When Doug was finishing college at Texas Tech University, he got to be part of the core group that founded Live Oak Community Church in 1993. He served on staff in various positions for 9 years and then became a hockey missionary with Hockey Ministries International. In 2012, when Live Oak’s founding Senior Pastor felt a call to “pass the baton” to a new senior leader, Doug was ready for the challenge!  Over the years Doug has had the honor of serving as a Chaplain for Texas Tech Basketball, the Dallas Stars, a several other teams.

HOMELIFE:
Doug and his wife Jennifer have two kids, Jean and Graycia, both in high school.  They have a house full of pets as well!  Doug volunteers at Live Oak by co-leading a college guys small group because he cares deeply about the next generation.  Doug also volunteers outside of Live Oak as part of the Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign by serving as a bell ringer every year and also serves on the advisory team for the Global Leadership Network and helps facilitate the Global Leadership Summit simulcast in Lubbock each year.

DOUG LOVES:
Movies
Hockey. All things hockey, including an intense Fantasy Hockey league.
Watching Texas Tech sports
Cigars
Travel
Doug can also get captivated by the latest conspiracy theory…just ask him who shot JFK
Books!
Doug is a constant reader and learner

WHY HE LOVES BEING SENIOR PASTOR:
Doug enjoys being part of a great team that cares deeply for people and works hard to connect people to God, God’s Word, God’s people and God’s mission.

Mark is a gradaute of Texas Tech, where he got both a bachelors and masters in Chemistry. He worked as an instructor in the Chemistry department at Texas Tech and then in sales for a pharmacuetucal company for 10 years. All the while Mark was serving in various ministry roles at Live Oak as a volunteer. Eventually an postion became available at Live Oak that was tailor made for Mark. He was asked to apply and the rest is history.

MARK’S HOME LIFE:
Along with Mindy (who is also on staff) he has 2 adult sons. One is getting a masters at TTU and the other is out of school and working. They both live in Lubbock still, much to the delight of their parents.  Mark went back to school and got his Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy.  He has a private practice which he runs while working part-time at Live Oak.

HE LOVES:
Running
Hiking
Grilling and smoking meats
He is slightly obsessed with WWII history and reads it about it constantly
Being with his family &  friends
Texas Tech athletics (he is a very “passionate” fan)

WHY HE LOVES BEING A PASTOR:
Mark loves seeing folks take steps of faith in their journey of transformation with Jesus. He loves working with a team committed to the mission of more and stronger followers

Ali has been a part of Live Oak since 2002 when her family started attending when she was a kid. She is thankful every day for God’s plan for her life in placing her at Live Oak. In addition to serving as Director of Ministry Operations (AKA the staff Swiss Army Knife) Ali leads our First Impressions Volunteers to do what they do on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays)

HOMELIFE:
When Ali is not at work,  she can be found spending time with her kiddos and husband at home. They enjoy watching Texas Tech play, doing random projects around the house, and hanging out with friends for game nights or concerts! 

ALI LOVES:
She enjoys going to the movie theater, chocolate chip cookies, a good book and porch sitting weather (We don’t get much of that in Lubbock!)  Driving around in the car by herself blasting good music is her go-to when she needs a break, and hanging out with her besties fills her bucket!

WHY SHE LOVES WHAT SHE DOES AT LIVE OAK:
She loves her job so much and the people she gets to work alongside. All the people she gets to serve are incredible! She never really thought of herself as a people person until she really started living out “Love God Love People” and now its one of her favorite things about her job. She loves all the pieces falling in to place and for things to be organized so everyone can work efficiently.

Britt has been at Live Oak since 2011 when he was looking for a new church and met his wife Ali, who grew up at Live Oak.  He started going to a small group that he ended up leading after a couple years. He loved how open people could be and how that trickled down to helping everyone open up and be better followers of Christ.

Vocationally, Britt joined the Fire department in 2013 and worked in Big Spring as a Fire Fighter for a little over 10 years.  In October 2023 God put self care and his family on his heart heavily and through hard conversations and lots of prayer he decided he was going to change careers from Firefighting and start a new career which was unknown at the time. God provided and Britt now serves as Facilties Director part-time and as a small motor mechanic part time.

HOMELIFE:
He has been married to his amazing wife Ali since 2013 and they have 2 young kids. They love how goofy thier kids are and they want to do nothing but play all the time. Thier family loves road trips or overnight stays anywhere and just hanging out with each other and their friends.  

BRITT LOVES:

• Playing softball
• Working on all kinds of projects
• Watching his daughter play softball
• Going to the gym and working out
• Being social
• Being outside doing anything

 WHAT HE LOVES ABOUT His ROLE:

• I get to serve others and the church
• I love fixing anything and figuring out problems
• It has brought me closer to God 
• It has allowed me to work with the most amazing team and show me how everyone can help as a team to further God’s mission.

Tammy has been involved with students since graduating college with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies. In looking back she can clearly see God was paving a way all along!  She was an at-risk advocacy coordinator in public schools for 15 years and involved with student ministry in some capacity for 18 years!  She loves serving the Next Generation and Live Oak was the perfect spot to land! 

HOMELIFE:
Tammy  is the mom the three amazing daughters Alee, Shelby, and Paisley. Home life is wild and crazy fun!  They are blessed with an amazing community (Shallowater) that allows  them be involved in everything from sports to fine arts!  When it slows down…they slow way down! Phones go away, movies are watched, meals are cooked, puzzles are put together, new skills are developed, and they rest.  They love to live in the fellowship of our family and friends that feel like family!

TAMMY LOVES:
Dancing!  AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE DANCING!

She loves outside!  Anything near water and sunshine is her family’s JAM!!!

They love learning new things: cooking in the air fryer, up-cycling, art, anything off their phones!

