Pastors & Elders

The men who shepherd Woodland Christian Church, and their families.

Teaching Pastor

Pastor Scott LaPierre

I am the teaching pastor at Woodland Christian Church, an author, and conference speaker. My wife, Katie, and I went to high school together in Fall River Mills, CA. Neither of us were Christians at the time, but we gave our lives to the Lord in our early twenties and reconnected when I was teaching elementary school in Lemoore, California. We were married in August 2006, and God has blessed us with eleven beautiful children. Oldest to youngest:

Rhea Grace (pronounced “Ray-uh”)
Ricky Maher (named after Katie’s father)
John Arnold (named after my father)
Charis Hope (pronounced “Care-iss”, the Greek word for “grace”)
Chloe Marie
Noah Michael
Ruby Nell
Lydia Rose
George Muller
Hudson Taylor
Penelope Joy

Katie does a wonderful job home-schooling our children, and we pray God blesses us with more children if that’s His will.

While teaching, God opened a door for me to work part-time at Grace Baptist Church in Lemoore, CA as an associate pastor. The church grew, they hired me full-time, and I left public school teaching. We began communicating with WCC and I made the transition to become their teaching pastor in December 2010. Our associate pastor, Nathan Richardson, handles the majority of the counseling and discipling, which allows me to focus on preaching, vision for the church, and overseeing administration.

We love Woodland, the community, and especially our church family. My parents, Katie’s brother, Boyd, and sister Molly and her family, also moved to be with us. We couldn’t feel more thankful for what God has done for us.

Scott holds an MA in biblical studies from Liberty University and is a former schoolteacher and Army officer. Learn more about his books and speaking ministry at scottlapierre.org.

If you’d like to contact me for prayer, encouragement, questions, or any other reason:

Associate Pastor

Pastor Nathan Richardson

I answered the call of God to serve as the associate pastor of Woodland Christian Church in June of 2019 overseeing the discipling and counseling ministries. My wife and I had the privilege of growing up in Christian homes and being led to Christ for salvation at an early age. Ministry has always been a major part of our lives growing up. It was this desire to serve Jesus that led me to attend Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, FL where I graduated in 2006 earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Pastoral Theology. I have also had the privilege to serve in an addictions ministry for seven years and have seen amazing victory in broken lives made whole by the power of Jesus Christ.

Jill and I were married in May 2009 and dedicated our marriage to continue doing what we have given our lives for as single adults, serving Jesus Christ and others. God has blessed us with nine wonderful children: Liam, Alaina, Ellyana, Rayella, Deklan, Andrew, Jude, Irena, and Preston!

We are passionate about the life-changing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and desire to serve the families of WCC and the community of Woodland. Our sincerest wish is to share the Gospel and see individuals and families develop a dynamic love relationship with Jesus Christ.

If there is any way that I can serve you, please reach out to me:

In Christ,
Pastor Nathan

Elder

Jake Motzkus

I am one of the non-staff elders at Woodland Christian Church.

I’ve lived in southwest Washington nearly my entire life – growing up in Battle Ground, before eventually settling in Woodland. I met my wife, Kelli Motzkus, in high school and we were married in 2006. We were not raised in Christian homes, but we thank God that He brought us to a saving knowledge of Christ in His perfect timing.

We have seven wonderful children: Zack, Ashlynn, Chase, Grace, Hannah, Abigail, and Macy. My sons are wrestlers and I enjoy participating in that with them through coaching.

The Lord led us to WCC in the fall of 2014, and we quickly fell in love with the expository preaching, faithfulness to scripture, reverent worship, and welcoming families. As time went on, a burden developed within me to minister to this congregation on a deeper level. Through much prayer and seeking the Lord’s will for my life, I became an elder in early 2023.

I’m passionate about preaching God’s word because it alone contains the truths necessary to see unbelievers saved and believers sanctified.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me:

Elder

Andrew Criss

Andrew serves as one of the elders of Woodland Christian Church. He and Dorothy host a Wednesday evening home fellowship in Woodland.