base can provide for those in transition. They are active at Christ Community Church, their local Church in Franklin, through serving in the kids ministry and hospitality and safety group.
Kenneth and Emily have a passion to use our various gifts in music, teaching, finance and organization to mentor the younger families and be a resource to those with limited means. Kenneth also loves the Indian and Arabic tradition of building deep relationships around delicious meals and is continuously learning new recipes.
David and Rebekah K. - Founder - He is married to Rebekah, his high-school sweetheart, and has 4 amazing and wonderful children (William, Gracie, Belle, and Noah). His heart for church planting comes from over 10 years of prayer, experience, and study in the ministry. He first began as youth pastor in Huntsville, AL and then moved on to e3 Partners to become the International Director for Students. After traveling to 15 different countries spanning four years and training international leaders, David received a call to serve as a pastor with Lighthouse Christian Fellowship in Antioch, TN.
City Church of Woodbine began in 2011 with a vision to birth a church planting movement in Nashville, TN that would successfully spread the gospel among all refugee and immigrant communities in the city. David’s hope is that someday Nashville will be known as a light unto the nations (Isaiah 49:6).
Todd G. - Mobilization Director Todd & his wife, Angie love it here in Nashville. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Berean Fellowship as well as the CFO for New Hope International Ministries that has a church, orphanage, school and over 120 church plants in India and South Africa. Additionally, Todd has a vision for launching a ministry to International college students to train them using T4T and Four Fields to equip them while they are in the states, so that when they return to their home countries they can be missionaries to their people: Friends of the Nations. Angie is gifted in working with women through Bible studies, prayer and love. Todd and Angie have 2 children they are raising. They are excited to see how God can use them further in their journey.
Kevin B. - Disciple-Maker - Our Best Story is a disciple-making network in Middle Tennessee led by Kevin and Julie. Our vision is to catalyze a disciple-making movement in the places where we live, work and play in Central Tennessee and beyond. The backbone of the movement is small-group discipleship (3-5 people) growing together in faith, relationship with one-another, and shared mission.
Those groups gather together in micro-church environments and less regular network-wide gatherings. We see a future with dozens of micro-churches making a Kingdom impact in their cities and joining together with the broader network to accomplish God's mission in the lives of the people around us.
We partner with the Missionary Church, USA, the Ignite Discipleship Network, and City Church Network of Nashville for support, accountability and missional camaraderie.
Caleb P. - Pastor - Caleb grew up in south central Kentucky. From a young age, he was interested in spiritual things. He moved to Nashville in 1999 to attend college. Around that time, he began attending Green Street Church in Nashville. He was impressed by the holistic, need-based ministry of Green Street that was modeled after the ministry of Jesus - a ministry of word and deed. He became the pastor of Green Street in 2017. With support from the Nashville government, several other local churches, and several other non-profits and ministries, Green Street has developed and maintained one of the most prominent church ministries to homeless residents in the city of Nashville. Caleb and Stacy have been married for 18 years and have two children, Megan and Luke.
Chris and Heather G. - Church Planter - My name is Chris Gaskin. My wife Heather and I were married in 2001 and have two beautiful daughters, Hannah Grace and Sarah Catherine. In 2003 God moved in our hearts to help plant a church in Mississippi. Since then we have planted churches in New Orleans, Orlando and Nashville. We moved to Pensacola, FL, in December 2021 where we are currently making disciples among a largely active and retired military population.
Since 2013 we have served in a volunteer role with Apartment Life, an organization that exists to radically transform lives in apartment communities by making Christ known. This ministry has given us access to a demographic that is largely unchurched. 95% of all apartment residents are not connected to a church in any meaningful and tangible way. Our role with Apartment Life affords us the opportunity to build community and share the Gospel in an industry that is increasingly cautious of any kind of soliciting or influence from churches and religious organizations.
We have a passion for discipling as many people in as many different ways to further the Kingdom of God. We will also continue to receive training from and experience life together with our own sending church family.
Trey and Bree R. - Missionaries - Trey, Bree, and their son, Winston, are missionaries in Riga, Latvia. They have always had one primary ministry objective – Connecting people's hearts to the extravagant love of the Father through missions and power. Be it across the street or around the world; they desire to cultivate powerful encounters with the Holy Spirit, which give access to the Father-heart of God through the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
Trey has been in missions for almost two decades, spanning over a dozen countries on five continents. He has worked with several missions-focused, non-profit organizations over the years, helping to lead Pastor conferences, crusades, street evangelism, leadership development seminars, prison ministry, as well as prophetic, deliverance, and healing meetings. Trey's heart and calling have taken him across the globe, ministering to everyone from the Atheist to the Pagan to the Christian. He brings the hope and power of Christ to the broken and seeking. Bree's heart is in the relational one-to-one conversations and connections. They are a unified, synergistic team.
