The Leadership Team of Otterbein Church is made up of the Board of
Elders, the Management Oversight Team & the Pastors & Staff.
Following is an overview of our organizational structure & those who
serve in various leadership roles.
Our Leadership
Pastors & Staff
The pastors & staff are responsible for the day-to-day ministry
oversight & for equipping & supporting ministry leaders &
volunteers.
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DAVE BESECKER, pastor of music, worship and pastoral care
Dave has served on the staff of Otterbein for more than 30 years. He oversees all music & worship activities & services at Otterbein. He directs the Adult Choir & leads the 8 a.m. worship service. Dave also serves Otterbein in the area of Pastoral Care. He absolutely loves to lead people in worship as they sing of God’s goodness, greatness & grace. It is also his pleasure to visit & get to know the many members of the congregation as one of the visitation pastors.
Dave is married to Darlanna, his high school sweetheart. They have two daughters (Sarah & Abby) & two grandsons. Dave’s other passion is baseball. He continues to cheer on his beloved Orioles & anyone who plays the Yankees.
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RICK DUESLER, executive director of administration
Rick joined our staff in June 2006. He oversees the financial & administrative aspects of Otterbein. Rick is also oversees the sound ministry by running sound on Sundays, training potential sound operators & scheduling sound guys. He is also the church's point person for Financial Peace University.
Rick is also involved in the community in various ways. He serves on the board of directors for the Waynesboro YMCA & coaches soccer & basketball for the Waynesboro Area School District.
Rick is married to Theresa & has two adult children who are married. Rick is also a grandfather to two grandchildren & one more on the way.
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LINDA ETTER,
office manager
Linda has been on staff at Otterbein since 2001. She oversees the daily work in the office & enjoys serving the people of the church & community.
Linda has been married to Donnie for 47 years. They have two sons, David & Bradley, four granddaughters & two grandsons. Linda loves being with her grandkids & loves to read.
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MARK GREEN, pastor of adult and family ministries
Mark joined the staff in 2015 as the Pastor of Adult Ministries. His focus is on providing environments for adults to connect with one another so that together they can become more like Christ & help others to do the same. Mark heads up the adult Sunday classes, small groups, men’s & women’s ministries & the welcome team.
When not in the office you can probably find him at Starbucks or the gym. Mark has been joyfully married to Shary since 1984, & they have two sons, Allen & Jonathan.
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JOHN HOFFMAN, pastor of pastoral care
John was well established in his career of farming in partnership with his father on Hoffmandell Farms. He loved his herd of registered Holstein cattle & enjoyed showing them at local fairs. However, after getting saved, the Lord called John into full-time ministry. That was 47 years ago. Thirty-seven of those years he was a full-time pastor. The past 10 years, John's been on staff at Otterbein doing part-time pastoral care. John very much enjoys his part in the pastoral care ministry, as well as working with the senior adult Timeless Treasures ministry.
John & Becky met & married when she was a secretary at the church where he was the youth pastor. They have three children: Brian, Beth & Krista, eight grandchildren and one great grandchild. John enjoys antique tractors & keeping tabs on the farming & Holstein world.
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DWIGHT KARKAN, pastor of youth ministries
Dwight has been in full-time student ministry for 11 years & has been in various aspects of student ministry since 1999. Dwight is married to his wife, Amber, since 2011, & they have two beautiful daughters Selah and Delaney.
Dwight has an affinity for Jesus, North Face hoodies, bacon-wrapped steak, chicken wings, gardening, all things Star Wars, &, besides the 2016 Cavs & The Ohio State University, his sports teams have been letting him down since the late 90s.
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AMANDA MYERS, director of children's ministries
Amanda has served on staff at Otterbein Church as the Director of Children’s Ministries since January 2017. She oversees the nursery, preschool & elementary departments at Otterbein. Prior to joining our staff, Amanda volunteered as a leader in our children’s ministry & worked as an elementary classroom teacher in the public school system. She is passionate about working together with families to lead children to discover the never-ending love of Jesus & to developing a personal relationship with Him.
Amanda & her husband, Steve, have two sons. They enjoy spending time together attending sporting events & being outdoors.
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MIKE NEWMAN,
senior pastor
Mike has been in that position since 1988. Pastor Mike served as Associate Pastor at Otterbein prior to that time. He is married to Michelle, & they have a son, Jeb.
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DIRK SMALL, pastor of local2global
Dirk joined our staff in November 2008. Although Dirk's passion is missions, he finds a balance of outreach opportunities locally, regionally & internationally. Local2Global comes from Acts 1:8. "...& you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria & the ends of the earth. "
Dirk finds great joy in watching the church literally participate in the Great Commission.
He is married to Julie, & they have two children, Hannah & Aaron who are both married. They also have four grandchildren.
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GREG STONER,
DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES
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BETH SWANKLER, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & GRAPHIC DESIGN
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Board of Elders
The Board of Elders is the highest governing authority in the church
regarding spiritual accountability and care of the congregation. They
are also responsible for the affirmation or appointment of all ministry
positions in the church. The following is a list of our Elders.
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LARRY ALEXANDER, chairman
Larry has been married to his wife Cindy since 1977. They have two adult children, Kevin & Katie & four granchildren. He has worked for Frick Co (Johnson Controls/York) more than 20 years as a Mechanical Designer. He has been a member of Otterbein since 1982 & has taught many different classes. He served more than 15 years as a lay biblical counselor at Otterbein.
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vince boyd
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STACEY DOVE
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JOHN HOFFMAN
John was well established in his career of farming in partnership with his father on Hoffmandell Farms. He loved his herd of registered Holstein cattle & enjoyed showing them at local fairs. However, after getting saved, the Lord called John into full-time ministry. That was 47 years ago. Thirty-seven of those years he was a full-time pastor. The past 10 years, John's been on staff at Otterbein doing part-time pastoral care. John very much enjoys his part in the pastoral care ministry, as well as working with the senior adult Timeless Treasures ministry.
John & Becky met & married when she was a secretary at the church where he was the youth pastor. They have three children: Brian, Beth & Krista, eight grandchildren and one great grandchild. John enjoys antique tractors & keeping tabs on the farming & Holstein world.
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JOHN HORTON
John currently serves as an Elder, Management Oversight Team Member & assists his wife Sandra in our two-year-old classroom during the 9:30 a.m. service. He has two children, Emily & Noah, & has attended Otterbein from 1992–1997, 2001–present. He is retired from the Navy & is currently working as a Network Engineer for The Defense Information Agency.
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dale jones
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MIKE NEWMAN
Mike is the Senior Pastor & has been in that position since 1988. Pastor Mike served as Associate Pastor at Otterbein prior to that time. He is married to Michelle, & they have a son, Jeb.
Management Oversight Team
The Management Oversight Team is the highest governing authority in the
church regarding the business affairs of the church including finanace,
personnel and property. They are also responsible for appointing the
Elder Selection Committee which selects persons to serve as Elders in
the church. The following is a list of our current MOT members.
