Dr. S. Craig Bishop - Senior Pastor

Dr. S. Craig Bishop is the senior pastor of BranchCreek Community Church, a suburban Philadelphia church he helped to lead since its founding 32 years ago. Beginning with 20 attenders, the church now numbers more than 3,500. It is a Purpose-Driven Church Health Award winner and is recognized as a pacesetter in contemporary worship, relevant teaching and a loving and accepting environment.

Craig has taught spiritual leadership principles across the country and around the world. He is known for his leadership, communication, and writing skills that he uses to express passionate concern for the unchurched. He and his wife Sally have three grown children and one grandchild and live in Harleysville, Pennsylvania.

Charles O. Faber, Jr., M.E. – Executive Pastor & KidsCreek Pastor

Chuck and his wife Joanne joined the BranchCreek staff in January 2003 as Executive Pastor. Chuck was on the pastoral staff at Grace Fellowship Church in Baltimore for 14 years before coming to BranchCreek. Before going to Baltimore, Chuck and his wife Joanne served for 8 years at Church of the Savior in Wayne, PA., a mainline suburb of Philadelphia. While in Baltimore, he served Grace Fellowship Church in various roles: Pastor to Children and Families, Interim Senior Pastor, Pastor of Small Groups, Executive Pastor, and member of the Senior Leadership Team.

While in Baltimore, Chuck served as Professor at Baltimore School of the Bible. Presently he consults with other churches in the area on Christian Education and has authored curriculum for children. Prior to his move to Baltimore, Chuck served on staff at Church of the Savior for 8 years in Wayne, Pa. While in the Philadelphia area, he also served as Adjunct Professor for Philadelphia Biblical University.

Before being called to ministry, Chuck was an Internal Auditor for a Pennsylvania bank. In preparing for ministry, he earned a BS in Bible and then an M.E. from Cabrini College in Human Development and Learning Theory. His doctoral studies at the University of Pennsylvania were interrupted when his children began college. (We call these the lean years). He is an avid reader and is committed to life-long learning and discovery.

Chuck and Joanne have three adult children: E. Kate, a communications analyst for Capital Blue Cross in Philadelphia; Gabriel Alan, an artist, who works for a construction firm in Baltimore; and Sarah Bates Dickens, who is the director of Public Relations for St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas.

As Executive Pastor, Chuck works closely with Pastor Craig Bishop in providing leadership to the staff and leaders. As the KidsCreek Pastor, Chuck provides guidance and pastoral support to the KidsCreek staff team. Chuck also serves as a member of the BranchCreek Teaching Team and the BranchCreek Leadership Team (BLT). He also expresses his gifts through counseling, providing leadership to several small groups, parent education, and consulting with churches to enhance their applications to Children in the Church and School. Chuck is ordained by the Evangelical Free Church of America.

Dave Detwiler - Pastor of Teaching & Ceremonies

Dave has been at BranchCreek since December of 2000, serving primarily as a teaching pastor and mentor of younger leaders. He oversees the Saturday night worship gathering (www.encounteronline.org), provides leadership for the “Growing Strong” aspect of adult spiritual life at BranchCreek, and facilitates the annual “For Skeptics Only” discussion group. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Biblical Seminary, and has extensive background as a worship leader. Dave did his undergraduate work at the University of Southern California (which he manages to refer to ad nauseam—esp. during football season!), and completed both a Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degree at Talbot School of Theology. He and Kim have been married since 1992, and have two children: Elizabeth (born 1996) and Jonathan (born 1999).

Jared Byas

Jared has been at BranchCreek since May 2006 serving as one of the primary leaders of the Encounter worship gathering on Saturday nights (www.encounteronline.org) and more recently as a pastor of adult spiritual life, where his primary responsibility is to continually figure out better and more effective ways to help individuals and BranchCreek as a whole become better at bearing spiritual fruit in their lives and in their communities. Before coming to BranchCreek he was in charge of the music ministry and college ministry at Faith Bible Church in Lynchburg, VA.

Jared received his B.A. in Philosophy & Religion from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA and his M.A.R. in Biblical Studies from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He is currently working on another degree in Old Testament from Westminster that he’ll finish up in 2009.

He has been married since 2003 to Sarah and has one son, Augustine, born in 2008.

Jeb Shore – Pastor of Connection

Jeb has been at BranchCreek since February of 2006, serving as a Pastor of Connection. He oversees the “Taking Root” area of adult spiritual life, which includes welcoming and connecting guests and attenders to Jesus and the BranchCreek family. He is a member of the teaching team and leads the Getting Connected class. He considers it a great honor to encourage people in their spiritual journey in all types of settings.

Jeb used to talk a good game… After growing up in the western suburbs of Philadelphia and graduating from Eastern University, he was a television sports reporter and anchor for an ABC station in Columbia, South Carolina for nearly six years. He and his wife, Laurie, met at that station and were married in ‘94. Jeb was also a morning news anchor at a NewsTalk radio station in Greenville, SC, while Laurie was the news anchor at the television station next door. Talking about the sports and news of the day couldn’t satisfy his passion for sharing what means the most to him – a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jeb moved toward vocational ministry in ’98 and graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity in ‘01. He was a pastor for the young adults and singles ministries at Church of the Saviour in Wayne, PA from 2001 to January 2006. Jeb was also an adjunct communications professor at his alma mater for a portion of that time. Jeb and Laurie’s lives changed in a dramatic and wonderful way when Jeannie was born in 2005.