Nate Ferguson
Nate provides vision and strategic direction for The Village. He leads the staff to ensure the church stays on mission, to help people experience Life Change, Life Growth, and Life Purpose. Nate is passionate about teaching the Bible in a way that people can understand and apply to their lives. He speaks from his heart in an honest and transparent way. He communicates in a way that is relevant and you can understand. Nate is passionate about helping people find life in Jesus and he can’t wait to see what God has planned for the future. Nate is a country boy from western Illinois. He attended Burnside Christian Church, where his dad was a Pastor. Nate received his graduate degree from Lincoln Christian University, and then worked as Youth Pastor at First Christian Church in Morris, Illinois. First Christian Church challenged Nate to plant a church in Minooka resulting in The Village Christian Church, which opened October 2004. Nate and his wife, Rachelle, live in Channahon and have 2 adult boys and a daughter-in-law.
Charlie Pierce
Charlie loves Jesus and has a heart for people. He is passionate about helping others discover their God-given spiritual gifts and connecting them to their true purpose in Christ. Charlie oversees operations at the Minooka Campus including Human Resources, Finances, Security, and is the community pastor at the Shorewood Campus. Charlie was born and raised in Central Florida and attended Drew Park Baptist Temple. Later in his teens he accepted Christ as his Lord & Savior. He is a military veteran of the U.S. Air Force, studied Business Administration at Bellevue College, and has held various senior level positions in logistics for 30+ years in corporate America before being called into ministry. Charlie and his wife, Bev, live in Joliet with their puppy Gracie. They have 3 daughters, a son-in-law, and 2 granddaughters.
Nick Sandeno
Nick has a heart to bring people to Jesus in an authentic and relevant way. He enjoys teaching about Christ in a comfortable, non-threatening way. Nick oversees the Teaching Team for all locations to ensure messages are Biblically based and the Sunday experience is on point with the mission of the church to help people experience Life Change, Life Growth, and Life Purpose. Nick is a farm boy who was raised in Verona Illinois. He grew up attending First Christian Church in Morris and attended Olivet Nazarene University. He started in ministry with an internship in Student Ministry and has grown in experience in various roles in the church, now leading the Teaching Team and Pulse Students. He also is a vital part of the Online Campus Team and hosts The Village podcast, Another Great Story. Nick and his wife, Lauren, live in Morris, IL with their four daughters.
Mike Strunga
Mike grew up in the Joliet/Plainfield area. He graduated from Lincoln Christian University and majored in general ministry with a focus on preaching. Mike started out with a part time youth ministry at Crossroads Christian Church in Joliet while he was in college. After he graduated, he moved to Catlin, IL and began a youth ministry at the Catlin Church of Christ before coming on staff at The Village helping to launch the new Coal City Campus in December 2022. Mike has loved working with students, but is now looking forward to working more with adults as the Coal City Community Pastor. He is ready to keep growing in his faith and help others do the same. Mike is excited to get to know everyone and work together to build a church community in Coal City that will move the church mission forward helping people experience life change, life growth, and life purpose. Mike and his wife, Kristen, live in Coal City with their two daughters.
Patrick Ugolini
Patrick is gifted at fostering spiritual growth, community engagement, and outreach. His passion for ministry and heart for the people of Seneca aligns perfectly with the church’s mission: To help people experience life change, life growth, and life purpose. Patrick is excited about meeting people where they are and providing opportunities for families to get plugged into a community that will encourage one another.” In addition to being the Community Pastor, Patrick works at a family business. He had this to say about the bi-vocational role, “God made it clear to me that I was to remain in business as well as ministry.” Patrick was born and raised in Seneca, Illinois. He earned a degree in Social Studies education and played football at Concordia University Chicago. He and his wife, Alyssa, have three children and have been attending The Village since 2014.
Cailey Walker
Cailey loves Jesus and is an expert at living out our core value of no boring here, as she interjects fun into all that she does. She started as a volunteer, then joined the staff as the Pulse Sr. Director, and in November 2023 made the decision to answer God’s calling to get ordained. Cailey has been serving as the Pulse Student’s Pastor and is using her talents and energy as the Communications Director. Cailey grew up in Morris, Illinois and lives there with her husband, Kevin, two kids, and Gidget, their goldendoodle. In addition to being on staff at The Village for student ministry, she also serves as one of our Online Campus Hosts.