Meet our Team

Office Phone: 816-232-6706

Office Email: wpbcoffice@wyattpark.net

Our staff is very excited that you have taken the time to get to know us by visiting this page.  We would also love to get to know you, and help you with your journey not only at Wyatt Park Baptist Church, but with your personal relationship with Christ.

Please take the time to reach out to any one of us and let us know a bit about you, and how we can help you feel at home while you are with us.  Your journey at our church makes a difference to each one us.

Church Staff

Dr. Jeff Burns

Senior Pastor

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Pastor Jeff was born and raised in Indiana. He earned his Bachelor of Science from Indiana State University and a Master of Divinity from Truett Seminary at Baylor University as well as a Master of Theology and a Doctorate of Ministry from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to coming to Wyatt Park, Pastor Jeff served on staff at Baptist churches both in Texas and Indiana.

When he is not at the church, he enjoys hunting, buying and selling trucks, reading (the more pictures the better), and spending time with his family.

Pastor Jeff and his wife were married in 2009 and they have three wonderful children together. As a family, they enjoy taking bike rides, roasting marshmallows, and watching movies.

Ken Livingston

Associate Pastor

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Pastor Ken and his wife, Jolene, were both born and raised in Iowa. They were high school sweethearts and married in 1983. They have four married children and seven grandchildren whom they love to spend time with and spoil every chance they are given.

Pastor Ken earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and his Master’s degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City. He has pastored four churches in Iowa and Oklahoma over the last 21 years. 

Pastor Ken is passionate about teaching God’s Word and loves serving alongside his fellow church family. He loves the outdoors and spending time with his best friend, Jolene.

Amy Grooms

Director of Children’s Ministry

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Amy has worked or volunteered in children’s ministry since 2000. She served as Director of Youth & College Ministries for eight years before joining the Wyatt Park staff as Children’s Director in 2021. St. Joseph is Amy’s hometown where she attended Central High School and Missouri Western. She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She loves working with all the special people involved in children’s ministry and especially enjoys building relationships with families and kids. Amy is married to Brad, and they have two daughters, Madi and Abbey. Madi is a civil engineer in Kansas City, and Abbey is a special education teacher in St. Joseph. Amy loves spending time with family and friends!

 

Ryan Mallen

Director of Student Ministries

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Ryan grew up in the Saint Joseph area and is a student at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City. He began serving as the Student Minister at Wyatt Park in 2023. Before going to seminary, he studied architecture at UMKC. It was there, as a freshman in college, that God gave him the eyes to see the hypocrisy that defined his life up to that point. He came to understand the saving knowledge of the gospel at 19 and also quickly realized architecture wasn’t his thing. Thanks to encouragement from his community and God’s prompting, he began attending Midwestern as a sophomore studying Christian Ministry. Ryan’s passion is to see youth and young adults take ownership of their faith, and he’s so excited that God has given him and his wife Megan, the opportunity to do that here at Wyatt Park.

Kathy Burns

Director of Worship Ministries

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Kathy is the Director of Worship Ministries at Wyatt Park Baptist Church. A native of the Hoosier state, she is a long-time lover of Jesus and music, and is a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education (Indiana State University) as well as a Master of Divinity (George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University). Kathy began following Jesus in 2004 when God opened her eyes to God’s overwhelming love and grace, and she finally relinquished perceived control over her life. Her heartbeat is to create meaningful worship opportunities that allow space for an authentic encounter with the one, true God. Kathy and her husband, Jeff, have been married since January of 2009. They have three ornery, sweet, and silly children together—Annabella, Bear, and Haddon.

Seth Holmes

Director of Communication & Technology

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Seth has been attending Wyatt Park his whole life. While growing inside of the Youth program, COVID hit, and he was provided an opportunity to share his love for tech in a voluntary role inside of the Tech team, manging the livestream that the majority of our congregation looked for while staying home. Matthew Paden played a significant role in developing his what it looks like to faithfully serve WPBC in a technology role. After almost two years as the Technology/Communications intern, he was recomended to fill the role of Director of Communication and Technology. Now, he is ready to continue in educating and developing those around him to serve in the best capacity possible.

Julie Behler

Office Administrator

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Laurie Brown

Barista – Mission Cafe

Laurie Brown was brought by God all the way from California to become a vibrant part of our Wyatt Park Baptist Church Family. Laurie currently serves as our coffee bar barista and part-time custodian. Laurie thrives on serving everyone she encounters and often reminds them in those moments that God is good! When Laurie isn’t at the church whipping up someone’s favorite drink or cleaning up a spill, she enjoys time with her sons and grandsons.  She enjoys cooking meals for them and being the on-call taxi service for her grandson who keeps her busy with his sport activities.  Laurie is especially passionate about praying for those who serve in the armed services. Laurie’s sons are both army combat veterans, so they are her daily prayer reminder. Laurie genuinely loves the Lord and looks for opportunities to share His love with others. She’s one of our newest additions to our staff, and she works with great diligence. If you haven’t met her, stop by the coffee bar to say “hello”. She will soon know you and your favorite drink!

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Prayer

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