Family & Work Life: Josh and Ashlee met in high school and were married after college, in 2005. After 15 years of praying to the Lord for children, God blessed them with four children in a time span of only three years: Mallory, Mia, Nora and Matthew. After graduating from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2012…
Declaring and Displaying the Gospel
People
Pastor Kelly Larsen
- Lead Pastor
LEAD PASTOR – Specific oversight of Men’s and Women’s Ministries; Children’s Ministries; Compassion Ministries Family and Work Life: Pastor Kelly and his wife Tammy were called to Cornerstone in August, 2012. Although Kelly spent many of his formative years in Omaha, he met Tammy in 8th grade after his family moved to Tracy, Minnesota. They quickly became great friends,…
Sara Waddel
- Children's Director
STAFF – Children’s Ministry Director Sara Waddel has served on-staff since 2005. She met her husband Jerry at a church youth group in Lincoln. Following college, they married in 1995 and were blessed with two daughters and have since added a “son” and grandson. As the children’s ministry director, she leads the children’s ministry team…
Kara Gehrt
- Pastor's Assistant
STAFF – Administrative Assistant Family and Work Life: Kara Gehrt has served on-staff as our part-time administrative assistant since 2012. As a former art teacher and florist, we are blessed by her artistic and creative talents. Kara and husband Randy met through mutual friends at Christian Student Fellowship at UNK and were married in 2004. Their…
Mike Leigh
- Lay Elder
LAY ELDER – Oversees finances Family and Work Life: Married since 1987, Mike and Brenda Leigh have two adult daughters, one son, two sons-in-law, and three grandchildren. We are blessed to have such a faithful and steady elder as Mike is Mr. Consistent: he’s only had two jobs since college. He worked for 15 years with the…
Abe Smith
- Lay Elder
LAY ELDER – Oversees Communications and Worship Ministries Family and Work Life: Abe Smith and his wife Arian met in college while chaperoning a date for some K-State band friends. They eventually starting having their own dates, married in 1998, and have three children. As a family, they enjoy playing board games. Although Abe was…
Jeremy Karg
- Lay Elder
LAY ELDER – Oversees missions Family and Work Life: Married since 2010, Jeremy and Emily Karg – who met at a college student gathering at Cornerstone – now have seven young children. Since 2014, Jeremy has worked for the Buckle as a programmer/analyst. On describing Cornerstone: Gospel-centered and caring. Jeremy appreciates the body’s commitment to the truth and its…
Ben Kinnison
- Lay Elder
Family and Work Life: Ben and Kelly were married in 2000 and have 4 children: Evan, Taylor, Myles and Adelynn. Ben started his home building career in 2001 and is also a licensed realtor. He also served as a volunteer firefighter in Kearney until 2024. On describing Cornerstone: Gospel-centered and welcoming. Ben appreciates the expositional teaching every week from God’s Word…