Pastor Mike Ayala has been serving as Santa Rosa's campus pastor since 2021. Along with his wife, Tinay, and kids Anton and Joaquin, they faithfully lead our community in the purposes of God. "Homegrown" as many would describe him, Pastor Mike's journey with God and with Saddleback since our launch in 2014 has been an example of servant leadership. Yet throughout the years of serving in different capacities—as a volunteer, as part-time staff, and as our Connections Pastor—the call has been one and the same—to reach one more for Christ.

AJ Boncore is our new Campus Pastor of Saddleback Brea. AJ and his wife Christy have been married for 7 years and have one child name Rion with another on the way. AJ was born and raised in Northern California and moved to Southern California in 2016 to follow God‘s call to be a pastor. AJ experienced a radical transformation in his life, and decided to devote himself to vocational ministry. He attended Biola University to get his bachelors degree in biblical and theological studies while leading the College Ministry at Saddleback Anaheim. Since then, he has graduated from Talbot school of theology with a masters degree in preaching and pastoral ministry. AJ loves small groups and served as the Connections Pastor at the Brea campus for 2 1/2 years before transitioning into his new role as Campus Pastor. Over the years, AJ has grown compassion for reaching the lost through evangelism and loves sharing the gospel with people everywhere he goes. AJ’s heart is to see every person in the church and in the community of Brea and North Orange County radically transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

John was born in Hong Kong and grew up in a devout Christian family. He married his wife, Elizabeth in 2015. During his high school years, he emigrated with his family to Vancouver, where he was baptised. <br/><br/> John attended the University of British Columbia, pursuing a degree in Computer Science. He later returned to Hong Kong to work as a software engineer, spending over a decade in the tech industry.<br/><br/> In 2018, John felt called to full-time ministry and joined the Saddleback Hong Kong Church, taking charge of campus coordination. After completing his theological training at Gate Seminary, he became a pastor responsible for small group ministries. Elizabeth also actively serves in the church alongside John, serving as a small group community leader.<br/><br/> In recent years, John and Elizabeth have once again felt called by God to return to Canada, responding to the church's vision for overseas church planting. They have returned to Vancouver to assist in leading church planting efforts, becoming the campus pastor of Saddleback Church Vancouver.<br/><br/> John is passionate about changing lives and helping others to discover their purpose and mission. God's love and teachings from Purpose Driven Life deeply inspire him to serve this generation faithfully.

Kyle Cleveland grew up in Orange County and has attended Saddleback Church since he was 10 years old. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Azusa Pacific University and went on to get a Master in Business Administration from Azusa Pacific University and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Liberty University. Kyle has served at Saddleback in a variety of roles, including student ministries, starting the Saddleback intern program, serving with the PEACE Plan, and serving as the project manager for launching Saddleback’s 4 international campuses. Kyle is passionate about seeing lives changed by God and loves walking through life alongside people. Kyle is married to Kylee and they share the same birthday, so they never forget to make a big deal out of each other’s birthday. Kyle and Kylee have three kids, Callahan, Hayes, and Cadence, who are the joy of their lives!

Katie Edwards grew up in Orange County and began attending Saddleback when she was 13 years old. She could hear Saddleback’s worship music from her house in the nearby neighborhood and after walking toward the music with her mom one Sunday, her heart found a permanent home. After accepting Christ at age 14, she grew in her love for Jesus, through participation at Saddleback. She joined a small group, became a member, matured in her relationship with Jesus, discovered her God-given SHAPE, and went on mission to share the love of Jesus in countries like Rwanda, Kenya, Cambodia, and Costa Rica. She started serving as an intern in the junior high ministry at age 19 in 1994. Then God opened the door for her to join the Saddleback staff and play various roles within the student ministry for the past 27 years. She coordinated volunteers, small groups, and student leaders for the junior high and high school ministries, served as the junior high pastor for 10 years, and then went on to lead and serve as the student ministries pastor for the last 3 years. Katie is passionate about helping people discover the transforming love of Jesus and the life change that following him ultimately brings. She is committed to helping every generation fall deeper in love with Jesus, discover their true identity in Christ, find belonging in our church family, and serve using their God-given gifts.

Giovanny Gaviria is passionate about empowering and connecting the new generations through a personal relationship with God. He has served in pastoral and administrative leadership positions for non-profit organizations. Giovanny has been the president of the Youth Baptist Inter-Denominational Convention that consists of more than 500 churches in the area of Los Angeles and Hawaii. He has also worked for one of the largest Hispanic Evangelistic Associations called Alberto Mottesi Evangelistic Association (AMEA).

 He has helped developed EDEAM (School of Evangelists Alberto Mottesi) academic programs expanding to 136 international centers throughout Latin America, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. He has graduated from the University of La Verne with a B.S in Psychology, and earned a MBA from Liberty University. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Liberty University as well.

