Our Team
The Mustard Seed Church belongs to and is ultimately run by Jesus. Its purpose is to exalt and enjoy God, to edify and equip the body of believers, and to expose and explain Jesus to as many people as possible. It is led under Christ by qualified elders who humbly shepherd, oversee, and teach the flock; with financial and legal accountability from the Financial Board of Advisors; and in partnership with the church staff who serve the needs of the flock and manage the operations of the church —all so that the whole body may be equipped to do the work of the ministry as gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit
Elders
Curt & Hannah Lincoln
We love Palisade! Curt is a Palisade native. Hannah grew up on the other end of the valley in Fruita. We chose to live in Palisade & raise our family here because we feel purpose here. We love The Mustard Seed Church because of the sense of community and we feel connection with those at this end of the valley.
Things our family likes to do for fun: skiing and snowboarding, river rafting, mountain biking, and camping. This year all the boys passed hunter safety in hopes of adding a hunting trip.
Hannah and Curt have discovered the grace of God, and that life with Jesus brings dead bones to life! Our family is not perfect. But our kids actually love going to church! We feel like God has great purpose for The Mustard Seed Church & we look forward to what is ahead.
Lafe & Lauren Wood
Lafe and Lauren Wood met onboard the M/V Anastasis while working for Mercy Ships. They married in 2007 and settled in Palisade where they have been a part of the Mustard Seed since day one. They have a heart for discipleship.
Lafe works as a mechanical engineer and Lauren is a registered nurse who is currently a stay-at-home mom. The Woods have three sons and two daughters, and the family's favorite activities include skiing, cycling, music, camping, read-alouds, and games.
Staff
David & Brittany LaBrenz
Children’s Pastor & Administrator
David and Brittany LaBrenz have three beautiful daughters. God called The LaBrenz family to Palisade when The Mustard Seed Church began as a small house church. As The Mustard Seed has grown over the last decade, the church has become an important community in their lives, filled with friends who are like family.
Brittany is the Children’s Pastor and Administrator of The Mustard Seed Church, and she has a huge heart for kids, missions and prayer. The World Changer’s ministry is what we call our children’s ministry and it is a joyful place to be! Kids are growing up knowing the love of Jesus and watching them grow up to be world changers is a delight.
David loves to tackle practical projects for the church, both on Sundays and outside of the church walls throughout the week. The LaBrenz family hopes to share the joy of community and God's restoring love as part of a church family that welcomes people just as they are.
Mike & Diane Richards
Finance Team & Volunteer Coordinator
Upon Mike’s retirement from the Federal Government in Maryland in 2015, they returned to the Grand Valley with a desire to serve their family. Their daughter, Brittany LaBrenz and her family were attending The Mustard Seed Church, so they were drawn to attend there. Both Mike and Diane grew up in Palisade, so it felt like home. Diane has a heart for missions and children’s ministry. She is the Volunteer Coordinator at The Mustard Seed Church and retired from leading the kids ministry called World Changer’s for 8 years. She still teaches the kids’ classes and helps in any way that she can to help coordinate the amazing volunteers. Mike’s expertise is in finance and he helps lead the finance team. They love the out of doors, bicycling, disc golf, golf, paddle boarding, hiking, and of course caring for their grandchildren. The Richards are great servant leaders and lead by example.