Trey and Bree have been married for over 20 years and also have two grown children back in the States: Trinity, who is a freelance children's book illustrator, brown belt Krav Maga instructor, and volunteers with the youth at her church, and Zion, who is a musician, worship leader, all-around good human, and will be married to the love of his life in October 2023. Trinity and Zion have worked alongside their dad multiple times worldwide. They live in Lebanon, TN, USA, with their cat and dog, respectively.
Kiran B. - Church Planting Trainer - Kiran, an Indian who was born and raised a Christian, dedicated his life to God’s ministry in his early 20s. Kiran graduated with a Master of Arts in Christian Leadership from Birmingham Theological Seminary and will complete his Master of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary once he finishes Hebrew coursework.
Before Kiran went to seminary, he was instrumental in planting churches and equipping and training church planters to plant additional churches in unreached areas of South India. After he moved to the United States, he helped start Bible study groups among Indians in Jackson, Mississippi, and Nashville, Tennessee.
Kiran’s desire is to see Indian people coming to know Christ and growing in their faith. He is skilled in networking, gathering, and assembling people for Bible studies, church planting, and theological education. Kiran is also gifted in counseling and encouraging believers and seekers.
After his education in the U.S., he now feels called to go back to his home country, India, with a vision of offering New Life in Jesus Christ to unreached peoples of India. As the church is the God-ordained means of proclaiming the good news, Kiran is partnering with different churches in India to train and equip pastors and leaders for evangelism and church planting.
Cheryl T. - Berenice International - Cheryl is passionate about seeing justice and human dignity restored to all, and she believes true Justice is only possible in Jesus Christ. After completing her law and business degrees, Cheryl moved to Nashville and has called Middle Tennessee home for more than 20 years. Having pursued careers in government, media, law, human resources, and general management, in 2010 she responded to Jesus’ call to leave her job to pursue global missions full-time at home and abroad.
Cheryl has traveled to almost 30 countries and slept on every continent (except Antactica), and has given the last ten years to cross-cultural service, with particular focus on Israel and the Middle East, East Africa, and other regions across Asia. She served with International Justice Mission in East Africa and has a certification in Sphere standards for global disaster response. As a global missions pastor, Cheryl was honored to teach, preach and mobilize believers in Nashville and around the world.
Today Cheryl is building a new ministry, Berenice International, with a focus on cross-cultural ministry, seeking justice, and serving to see the fullness of Jesus Messiah’s life realized in every person and nation. Cheryl also has a unique burden to help the church embrace the Lord Jesus’ command to prove His Good News across racial wounds at home.
A musician, worship leader, songwriter, Cheryl recently released her first album, “Face to Face.” When she is not with her extended family, she is probably cooking and looking for someone to feed.
Phil C. - Founder of Reality Co. Nashville - Phil has a passion for those on the fringes of faith to experience the life transforming power of the real Jesus. In late 2021, after 20 years in pastoral ministry, Phil felt God moving him to leave “the 99” and start a new ministry geared toward making safe spaces for the “ones” to find their way back to God and themselves. The “ones” are those who are disenfranchised by the church, questioning their faith, struggling with their identity or emotional health, or so heavily involved in the music industry that attending a typical church is very hard. Phil does this by coming alongside groups or individuals to help them start worshipping communities, spiritual & emotional health cohorts, or individual coaching/counseling. Phil is a part of City Church Network of Nashville and the Onward Church planting Network.
Phil has been married to Sarah for 20 years and along with their 4 boys have called Nashville home for over 6 years and are excited about embarking on this new journey.
Amy A. - Justice Ministry - Amy is a native Nashvillian whose husband is a homeschooling dad for their twin daughters and a chef for whomever walks into their home. She was an officer, instructor, and sergeant with the Metro Nashville Police Department for 13 years. She loves working in law enforcement as she feels it is the best way to use the natural talents and abilities God has given her.
In 2017, she felt God was moving in her life as she began to learn more about the incredible injustice that is Human Trafficking. In 2018 she moved to Southern Africa after she learned her skills and experience can help fight human trafficking. In most developing countries the judicial system lacks resources or is too corrupt to handle these types of cases. For the past three years she has worked with several different non-profit organizations in the area to rescue trafficking victims and prosecute the traffickers.
