Staff
Your principle mentor for LifeJourney Pastoral Training will be Rev. Jeff Miner, Senior Pastor at LifeJourney Church. Pastor Jeff leads LifeJourney Pastoral Training and chairs the weekly cohort meetings that anchor the program.
Pastor Jeff has served as Senior Pastor of LifeJourney Church since 1997. During that time, the Church has grown from 45 to over 400 in Sunday worship attendance and has become one of the most dynamic and innovative congregations within the Metropolitan Community Churches. Jeff began his walk with Christ in Baptist churches — both American and Independent Baptist. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Bob Jones University in 1980 summa cum laude, and a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School in 1983 cum laude. In 1996, Jeff completed the Samaritan Clergy Training Program, which was once a primary means for training clergy in the Metropolitan Community Churches.
Jeff is the co-author of a leading book on homosexuality and the Bible, The Children Are Free: Re-examining the Biblical Evidence on Same-sex Relationships, and is the principal author of a discipleship program for Emerging Churches entitled Following Jesus: Discipleship 101 and Thriving in Christian Community: Discipleship 102. Jeff served as Chair of the Board of Administration of the Metropolitan Community Churches from 2006 to 2010. He has twice received MCC’s Phoenix Award for excellence in leading church growth, and in 2010 received MCC’s award for Innovation in Ministry.
Prior to becoming a pastor, Jeff was a corporate and banking attorney in Washington DC for 13 years, last serving as Deputy Chief Counsel for Legislative Affairs in a federal banking agency. Jeff lives with his spouse, David Zier. They were married on September 8, 1991.
While in LifeJourney Pastoral Training, you will also gain the benefit of coaching and mentoring from other ministerial staff at LifeJourney Church, including:
- Melody Merida, Minister of Congregational Life
- Mark Brown, Minister of Worship Arts
- David Zier, Minister of Outreach and Development
For biographies for these individuals, see this page.
Clergy Training Board
During your time in LifeJourney Pastoral Training, you will receive support, feedback, and evaluation from our Clergy Training Board. The Board is chaired by Pastor Jeff and has 6 additional members, who are:
Noell Allen
Noell was raised in an apostolic church in Wilkinsburg, PA. She accepted Christ as her personal Lord and Savior at the age of 14. After moving to Indianapolis in 2005, Noell became aware of LifeJourney Church through Indiana Black Pride functions and became a regular attendee in 2009, and has served on the Nursery Ministry Team. Noell has a BS from Bethune-Cookman University and a JD from Indiana University School of Law. She is currently an Administrative Law Judge and Manager for the Indiana Department of Workforce Development where she presides over unemployment hearings. She is also co-owner and consultant for A Total Solution CPA & Consulting Services, Inc. of Indianapolis. Noell met her life partner, Crystal Allen, in 1999. They have a daughter together, Elon Allen.
Dale Betts
Dale’s roots are in the Pentecostal church. He developed a passion for the scriptures and a resolute desire to follow Christ through the teachings of that faith tradition. Dale has attended LifeJourney Church since 1997 and became a member in 2000. He has been a member of the communion ministry, a member of the Clergy Training Team, and the team leader for the Word Alive scripture reading ministry. Professionally, Dale has taught elementary school for 12 years. He has a BS in Business from Purdue University and an MS in Elementary Education from Indiana University. In 2009, Dale left the classroom to work more directly with teachers as an educational leader for math instruction in his district.
Theresa Mull
Theresa accepted Christ in 1981 and was baptized in a non-denominational Christian church. Since that time she has been a leader in youth groups and of small group Bible studies. After becoming a member of LifeJourney Church, she became one of the initial small group leaders in the Oasis program. Theresa has developed material and led studies utilizing books such as the A New Kind of Christian trilogy by Brian McClaren and Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. She has served on the Oasis Steering Committee and has led the “Exploring Small Group Leadership” class to prepare future small group leaders. Theresa received her BS from Indiana University in 1988 where she studied to become a physical therapist. She returned to school and received her MS in Health Science in 1993 from the University of Indianapolis. During her years as a physical therapist she has held multiple leadership roles including Program Lead Therapist and Director.
Keith Phillips
Keith was raised in a Conservative Baptist church in New Hampshire. He has a BA in government from Clark University, an MDiv from the Earlham School of Religion, and a DMin from McCormick Theological Seminary. Keith was ordained as an American Baptist and served as pastor of four American Baptist churches in Indiana over the course of 25 years. He became a hospice chaplain in 2000 and transferred his ordination credentials to the Metropolitan Community Church in 2009. He has supervised the internships of students from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Earlham School of Religion. At LifeJourney Church, Keith has taught in the SoulShift program, written regularly for the on-line devotional, Be Still and Know, and edited Quench! refreshing devotionals by gay, trans, and affirming Christians, published by LifeJourney Press.
Sarah Randolph Kaminski
Sarah was raised in the Nazarene Church and began attending LifeJourney Church in 2002. She quickly became an active member, serving on the Homeless Ministry and the Communion Team. In 2006, she began her tenure on LifeJourney Church’s Board of Directors. Sarah earned her BS degree in physical therapy and Master of Physical Therapy at the University of Evansville, where she graduated summa cum laude. She is currently working towards her Doctor of Health Sciences at the University of Indianapolis. Sarah is employed by Franciscan St. Francis Health, where she serves dual roles as clinician and manager. She married her spouse, Lynne, in San Francisco in 2008. They are blessed with one son.
Kelly Wilson
Kelly was raised Catholic and attended Catholic school for 13 years. She earned a BS in Law Enforcement and an MA in Applied Sociology, both at the University of Indianapolis. Kelly is the Director of Admissions for the College of Health Sciences at the University of Indianapolis, where she oversees an office of four employees and the advising of hundreds of prospective students for two nationally ranked schools. Kelly is also responsible for creating and maintaining the College’s recruiting strategy and communication plans. Kelly has been employed by the University for 10 years. Kelly has been an active member of LifeJourney Church for 6 years and has served in the nursery, as a SoulShift teacher, and on the church softball team. Kelly is married to Kristen Actis-Grande, and they have 3 children.
