Leadership
Serving the Church
Throughout the Bible, God sets apart leaders to care for and serve His people, yet leadership in the Bible is distinctively different. Leaders in the church are called to serve, under God, to equip and build up others (Ephesians 4:11-12). The Bible lays out two main offices of leadership in the local church: elders and deacons.
Elders
The biblical picture of elders is found in 1 Timothy 3, Acts 20, and Titus 1. At King's Cross, elders are trained to see themselves primarily as shepherds (1 Peter 5) who lead, feed, know, and protect those entrusted to their care.
Deacons
The biblical picture of deacons is found in Acts 6 and 1 Timothy 3. The title deacon comes from the Greek word for “servant.” Deacons at King's Cross serve the church in a variety of capacities. They assist the elders of the church in diverse areas such as the Finance Team, Operations, Mercy Ministry, and Pastoral Care.
“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:42-45
Our Staff
Russ Hightower
LEAD PASTOR
Russ grew up in South Carolina on a steady diet of bacon and grits. He graduated from Wake Forest (Religion) and Princeton (Master of Divinity).
He met his wife, Amanda, in New Jersey. They served in Jersey, Tennessee, and Mississippi before coming to LA in 2018. They have three children, one of whom awaits them in heaven. Russ is a recovering Pharisee who loves sci-fi movies, reading with his kids, college football, Coke Zero, and dad jokes.
Johnny Park
YOUTH DIRECTOR
Johnny loves serving the church and leading young students to know the love of Christ. He is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton and Fuller Theological Seminary with a Masters in Divinity.
Johnny grew up in Fullerton. He loves to read, play basketball, run, watch movies, and listen to podcasts at 1.2X speed. He closely follows the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers. He loves all types of food, especially Mexican and Korean, and can drink black coffee all day. He is always on the hunt for King Taco hot sauce and Sriracha. Johnny recently got married and loves being a part of King's Cross!
Jina Kim
CHILDREN'S MINISTRY DIRECTOR
Jina was born in Seoul, South Korea, and moved to the U.S. when she was 10, with a few of her high school years spent in Australia. She studied music (flute), child development, and fine art, and is a Certified Child Development Program Director through the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. She also earned her M.A. in Educational Leadership at Gateway Seminary and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at Talbot Seminary in the Heart, Mind, Soul track. After serving in children’s ministry for 16 years and taking three years off, God led her to King’s Cross, where she continues to follow her calling to share Christ’s love with children and families.
She is married to David, whose humor balances her seriousness and whose support strengthens both family and ministry. Together they have two boys, Sean and Ricky, and their newest family member, Oliver, who brings so much joy wagging his tail all the time!
Jina loves delicious cake with milk or coffee. She also enjoys playing piano and flute, flower arranging, calligraphy, and even the occasional rock climb. Her greatest joy, though, is sharing the Gospel with children, which she describes as a small glimpse of heaven. One of her favorite verses, 1 Peter 5:10, gives her enduring hope and promise.
Andrea Gamble
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & HR
As someone who loves to learn, Andrea has a wide array of experience. After graduating from CSULB with a BA in Communication, she managed the office of a mystery shopping company, then, while homeschooling her 3 sons, she worked as a paraprofessional teaching natural childbirth classes and assisting her husband with the office duties of his construction business. She gained valuable experience managing the church office at a local Long Beach church for several years before coming to King's Cross. You can find her enjoying the beach with her family or reading a book with a cat on her lap.
Brandon Kaiser
WORSHIP LEADER
Brandon is originally from Ohio and moved to L.A. in 2001. He has worked and served in El Segundo, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Hawthorne. When he's not leading worship, you'll find Brandon cooking, gardening and watching old movies with his wife, Cherise. They live in the South Bay with their three kids, a boy, and two girls.