She loves her friends. Friendships have brought life and lifelines to thier family!  Without the friendships that have turned into family their lives would look very different!

WHY SHE LOVES SERVING AS NEXT GEN PASTOR:
Tammy says she love, love, loves serving students and over the past few years she has found that she loves investing in the leaders of those students!  She has been blessed with the most AMAZING group of small group leaders and volunteers.  They do life together, they grow together, and most importantly they get to grow more and stronger followers of Christ together!

Madison came to Lubbock to attend school at Texas Tech University, and found Live Oak (or as she says, it found her) during her college years. She served as a college intern at Live Oak for two years, and upon graduating college in 2017, came on our Staff Team full-time to lead the college ministry and continue in her communication role.

HOMELIFE:
Family is everything and Madison is grateful for time with her sisters, her sister’s dogs and that she gets to become an aunt this year! Madison is also often drumming up fun things to do with her friends and small group. Others call her the ultimate includer.

MADISON LOVES:
Tried and true recipes
Giving a good gift
Mindless drives around Lubbock
Walks & playing pickleball with friends
Puzzles (truly any kind)

WHY SHE LOVES COLLEGE MINISTRY:
She loves getting to believe in college students, watch them grow, see them take their next steps, and encourage them to lean into following Jesus in this season of their life. 

Christy came Live Oak in 1998 as a single mom with 3 kids. She says she was loved on immediately and her kids were too and they just loved coming on Sundays. Her kids eventually got involved in LOSM (our student ministry) and she decided to start serving in LOSM too. And goodness, she learned so much and got so much in return! Christy was a mentor mom for MOPs and enjoyed going to Sisters and Seekers as well. Later she decided she wanted to serve in Acorn Club (our preschool ministry) as her kids were grown and she had grandkids attending. After a couple of years, the position for Acorn Club Coordinator became available. She was asked and answered, YES!

HOMELIFE:
She is a married mom of three grown kids and fantastic grands who she loves to spend time with. She also loves her two dogs. You can find her outside walking those dogs almost everyday.

CHRISTY LOVES:
Walking the dogs
Hitting the gym and hiking
Watching mystery type shows to see if she can figure it out before her husband, Tom
She despises house cleaning but will mow the yard, no complaints.
Her grands…they opened a valve in her heart that she had no idea was there!
Traveling to Maine to spedn time with her large family there.

WHY SHE LOVES HER ROLE:
Families matter! No matter size, type, how new or possibly different they may seem, family is deeply important to God, community and to Christy. She loves getting the privilege of being a small part of letting families know they are loved and known. Best job ever! She gets to love God and love people!

Clay grew up in Plano, Texas. He joined the Live Oak staff in 2016 (his love of all things Texas Tech was a huge bonus in his interview process).  He is a graduate of Texas Tech and Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM). He has been leading worship for different ministries and churches for over 18 years; something he began doing as a teenager. In addition to leading Worship Arts, Clay is also leading Live Oak’s Missions efforts.

CLAY’S HOME LIFE:
Clay has been married to his wife, Mallory, since 2012.  Mallory is a vocalist on our Worship Team and teaches 1st grade at Miller. They have 4 kids, Griffin, Ford, Nora and Elliot, and needless to say, their days are full with kid’s activities and sports.

CLAY LOVES:
Golf
Hunting
The World Series Champions Texas Rangers
The Dallas Cowboys
(His staff teammates would add: being fun & goofy)

WHAT CLAY LOVES ABOUT BEING A WORSHIP PASTOR:
He loves magnifying the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit by means of skillfully combining God’s Word with music, thereby motivating the gathered church to proclaim the gospel, to cherish God’s presence, and to live for God’s glory.

Mindy has been at Live Oak since 1997 when she was a young adult looking for a new church home post-college.  Along the way, as a volunteer in multiple capacities, she led small groups, served as a worship leader and helped start MOPS. Mindy came on staff in 2009.  She went part-time in 2024 and has the gift of getting to work 2 jobs she loves (she also works part-time for Tent Apps as a Digital Marketing Specialist.)

MINDY’S HOME LIFE:
Mark and Mindy have a college-aged son and recent college graduate, both who also live in Lubbock.  They do life with friends who feel like family. They love rest and low-key living when it’s possible. Mark and Mindy are currently leading a small group at Live Oak for young adults and are loving it!

MINDY LOVES:
Creating Spotify playlists
Podcasts, podcasts, podcasts
Trying to master doing her own gel nail manicures
Pickleball – she says you don’t have to be good at it to love it!
Voraciously reading on her Kindle (220 books and counting)
Her temperamental and majestic rescue dog, Churchill
When all 4 Porters are hunkered down on the couch laughing and talking
Creating the coziest home possible

WHAT SHE LOVES ABOUT BEING A COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR:
She loves overseeing all the ways Live Oak gets to communicate God’s good story…whether it be through web design, graphic design or something as mundane as an all-church email. It ALL matters and can bring God glory. 

Will is a Lubbock Native…he says it’s the best city on earth. Unlike most of his classmates he never got sick of the 806. He stayed and graduated from Texas Tech in 2023 and launched straight into ministry.

HOMELIFE: His home life is simple! He has a red lab named Red and she takes up most of his time. He is engaged to Melanie who he will marry in Fall 2025!

WILL LOVES:
Golf
Fantasy Football
Lifting weights
Coffee
Anything competitive…literally anything
Being around people!!!

WHY HE LOVES BEING A Worship Arts ministry resident:
He loves the ability to grow and learn his God-given passions such as music. He considers the ability to take a spiritual gift and develop it for God’s glory as an honor.  He says the team at Live Oak is amazing and allows him to grow in his faith first and his skills second. He could not imagine a better team to accomplish God’s mission.