Our Staff

Matthew has been a member of Waypoint since 1998 and joined the maintenance team in June 2026. He also enjoys faithfuIly serving in the student ministry and has been there for the past 10 years. He is grateful that the Lord has blessed him with the opportunity to serve alongside this wonderful staff and our church. To God be the glory! “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬

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A faithful member of Waypoint Church since 2005, Erna Buckles retired from the public schools in 2023 after a rewarding career as a middle school assistant principal and now serves as Waypoint church receptionist. She is active in church ministry and shares her musical gifts both in the church and professionally as a member of the Austin Symphony Orchestra. She deeply values the power of prayer and the importance of Waypoint’s prayer ministries.

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Christina joined the staff at Waypoint Church in October 2019. She previously served in Young Adult and Community Outreach ministry roles and now serves as the Titus Group Director. Christina became a Christ follower as a young child, and she is passionate about sharing the true Jesus of the Bible with the world. She enjoys bringing people together and encouraging them to grow deeper in their love for Jesus, His Church, and those who are lost.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Baylor University and a Specialist in School Psychology degree from Texas State University. During graduate school, the Lord cultivated a deep desire in Christina's heart for intentional and genuine community within the church. While completing her graduate internship in the Austin area, Christina joined a home group and became involved in other church activities at Waypoint. Not long after graduating, the Lord made it clear that He was calling her into full-time ministry. This was a significant change in her career plans, but it has been incredibly worth it. God's plan is always the best plan!

When she is away from work, Christina enjoys spending time with family and friends. Some of her favorite activities include writing and journaling, playing basketball, watching movies, and continuing to improve her piano-playing skills.

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Mark was born and raised in Southern Illinois to a coal mining family. He moved to South Georgia in 1991 as a Division President for a family-owned business. When business was expanded, they moved with the business to Austin, Texas in 1997. Mark left the family business in Nov 2005 residing in Round Rock Texas.

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Brenda and Mark joined Great Hills Baptist Church in August 1997, where he accepted the role of Director of Facilities in December 2007. Mark and Brenda were married in June of1972. They have 2 married children and 6 grandkids. Most of Mark and Brenda’s spare time is spent with family attending grandkids baseball, basketball, softball games here in Central Texas.

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Becky Dean has been at Waypoint Church since 2004. She was involved in the missions ministry as a volunteer while working at the state capitol before coming on staff as the Missions Director in 2016. She is passionate about reaching the nations with the Good News and encouraging believers to become global Christians who engage with the peoples of the world.

Becky met her husband Russ while they were students at Baylor University, and they've been married since 2004 and have one daughter. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, working out, hiking, watching sports, and writing novels for teens.

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Josh is a professional filmmaker and film editor who brings that same craft to Waypoint’s podcast and behind-the-scenes tech. He’s just as comfortable building tools as he is trimming a timeline. Whatever helps tell the story better. But talk to him for five minutes, and you’ll learn what actually matters most: his family, hands down. He lights up every time they come up. Also, full disclosure: Josh is a huge nerd. Dungeons & Dragons, an overstuffed Skyrim mod list, and a shelf of sci-fi and fantasy novels with maps in the front. Say hi and he’ll probably ask you about the latest Star Wars film.

Diane began serving at Waypoint Church in June of 2005 as Administrative Assistant to several Student and Single Adult Pastors, and now serves as Administrative Assistant to Legacy Adult Pastor, Ross Hartsfield. She occasionally serves as a church caterer and has attended WP since 1983. Diane has been married to her husband Doug Eppler for 42 years. They have two adult children, Megan Chance (married to Casey Chance) and Caleb Eppler. They also have one granddaughter, Riley Marie Eppler, who brings so much joy! Before moving to Texas, Diane studied music at Fredonia State in New York. She was also involved in theater, enjoys event planning, and loves to cook for others. She is in her happy place when camping, traveling, and spending time with her church friends and family.

Leighton has been the Campus Pastor at Waypoint Santa Rita since January 2022. He started off as the Director of Assimilation and Social Media at the Austin campus in July of 2018. He met his wife, Danielle, on the dance floor at Dallas Baptist University in 2015 and they've been dancing through life together ever since. They have a beautiful daughter named Isabella Grace Forshee, born in January 2022. They also have a fun-loving son named Leighton Michael Forshee Jr. (LJ for short), born in January 2024. Leighton holds a B.S. in Public Relations from Dallas Baptist University where he played tennis his freshman year.Leighton enjoys spending time with Jesus and his family more than anything in this world. You can catch him, Danielle, Bella, and LJ always on the move. They enjoy being outside, exploring, trying new food places, traveling, shopping, and being around friends and family. Leighton is always down for a friendly conversation to hear someone's story. His favorite sports teams are the Auburn Tigers (War Eagle!), Duke basketball, and the Atlanta Braves.

Riley has been the Student and College Associate since August 2022. Riley graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology in May 2021. She felt the Lord calling her to ministry during college and after graduation, she served in a ministry residency program in Fayetteville, AR from 2021-2022.In her free time, Riley enjoys reading, going on walks, and spending time with friends and family.

