Pastors and Leaders

Pastor Phil Vance

Pastor Phil studied Civil Engineering at the University of Idaho, and played as a defensive end for Vandal football. In 1980, a friend invited him to Living Faith Fellowship, where he got saved and felt the call of God on his life. He became a full-time campus minister in 1986. Pastor Phil is a gifted preacher, counselor, and mentor of leaders, and has a passionate drive to see the presence of God invade our communities.

Pastor Kari Vance

Pastor Kari Vance is the daughter of our founding pastors, Drs. & Mrs. Karl Barden. She was raised in Pullman, WA, and has been there for every step of Living Faith Fellowship’s growth as a church. Pastor Kari is passionate about mentoring, and seeing the principals of spiritual leadership imparted to the next generation.

Pastors Phil & Kari became the Senior Pastors of Living Faith Fellowship in 2001. They have three children (Katania, Christian, and Craighton) and five grandchildren (Kayli, Karli, Joseph, Roman, and Kyran).

Staff Pastors

Pastors Tom & Tracy Weaver – Administration, Foundations, and Spiritual Growth

The Weavers oversee the Bible Foundations program, as well as small groups for the entire church. Pastor Tom is a gifted administrator with a heart to see people experience the rich depth of the Word of God, and Pastor Tracy is a passionate encourager who wants to see every believer activated in their calling and walking successfully in their relationship with God.

Pastors Tom & Tracy have four teenaged and adult sons, Joe, Jake, Jesse, and Josh.

Pastor Joe & Suzanne Fitzgerald – College Ministry

Joe Fitzgerald came as a student to the University of Idaho in 1989, and moved into full-time ministry on our college campuses in 2001. Suzanne came to the area in 2002 as a college missionary, and the two were married in 2003. They both faithfully serve our college congregation with a passion for the local church and a desire to see students move into lives of sold-out Christianity.

Joe & Suzanne have four young children, Liam, Anna, Judah, and Elizabeth.

Licensed Ministers

Pastor John & Lucy Carlson – Prime Ministers (Seniors)

John and Lucy Carlson have been involved in the ministries of Living Faith for over 30 years. They currently work with the “prime ministers” of our body, and John helps extensively with maintenance projects around the church and the community.

Curtis Troll – Director of Worship

Curtis has been leading worship at our church for over twenty years. He is a gifted musician and composer with talents that stretch into drama production and music teaching.

Curtis is married to Carol, and they have three grown or college-aged sons, Nate, Ryan, and Ellis.

CJ Carrier – Director of Missions

CJ came to the University of Idaho in 1995, and God radically changed his life. With a new focus on being in ministry, he graduated from the College of Ministry training and began serving full-time in our college ministry as an evangelist. CJ and his wife Jenny have a strong gifting for missions, and work tirelessly with our established network of missionaries and churches, as well as organizing several ongoing missions to bring natural and spiritual help to a world in need.

CJ & Jenny have two young daughters, Lydia and Lynay.

Leadership Team

Living Faith Fellowship is a multi-faceted ministry. The church, daycare, K-12 school, and radio station are staffed with approximately 40 employees. Our volunteers number in the hundreds and there is no way we could maintain and operate these ministries without them!

To reach any of the people listed below, please call the church or visit the Information Center after any of our services and we’ll help you get in touch with them. See complete staff directory

Council of Elders

From our bylaws:

“The purpose of the Council of Elders is to support, strengthen, give input and provide feedback for the Senior Pastor as he develops direction for the Church. They shall be led of the Holy Spirit and be seeking the Lord in prayer, understanding the times and seasons, and be mindful in considering the direction of the Church.”

Current Elders

• Richard Backes
• Jim Boyer
• Trent Goetze
• Steve Garl
• Cheryl Parduhn
• Curtis Troll
• Tony Wofford

Board of Directors

From our bylaws,

“The Board of Directors shall be responsible for the management and administration of the affairs of the Corporation. The Directors shall have fiduciary obligation to the Church and shall be responsible for approving large financial transactions as well as buying and selling of bonds and property. The Directors shall be responsible for amending, altering and/or repealing the By-laws and articles of incorporation. The Directors shall be responsible for electing or removing Directors or officers of the Corporation. The Directors are responsible for creating, amending or repealing any resolution of the Board of Directors.”

Pastors and Licensed Ministers

Church Staff

Pullman Christian Childcare Center

Pullman Christian School