Our Leaders

We put a very high value on the importance and call of the leaders of Grace Church. Using the leadership qualifications spoken of in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, we have set apart these leaders among us. We also have a couple of support staff to help with the necessary functions of the church, serving the local body with direction from the leadership. To see more about the importance of leadership at Grace Church, check out our Leadership Priorities.
STAFF

Jon Gehman | Pastor of Preaching and Leadership Development

Jon hails from the beautiful farmlands of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He and his family began attending Grace Church in the spring of 2022 when he arrived to serve as the summer interim pastor. That position turned into a permanent pastoral role in September 2022. He was blessed to be raised by a godly mother who prayed faithfully for him and his siblings. It was through the ministry of the local church that Jon came to know Christ at around age 10. He and his wife Heather have 4 children, Ethan, William, Harrison, & Charis. Jon enjoys books, especially Russian novels, and enjoys spending time in God’s creation with his family.

Ryan Nice | Pastor of Family Ministry and Discipleship

Ryan grew up in Harleysville Pennsylvania. He and his wife Amanda moved to Montana and began attending Grace in 2014 when God called them to ministry at Big Sky Bible Camp. It was through the regular teaching of God’s word from the pulpit, in Sunday school, and at summer camp that caused Ryan to see his need for a savior. He and his wife Amanda have 6 children, Abram, Naomi, Ruth, Hosea, Isaac and Leah. Ryan enjoys reading theology and biographies, playing games, and camping.

Matthew Racine | Pastoral Assistant

Matthew grew up in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He moved to Kalispell, Montana and began attending Grace Church in October 2023. Right before college, God caused Matthew to see his sin and to trust Jesus Christ. He loves spending quality time with friends and family, going on adventures in God’s creation, reading good books, and playing trumpet, piano, soccer, pickleball, and golf.

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Sam Strickler  

Sam moved from Eastern Washington to the Flathead Valley and began attending Grace Church in the summer of 2014. He came to faith in Christ while sitting under the faithful preaching of the gospel at Grace Church, which is where he began to understand his own sinfulness and the good news of Christ’s perfect life and death.  Sam and his wife Darcee have four children, Oliver, Otis, Mara Joy, and Obediah. The Strickler family enjoys being together, especially camping in the forest. Sam also enjoys reading.

Jason Kauffman

Jason was born in Pennsylvania and was raised in a Christian home where he heard the gospel from a young age. At 11 years old, God gloriously saved him. He met Jen at a Bible school for youth in 1996, and they got married in 1999. Today they have 4 children—Shana, Marcus, Justin, and Xavier. In 2009, they moved to northwestern Montana to be closer to family. In 2017, they began attending Grace Church and have been blessed to serve together with the rest of the church. Jason owns a portable shed company in Eureka, and his family enjoys the outdoors, hunting, camping, and fishing.

Collin Novotny

Collin grew up in Minnesota on the prairie and moved to the north woods at the start of high school. After graduating from Northwestern College in the Twin Cities he moved out to Kalispell and began attending Grace Church in 2010. He came to faith at a young age while hearing the gospel through his church’s AWANA program, and has had many seasons of God deepening his faith since then. Collin met his wife Jessie at Grace Church and they have 5 children: Zachary, Josiah, Barrett, Mckinnley, and Noelle. Collin loves to play board games, read, play disc golf, go hiking and camping, and play piano.

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Jerrold Moon

Jerrold was raised in the Flathead Valley. He graduated from Northern Montana College in Havre, MT, then spent time in Oregon and Alaska before returning to the Valley in 2000. He and his wife, Karen, have 4 adult children. Jerrold came to faith as a child through the influence of his family and church. He has been attending Grace Church since the summer of 2020. He enjoys camping, hiking, gathering wood, visiting and working.

Seth Blanton

Seth grew up outside of Byhalia, Mississippi. He graduated from Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS, and moved to the Flathead Valley in the summer of 2023 where he also began to attend Grace Church. Seth grew up in the church & made a profession of faith at a young age, but by the Lord’s grace, he truly started following the Lord while in college. He currently works as an Inside Sales Engineer. He enjoys reading, hunting, fishing, hiking, & spending as much time as he can out in the Lord’s creation.

Keith Miller

Keith has lived in Kalispell for 50+ years and has been very blessed to grow up in a Christian family. He and his wife, Jeri, have attended Grace Church for about eight years and appreciate the leadership and their desire to be a biblical body of believers. He also enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, cutting firewood, and picking huckleberries.

Peter Notess

Peter grew up in Buffalo, NY, heard the gospel at a Young Life meeting in high school, and gave his life to the Lord. When he graduated from Virginia Tech, he moved to Fort Collins, CO, where he worked as a software engineer, and raised four daughters with his wife, Martha. After retiring, he and Martha moved to Kalispell and began attending Grace Church in spring of 2023. He enjoys working with technology, hiking, skiing, playing games, and fellowshipping with believers.