Denise and her husband, Ralph, joined Waypoint in 2001. Over those years, Denise has served alongside her husband in many capacities, but mainly as directors in the Young Marrieds' Ministry and as leaders in the Student Ministry. In the past, she also served on the Missions Committee and the Pastoral Search Committee. Denise was on staff at Waypoint as Children's Ministry Associate from 2016 - 2018; she then returned to the staff in 2021, where she currently serves as the church's database (TouchPoint) manager. God has blessed Denise and Ralph with a precious family - their son, three daughters, two sons-in-love and one daughter-in-love, all who have trusted Christ as Savior and who raise their children in the Lord.  Denise and Ralph love spending time with their three granddaughters and one grandson.  3 John 4

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Corey has been a member of Waypoint Church since 1999 and began working as a media intern in 2003. Corey joined the media staff full time in 2006 and in January 2015 joined the pastoral team as the Media Pastor. In 2024, he became the Worship Pastor and Creative Director, leading worship primarily at the Santa Rita campus. Corey has a heart for the church to worship together "in spirit and truth" as Jesus teaches in John 4:23-24.

Jan McCoy has been a member of Waypoint Church since 1988 and has served as Pastor Danny’s administrator for the past two years. She enjoys the adventure of each day in this role, welcoming its challenges and opportunities to serve.
Outside of church, Jan loves traveling and spending time with family and friends. She has been married to John for almost 40 years and cherishes her growing family.
Jan’s favorite Bible verse is Isaiah 30:21: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”

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Derek serves in the production ministry at Waypoint Church as the Social Media Manager and Santa Rita Campus Media Lead. Shortly after getting his undergraduate degree in Digital Media from his local community college, he married his lovely wife, Jordyn, in 2020. That same week, he took a job serving as the Worship Arts Assistant at his local church in New Mexico. His constantly evolving interests and skillsets eventually led him to our team here at Waypoint in November of 2024. Together, Derek and his wife are passionate about following Christ’s example and helping lead others to do the same through the Biblical models of discipleship, teaching, and worship. In their free time, they share an interest in Formula 1 racing (go McLaren!) and raising their new baby, Willy. Derek is a lover of all things coffee and can often be seen around the office with a fresh cup in-hand.

Rick Mead serves as the Production Director at Waypoint Church. He graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Youth Ministry. Rick served as a Technical Director in a multi-campus based Church in Louisville, KY for 13 years. He and his wife, Ashley, have three sons, Micah (2009), Rafe (2014), and Cameron (2017). His hobbies include music, audio engineering, photography, gaming, HAM radio, and Lego-building.

Ashley serves as the Administrative Assistant for Waypoint Santa Rita campus. Ashley graduated with her BSN in 2004, and has worked in pediatrics, neurosurgery, and plastic surgery throughout her nursing career. Ashley and her husband Rick, who serves as the Production Director for Waypoint Church, are passionate about foster care and adoption, which led them to adopt their two oldest sons from South Korea, and to foster several children in Kentucky. Ashley is the lead coordinator for the Foster & Adoption Ministry (F.A.M.) at Waypoint Church. Ashley has been a homeschool mom for 13 years, and a few of her favorite things are reading, sweet tea, and essential oils.

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Brandon joined the Waypoint staff in May 2023 as the Student Ministry Director. Before joining as staff he was a faithful member for 8 years, serving in many capacities within the church including as a deacon, while also working with the SBTC and churches around the state in various aspects of student ministry. Brandon has a passion for reaching the next generation with the gospel and building up the church through discipleship, teaching, and prayer.

Michelle serves as the Director of Children’s Ministries at Waypoint Church. She has been in this role since August of 2026 but has served in full-time ministry since 2015 at churches in Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee. Michelle completed her undergraduate degree at Hardin Simmons University and her master’s at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Michelle has been married to her husband, Wesley, for 7 years and they have two children. They love serving together and seeing families grow in their faith in Jesus. Michelle loves to travel, enjoys a good concert/Broadway show, is always down for eating Mexican food and you will find her cheering for the Texas Rangers during baseball season.

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Diana Sanchez has served faithfully in Facilities for over 35 years, with a heart for helping wherever she's needed. Born in the United States and raised in Mexico, Diana brings a rich, bicultural heart to everything she does, including her work in the Spanish ministry at Waypoint Church. She's been married to her husband, Luis, for 43 years, and together they've raised 4 kids and are blessed with 7 grandkids. Known for her warm smile and eagerness to help others, Diana also loves cooking Mexican food and gathering the whole family together for the holidays — Christmas and Easter are her favorites.

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Dava and her husband and have called Waypoint home for 24 years, and has had the joy of serving on staff for the past six. They raised their three boys here, and are now blessed with four grandchildren who keep life fun and full. They love their church and genuinely love ministering to and caring for the people God has placed here. Waypoint isn’t just where they attend church; it has been a huge part of their family’s story for more than two decades.When they're not at church or spending time with family, you can usually find them on the beach in Galveston or counting down the days until their next cruise!

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Jessica has called Waypoint home since 2019, worshiping and serving right alongside her husband and two kids. In February 2026, she stepped into a new role on staff as Communications Director and Admin to Jeff Fair — and she loves getting to help tell the story of what God is doing here. When she's not behind the scenes at church, you'll usually find her on the sidelines of a sports game, cheering as loud as she can for her family.