Southside Church is governed by a biblically motivated system of leadership. The focus of leadership is helping others grow spiritually within a context of mutual accountability.

Board of Directors

During the formative years, southside church will be governed by an advisory board known as the board of directors. Currently, there are three members:

• Jeff Mikels, Lead Pastor
• Jen Mikels, Assistant, Partner, Friend (and Jeff’s wife)
• Rich Wollard, Pastor of Meadowland Community Church and Jeff’s Church Planting Coach.

Jeff and Jen

Jeff and Jen have been married since May 17, 1997, and have two children, Charlie and Katie.

Born in Colorado, and raised in California as the son of a Pastor, Jeff came to the midwest for college and received a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Philosophy from Wheaton College. But don’t let the degree fool you. He’s not your typical anti-social math nerd!

Jeff has always had a passion for helping others get closer to God, so after graduating, he and Jen moved to Denver where he completed the Master of Divinity program at Denver Seminary and was recognized by professors and peers for his gift of communicating the relevance of God’s Word for today both through personal counseling and public preaching.

Jen was raised in a Catholic home near Valparaiso, Indiana and made a personal commitment to Jesus at an early age. She graduated from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer and Electrical Engineering. She has a deep love for her family, is a caring mother, and has a passion to see other people grow closer to Jesus.

For five years, Jeff and Jen lived in the city of Chicago where Jeff served Northwest Baptist Church as Senior Pastor. It was during that time that Jeff and Jen met Gary Rohrmayer, Director of Converge MidAmerica Church Planting and attended a TeAMerica Church Planter’s Assessment Center where they were given the highest recommendation for aspiring church planters.

Richard Wollard came to faith in Jesus Christ as an adult and has a unique perspective on church life. He has been involved in business, and in the formation of two successful churches in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. In addition to pastoring, he also serves as Jeff’s church planting coach.