Jim B. - Church Planter for the Scattered Church - Jim was born and raised in Chattanooga, TN before moving to Texas where he spent most of his career in business. His life was radically impacted by Jesus in 2011. In 2014, he left the corporate world and the spent 5 years focused on disciple making in South Asia focused on the unreached. With the heart to mobilize the church outside the walls to impact brokenness, the past 5 years have been spent as such after moving back to Chattanooga. God has given him a heart to share the gospel while uniting people in Christ to be God’s ambassadors to the lost that surround us. His wife Cindy is a first grade teacher at a Chattanooga school and they have two children, Branson and Grayson, who are in their mid-20’s and love Jesus and are starting families of their own. Jim is employed by Wayforward, a non-profit agency, as their southeast supervisor. jim@wayforwardcommunity.org Cell: 325-721-1921
Jake W. - Training and Equipping for Ministry - In 2017, Jake heard from the Lord, “I’ve called you to be a messenger of Love and to carry the message that John understood.” This would profoundly impact him and his wife Rachael. They later came to understand that the “message John understood” was that of the Kingdom to come! Simultaneously in this season, Jake and Rachael were being stirred to begin international missionary work. As time progressed, the Lord began to organically open doors for His dreams over their lives to be fulfilled. They now serve faithfully with Kingdom Life University as assistants to current KLU President, Jerry Brandt. Here at KLU they serve the school’s vision to equip the global Body of Christ to rule and reign with Jesus, not only in this life but also in the age to come (Revelation 3:21). They are dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom to all nations (Matt. 24:14) as the Holy Spirit leads them. Their passion is to fall more in love with Jesus each day and to lead others to do the same.
Ariel H. - Counselor - Ariel has a desire to see every person find the healing and wholeness that Jesus offers. Ariel is a counselor who believes that understanding the Heart of God and our identity in Christ is vital to true healing. She is also trained treating trauma from a brain-science perspective. She believes that science belongs to The Creator and works hand-in-hand with a faith perspective in effective counseling.
Ariel also sees healing as part of the big picture of revival. A healed, healthy church reflects God's heart to the world, and mirrors part of the answer to our prayers for Jesus' "Kingdom to come and God's will to be done here in earth as it is in heaven."
On a more personal note, Ariel is a midwestern girl living an east coast adventure while attempting a PhD in Counseling Supervision and Education (prayers are appreciated : ).
Susan C. - Disciple of Jesus - As a recovering and overcommitted achiever, Susan has found that her greatest calling in life is to abide in Christ and to know the riches and rest of His love more and more. She grew up in Oregon and later Tennessee, where she also returned after graduating from Harding University. She worked as a psychiatric nurse for 6 years and through this time, grew a love for participating in holistic healing of the whole person, especially in the areas of mental health and addiction and learning to participate in the redemption of our bodies and the earth. She also was given the opportunity of getting to live with and learn from people from all over the world and developed a burden to share the gospel with those who have not yet heard Jesus’ name. In Honduras, she joins the 600 ministry in a small village outside of La Ceiba as together, they seek to practice the way of Jesus in a Christ centered, worshiping, equipping, sending community.
Adam and Lori P. - Disciple-Makers and Justice Seekers - Adam and Lori Parker both chose their Stateside professions with the idea of domestic mission work in mind. After graduating from Harding University in 2008, they moved to Nashville, TN where they helped start a house church with a number of families, two of which now live with them in South Asia! In Nashville, Adam became a police officer and Lori became a NICU/PICU nurse at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Adam jokes about how he often had a “captive audience” when he shared the Good News about Jesus with people in the back of his squad car. Lori was able to love on new mothers and babies in their most intimate moments.
In 2014 the Lord placed on their hearts a calling for a small country in South Asia. Three years later, in 2017, they left their jobs and transitioned to the other side of the world where Adam began working with various organizations in the anti-human trafficking space. Now, five years into their journey, Adam’s local team has reached a sufficient level of competency and local leadership and the Lord has guided them to a new season of ministry.
Lori and their dear friend and co-laborer from their house church in Nashville, Whitney S., are partnering with a local Christian medical clinic to provide services for mothers and babies in both their immediate community and areas all around Nepal.
Adam is supporting in an advisory role the anti-human trafficking team he helped establish in Nepal. He’s also helping his best friend since middle school, Jordan Ervin, effectively run a creative storytelling business designed to create beautiful, hope-filled stories which point to Jesus for the developing world in a sustainable model.
Unnamed ministry partners - Ministry Training and Discipleship - These friends in the Rift Valley of Kenya have a ministry of training and discipling Christian ministers who are called to the hard work of missions and discipleship. This long, hard, and slow work of raising up future ministry leaders who are mature and courageous requires deep investments of time and relationship. Our ministry partners in Kenya are gifted in and called to this work. They are unnamed here because they have a Muslim background and have been the targets of persecution by Muslims in the past. Please contact Wim Codington if you are interested in supporting or learning more about their ministry.
