Staff

Mel is a husband and a father of two. He has served as Auburn Church’s lead pastor since December 2016. He comes with a rich pastoral experience. Prior to coming to Northern California, he pastored for twenty years in Southern California—specifically in Southeastern California Conference territory (in San Bernardino, San Diego, and Orange Counties respectively). He graduated with his Master of Divinity degree and was ordained into the ministry in back-to-back weekends in 2003. He obtained his Doctor of Ministry degree from Andrews University in 2010. His dissertation focus was in preaching and congregational transformation. Mel is passionate about enriching and transforming individual and congregational life through the practice of the presence of God and the various disciplines of the spiritual life. He enjoys spending time with his family, reading, playing the classical guitar, and the great outdoors.

Adam is a husband and a father of three. He has served as Auburn Church’s youth pastor since 2021. For as long as Adam can remember, he has wanted to impact education on a larger scale. Over the past 20 years, he has brought diverse classroom and administrative experience. Adam has taught all grade levels in settings that include everything from small multi-grade classrooms to large established Pre-K to 12th private schools. During his years as a principal and vice-principal, Adam continually learned the art of balancing the ministry of the classroom, the challenges that administrators face, and the essential work of maintaining healthy relationships with constituent churches. Working closely with community members has blessed him with a wide range of experiences and has helped him navigate the spectrum of differing points of view and cultural backgrounds. As a vision-caster and connector, he skillfully rallies communities around common goals to propel them forward to the plans God places on their hearts.