 Giovanny is happily married to Veronica, and they have two sons: Nathan and Liam. He speaks English and Spanish (mother tongue). He enjoys exploring new places and spending time with his family

Will was born in Guatemala, Central America, and grew up in Southern California. He moved to Hawaii to earn his bachelor's degree in theological studies and pastored on the islands for 8 years. He graduated from Vanguard University with a Master of Arts in Theology. Will has a passion and a heart for helping people connect with Jesus and helping them connect with an authentic church family. Being Hispanic and bilingual, his desire is to reach multigenerational, multiethnic, multilingual families with the love of Jesus. He and his family joined the Saddleback team in April 2017 and helped launch the Saddleback en Español campus in 2017, a thriving congregation. He is excited to be part of the Saddleback Whittier family. On weekends, he will meet you in the patio to connect with others in the Saddleback Whittier service. Because he fell in love with life on the island, when he's not working, you will usually find Will near a beach eating a Poke Bowl. Will is happily married to the love of his life and his wife of 8 years, Neyda, they have 3 beautiful children, Keli'a and twin boys, Levi and Judah.

William Johnston is originally from Watsonville, CA, and enjoys the outdoors, baseball, and comfort food — especially fried chicken. He and his wife, Hannah, find joy in simple pleasures like beach days and watching classic rom coms. In 2016, William became the Student Ministries Pastor at Saddleback Eastvale, where he deeply embraced his calling within the community. His passion lies in connecting individuals with Jesus and fostering transformations that impact lives and communities. After being called to lead Saddleback Newport-Mesa, William couldn’t help but recognize the spiritual journey the members of the campus have been on. "I'm humbled by your faith throughout the life of the campus,” he said. “I'm honored to be in a family that embodies bold faith.” Your stories matter to him and he looks forward to learning from the Saddleback Newport-Mesa family.

Jay Kranda is the Online Community Pastor at Saddleback Church. Oversees an online community of online groups and homes groups around the globe. Graduate of Biola University and Talbot School of Theology. Loves the NBA and cold coffee. Married to Jody and have 2 boys and 1 girl.

Pastor Tony was born in the Eastern part of Germany when it was still a communist country. He is the second of eight children and grew up in the northern part of Brandenburg, close to Berlin. He holds a diploma in political science from the University of Potsdam and one in event management from a private college (ebam) in Berlin. Pastor Tony’s journey with God and with Saddleback started with the launch of our Berlin Campus in 2014. At that time, he struggled with failed relationships, gambling addiction, a lack of purpose, debt, and suicide thoughts. He started to read the Bible and began to look for a church. A friend of his invited him to Saddleback, a church he never heard of before. He instantly felt like home and found here the transformation he was looking for. A few weeks later, he gave his life to Christ and got baptized – as the first person at our Berlin Campus. He found healing, purpose, and love at Saddleback. Throughout the years of serving in different capacities — as a volunteer, as a Ministry Leader, as a Connections Director and now as the Interim Campus Pastor — the call has been one and the same — to care for the people in his church and his city. Pastor Tony is studying theology remotely at IGW, a seminary in Switzerland. Pastor Tony is married to his beautiful wife Tabea. Their daughter Mira Yael was born in 2021, a second child is one the way.

Kyung was born in Seoul, South Korea, but grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. He received his Bachelors and Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State and Ohio State, respectively. Kyung worked as an electrical engineer in Columbus, Ohio before heeding God’s call to become a college pastor at Ohio State. He received his Masters of Theology and Doctors of Ministry from Dallas Seminary. Kyung has studied cross-cultural church planting overseas, coached pastors and helped plant various churches and multi-sites. He served 20 years as Executive Pastor of LifePoint Church in Plano, TX before joining Saddleback Church in 2015 as our new campus launch pastor. In 2018, he joined the amazing team of Saddleback Irvine South to serve and reach the Greater Irvine area. A developer of leaders, strategist and practitioner, Kyung has a passion to help churches, leaders and people reach their full redemptive potential. He is married to his beautiful bride Lindy and has two boys Cayden and Zander, who remind him daily of God's joy and grace. A big time sports fan, foodie and national karate champion, Kyung dreams of playing golf like Tiger, cooking like chef Ramsey and being fluid like Bruce Lee. One should always dream!

Pastor Stephen Lee was born and raised in Hong Kong. During school, he focused on gymnastics. Pastor Stephen has been engaged in corporate management in Hong Kong and Mainland China for many years. Before joining Saddleback Church, he was the President of Peter F. Drucker Academy, a non-profit management education institution. He also served as the chairman of a charity foundation in China, which was the first batch of formally registered private charity foundation in China. In addition, Pastor Stephen is passionate by prison work. He has served in Prison Fellowship in Hong Kong, China and International for more than 30 years. Now Pastor Stephen is the City Pastor of Saddleback Church Hong Kong, together with his wife and three children, he is working hard to create a community where the people of Hong Kong are cared, and a place closer to God.