Evan V. - Missionary in Training - By way of God's grace, Evan was born and raised in Southeast Louisiana. From where he later attended university. In which he not only learned to take responsibility. But was able to see his own need for God. During his sophomore year, he heard that to know God, is to love Him. And to love God, is to know Him. In seeking to understand, he came to see that God has revealed how we are to know Him. And how we are able to love Him. That it is through the Cross. It is through Jesus. It is the means by which God has revealed His very heart. And it was here when his knowledge about Jesus and the Cross became more than just knowledge. It became personal and life changing.
Soon after graduating from college, Evan moved to Nashville, TN to prepare for living abroad. And pursue learning what it means to follow Jesus. Throughout his time in TN, he has been able to work as a handyman, a gardener, and as a supportive care intern. In which he grew in passion for teamwork, farming, learning, and teaching. With the desire for helping, equipping, and building community, Evan seeks to use these passions to love God and love one another.
Some verses that are shaping him now and for the future are found in Matthew 16:24-27. While he waits, prays, and pursues where/ when the Lord gives the opportunity to be abroad again.
Michelle M. - Entrepreneur - My name is Michelle McPherson and I am currently residing in North Carolina, after 10 years in the nations. I spent 9 years in Southeast Asia serving God's children. Before this I was on a trip called World Race, where I served in 11 countries in 11 months. It was during this time God made it clear to me my heart for the nations and to see the gospel go forth to the lost of the world. In 2023, I obediently returned back to the states after one decade in the nations.
The greatest lesson I learned in the nations was how to hear God's voice, obediently follow Him, how to have a relationship with Him, and how to sit with Him in His presence daily. My heart is to daily be about my Father's business through praying for others, speaking Biblical truth, sharing about Jesus' love and how He has changed my own life through surrenderance to Him. Currently God has me serving the least of these with children through childcare. Getting to share throughout my days with the children about Jesus, truths from His Word and how we can talk to God anytime through prayer. Wherever God takes me I want to carry His presence and know I change the atmosphere when I enter with Him. Just as when I served in the nations, here in America there are so many lost and lonely people. I believe God has called me here to share about Him to those who are lost and hurting. Being intentional with how I choose to live my life so Jesus can shine through my daily life.
I also have a passion to see the American church awakened to things of God and to live out His Word. This looks like particaturing in a local church where God has me planted in this season. Being part of a small group, praying boldly for those in the flock and calling out unbelief as I hear it in conversations. I believe God wants us to live abundant full life's as believers with joy, excitement and zeal for Him. I can display this as I live this out in my own life and share it with others around me. God has me living such a purpose filled life and I can do this anywhere He sends me. I am always open to whatever God has for me rather planted in NC, short term trips to the nations/locally, or direction into the nations again. Thank you for partnering with my life on this adventure of following Jesus!
Joseph and Brittany W. - Disciple-makers heading to South Asia - Joseph received the call to South Asia in 2018 and has pursued that call ever since. Along the way God brought him his wife, Brittany, and they have had the joy of leading people to Christ together, baptizing them in creeks and bathtubs, and discipling them. They have started a church in their house and two other weekly gatherings in their hometown and are targeting new areas in their region to see disciples made and churches planted.
As Joseph and Brittany prepare to move overseas, God has made clear His desire for them not just to do His work in South Asia, but to devote their entire lives to the Gospel - whether in their hometown or overseas.
Suyog - Disciple-maker in South Asia - The Lord has been so faithful to me in so many ways. Growing up in a Hindu family, worshiping idols and praying to stones, there were many problems and suicidal thoughts because of the difficult situation we were in. During a time in my life where I was desperately crying out for my family to be reunited, Jesus faithfully answered my prayers and brought me to the realization that He is the one true God. Faith in Him was rising up within me and at the age of 16, I made the decision to follow Him and His way for my life. After my personal conversion and through continual prayer, I began to see restoration in my own life. One miracle was my father returning to us and a softening in my own heart which led me to forgive my brother and ask for forgiveness from him. From that time on, Jesus has continued to call me to follow Him. In doing so, He has asked me to go to the unreached, love the unloved, and share the Good News with whomever the Lord puts on my path and in my heart. Finally, after I finished high school, I had the opportunity to be a part of kingdom work by working alongside like-minded people to impact S. Asia by sharing the life-changing reality of Jesus Christ.
