Staff Info

Van became a Christian during his senior year at the University of Kansas in 1971. After graduation, he remained in Lawrence, Kansas, and was a member of one of the first Great Commission Churches. Van was ordained as a pastor in 1975. Van is married to Penny and they have seven children: Kara, Deborah, Stephen, Lori, David, Molly and Tim. They celebrated over 35 years together.

In 1982, the Birrers moved to Bloomington, Indiana, to help start a campus church at Indiana University. In 1987, Van and Penny moved to Indianapolis to help start Eagle Creek Community Church. In addition to serving full-time as a pastor, Van is a part-time instructor at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis where he teaches undergraduate statistics courses.

Bill came to know the Lord as a freshman at the University of Michigan in 1980. He then finished his college studies at Michigan State University, where he joined up with a Great Commission Church on campus. After graduating in 1984, Bill and a team of people from MSU went back to plant a church at the University of Michigan. He then moved to Muncie, where he helped reenergize a church at Ball State University. Bill was ordained a pastor in the Great Commission Churches in 1987.

In 1989, Bill married Belinda, and in the same year moved to join up with Eagle Creek Community Church in Indianapolis. Bill and Belinda live on the west side of Indianapolis, where they have raised their four children, David, Sam, Lauren and Joe. While pastoring at ECCC, Bill also holds a full time position as Sales and Engineering Manager for Kauffman Engineering in Lebanon, IN.

Ray accepted Christ while entering graduate school in 1979. It was at that time he became involved with Great Commission Churches. He completed a MS degree in 1981 in Industrial Psychology at Emporia State University. He moved from Kansas to Indiana immediately after graduation to help establish a ministry on the IU campus in Bloomington. In 1985 Ray moved to Louisville, KY for one year to help establish a campus ministry. In 1986 he then moved to Indianapolis to help establish a new church on the west side. He worked in management for 23 years.

Ray was ordained as a pastor in January 2004. In the fall of 2008 he worked with a few college students from ECCC to establish The Rock, a campus ministry at IUPUI. He began pastoring full time in August of 2009. Ray is married to Kelly, his wife of over 20 years, and they have four daughters: Emily, Leah, Abigail and Grace. When Ray is not working he loves to camp and hike with his family and friends and play disc golf.