Matt is a Southern California native. He graduated from Hope International University with a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministry and Talbot Seminary with Masters degrees in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care and Philosophy. Matt has served in full time ministry for nearly 20 years, serving as both a Worship Pastor and Executive Pastor. Matt is passionate about helping people find and follow Jesus. Matt is married to Molly and together they have two kids, Rocco and Sophia. Matt enjoys good coffee, reading, photography, and spending time making memories with his family at Disneyland.

Johnny Montgomery grew up in Orange County and has attended Saddleback since he was eight years old. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Cal State Fullerton and is finishing seminary at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Johnny has served on staff at Saddleback since 2012, starting on the Office of the Pastor team, then moving to the Irvine South location, where he served with campus experience, launched the IRVS PEACE Center, and mostly recently served as the student ministries pastor. Johnny is passionate about helping others unlock their full potential in using their gifts for God’s Kingdom. Johnny is married to Margo, whom he met at Saddleback’s college ministry. Together they have two kids, Ezra and Elyza. Johnny enjoys spending time with his family, coaching his son’s baseball team, and meeting friends for coffee.

Pastor Sebastian Ojeda was born and raised in Buenos Aires and became a Christian at age 17. Sebastian is an attorney, and also studied at the Word of Life Bible Institute. He became actively involved in ministry early in his life and served as a worship leader and youth pastor at his local church. After reading The Purpose Driven Church, a book about healthy church models, Sebastian dreamed of having a church in his own city that shared the same values. Now he’s living his dream as Pastor of Saddleback Church Buenos Aires. Sebastian, his wife Cecilia, and their three children are excited about helping the people of Buenos Aires find a sense of belonging and purpose by growing closer to God.

Aaron Roberts is a Southern California native, and has been serving in ministry for the past 13 years. He graduated from Biola University with a degree in Cross Cultural Psychology, and is working on his Masters of Theology. Before serving as Campus Pastor, Aaron was the Membership Pastor at Saddleback Corona, and is passionate about seeing lives changed by the hope, joy, and purpose found in God. Aaron and his wife Amanda met in college, got married in 2006, and have two sons, Owen and Milo. Amanda works as a Certified Enneagram Specialist who coaches individuals, teams, and businesses in personality typing. Aaron enjoys playing hockey and riding roller coasters with his sons, a good cup of coffee with Amanda or friends, and listening to music.

Phil Sanchez is a Southern California native and has served in vocational ministry for the last 14 years, leading, teaching and building new ministries. After working in emergency medicine and pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Fire Science and Technology, Phil felt the call to full-time pastoral ministry and began working on his seminary degree at Calvary Chapel Bible College. Prior to joining Saddleback Church, Phil served as the college ministry teaching pastor and worship pastor at Calvary Chapel, Golden Springs. He then served as the worship pastor at Saddleback Church’s Newport Mesa location. Phil is currently working towards his Masters in Divinity at Gateway Baptist Theological Seminary. Phil is married to his beautiful wife Connie and they have 2 daughters, Rozlyn and Everdeen. You can often find Phil, Connie and their girls exploring new restaurants or coffee shops, or adventuring by the ocean and hiking the trails.

Zac Tsai was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. He went on to graduate from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in Economics where he was also a member of the Men's Tennis Team. Following college he felt the call to ministry where he started as a Youth Pastor in Sebring, Florida. After about one year he went on to get a seminary degree at Dallas Theological Seminary where he also served as a Youth Pastor at another church. It was at that time that he met his wife, MacKenzie, and the two of them married in 2014. In 2018 they moved to Oklahoma where Zac continued serving in student ministry. Now, they have moved to Los Angeles where he serves as the campus pastor at Saddleback LA. Zac loves sports, reading books, and quoting movies. He and MacKenzie also have a beautiful daughter named Samantha.

Chris loves pastoring at Saddleback Irvine North and is passionate about seeing people's lives transformed by God. He's a New York City native, but after graduating with his masters he moved to Irvine and fell in love with ministry . Chris and his beautiful wife Jeannie have a son, Alex, who loves video games, Saddleback, and LEGOs. In their free time they enjoy getting away to hike the beautiful trails in Irvine, jumping in the car for unplanned road trips, and trying new restaurants.

Rick Bradford's journey is one of faith and leadership. He holds a B.S. in finance from USC and an M.Div. from Talbot Seminary. His experience includes working as the National Sales Manager at Binney and Smith (Crayola), launching and pastoring three church plants, and contributing to the launch of Saddleback Laguna Woods in 2008. Rick has been married to Diane for 52 years, and their family has strong ties to Saddleback. Rick’s goal in leading Saddleback Laguna Woods is to foster a welcoming atmosphere and meaningful Sunday worship for seniors. In his words, "I love Saddleback Laguna Woods and live right here in the community. We're a friendly campus, dedicated to meaningful Sunday worship for seniors. Come visit – I'd love to meet you."