I feel personally convicted to empower and equip local youth for the movement of the Gospel in hard to reach places. By discipling and equipping youth in the local church, the Gospel message will be easily shared by them with their neighbors in remote villages in each person’s heart language. These local youth can reach places where the name of Jesus has not been heard or the love of Christ has not been felt. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field”. He is opening doors for me to partner with local believers and churches. I’ll be going to many villages for His glory and developing relationships as the Spirit leads me. Even though this country is spiritually dark, the Holy Spirit is moving here in a mighty way and the churches are growing! All the glory to Him who sees us! “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
Paige L. - Disciple Making Trainer - Paige is originally from Memphis, TN. She met the Lord when she was 19 years old and entered into full time service to Him soon after. She served in South Asia for two years, but has also served as a cross cultural worker in Memphis, Dallas, and Iowa. Her passion is to equip the body to be effective disciple makers by highlighting the methods of Jesus and Paul in scripture and training reproducible tools to follow in their footsteps whether in America or Abroad.
Jason and Laura H – Disciple Makers in the Himalayas - Jason and Laura both grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. Before they were married, Jason was serving in the Army as a Ranger in the 75th Ranger Regiment and Laura was living as a missionary in Uganda. Both Jason & Laura have felt the Lord’s calling on their life individually, and together as a family, to live and serve among the unreached. After their first son was born, they decided to relocate their family from Alabama to the Himalayas to make Christ known at the top of the world.
For the past five years Jason, Laura, and their sons (Doak- 7 and Dak- 3) have lived among the unreached in Southeast Asia. They believe the Lord has equipped and commissioned them to disciple indigenous believers, promote Church unity, and mobilize the local church missionally among the unreached.
Currently Jason is hosting exploratory, evangelical, and biblical teaching teams to some of the hardest to reach places on earth. When not remote in the Himalayas, Jason spends his time discipling and investing in local believers, encouraging and training them to grasp the Lord’s heartbeat for the unreached. Laura is nearing completion of her Masters of Global Studies online through Liberty University and focusing on intense language learning for the sake of sharing the Gospel. Laura also enjoys spending her time discipling women in city where they live.
Jason and Laura consider it a great privilege to join the work of the Lord among the Nations and live with great anticipation of Revelation 7:9:
“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.”
Better Together Ministry - Better Together Summer Camp exists to offer community to grieving children and teens who have a parent in Heaven. It began after Amy Cordell's husband, Kevin Cordell, went to Heaven in October 2021. Amy was able to find support as a widow but not for her hurting children. She felt God leading her to create a summer camp where kids and teens can come together and see there are others like them on this painful life-long journey, to experience the freedom and safe atmosphere to express their wide range of emotions, to gain healthy tools to help them cope, to have the opportunity to share about their parent knowing they still matter, and to have fun too! We creatively combine grief activities and field day type games into a fun, loving, hopeful, and strengthening experience. It is our desire to offer the comfort which we ourselves have received (2 Corinthians 1:4).
As we grow we also want to offer events throughout the year and not just an annual summer camp. We want to be an on-going ministry, just as grief is on-going. Thank you for partnering with us to help make this a reality!
Unnamed ministry partners - This family serves among unreached Muslims as well as among Israeli Jews in South Asia.
Their heart and passion is to share the life changing message of Jesus the Messiah, discipleship, and gathering people in their home.
This family is unnamed and no photo is provided because of the nature of their work in a sensitive region.
Pastor Antony and Miriam - Disciple-Making leaders in East Africa - Pastor Antony Njoroge was the former Lead Pastor of Mavuno Church Hillcity Campus and Mavuno Church-Kampala, Uganda. He is married to Miriam Gathoni since March 2009 and they are blessed with 3 children: Lemayian Kigwi, Nemayian Kigwi and Leyian Kigwi. Pastor Antony Njoroge was also the former Executive Pastor of Church Planting in Mavuno Church. Their mission as a couple is to help people maximize their God-Potential, God-Passion and their God-Purpose. They have a passion for church planting and raising healthy multiplying leaders. Currently, Antony and Miriam lead a Pastors Network in Africa (The Bridge Pastors Network) that’s discovering, developing and deploying leaders across Africa to make disciples that make disciples and plant churches that plant churches. The Pastors Network is currently in 6 African Countries (Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, DRC and Congo Brazzaville). Our vision is to raise 1000 healthy multiplying leaders in every country in Africa. Our hope is to be in 20 countries by 2030, have trained 2500 leaders and helped more than 500 churches. The Bridge Pastors Network uses the Onward Church Planting resources to train leaders across Africa.
Antony has a Bachelors Degree in Bible and Theology from East Africa School of Theology (Global University).