Leadership & Staff
After growing up in Mission Viejo, California, Jon attended Wheaton College. He then completed his Master of Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Jon has served many years on staff in local churches and in student development at several Christian colleges. He joined EBF as the executive pastor in the fall of 2006. Jon and his wife, Laila, have four daughters.
Norm grew up in Indiana and attended Wheaton College before continuing to complete medical degrees and fellowships from the Indiana University School of Medicine, the University of Colorado, Harvard University, and the University of Illinois. He is a doctor of medicine and worked many years for the University of Illinois as a professor of ophthalmology. Norm and his wife, Joy, have been attending EBF since 1998, and Norm has served as an elder for nine years. Norm and Joy have three children and three grandchildren.
Originally from St. Louis, Ben grew up throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. He returned to the Midwest to attend Northwestern University. After graduation Ben worked in the field of materials science research for 10 years before earning an MBA from Kellogg School of Management. He currently works as a product manager for Illinois Tool Works. Ben has attended EBF since 2002 and has served in various ministry areas prior to joining the elder board in 2015. Ben and his wife, Stephanie, have three daughters.
Hailing originally from Colorado, Ben and his wife Rachael live on the north side of Chicago and have three children: Evangeline, Teddy, and Cora. Ben is an Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Moody Bible Institute, and he joined the elder board in 2016. Ben and Rachael are passionate about theological education, supporting healthy marriages, and relating to the church as a family.
Rachel grew up in Skokie and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has served in children's ministry for many years, worked at local schools, and she received her Masters in Education at National-Louis University. She now works as a substitute teacher at the Christian Heritage Academy. She started attending EBF in 2013 and has since served in DoX and the hospitality team. In September 2015, Rachel became the Director for Children's Ministries. In May 2017, Rachel became the Women's Ministry Coordinator. Rachel and her husband, Aji, have been married since June 2015.
Ryan grew up in the west suburbs of Chicago and graduated in 2015 from Northwestern University with a degree in music. He is currently pursuing graduate studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He began attending EBF in September 2011 and has served as an Ethos community leader since 2013. Ryan married his wife Elizabeth on July 1, 2017. Together they enjoy exploring Evanston and cooking together.
A native of the St. Louis area, Pat moved to Chicago to attend Columbia College where he completed a bachelor's degree in Audio, Arts, and Acoustics. He currently designs corporate audio-visual systems. He's been a part of EBF for 14 years and has served as a member of the worship team. Pat joined the staff in 2007 as the technical director. He and his wife, Kelly, have two daughters.
Originally from Ohio, Michelle moved to the area to study accounting at Trinity International University. After graduating, she took a job at a public accounting firm in Chicago where she continues to work full-time. She began attending EBF in 2009 and started working for the church as the financial coordinator in 2010. Michelle and her husband, Andrew, have been married since 2008.
