Our Team

Lead Pastor

Jason is a pastor with a heart for God’s Word and God’s people. He is a skilled Bible teacher desiring to bring the wisdom of God to everyday life. He has a master’s degree in biblical studies from Western Seminary and a doctorate from Phoenix Seminary specializing in preaching that connects with postmoderns. Jason’s passion is to see people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and become disciples.
Born and raised in Scottsdale, he has been in pastoral ministry in this city for over 20 years. His faith began to deepen in college when he was challenged by teachers at Arizona State University. Obtaining an undergraduate degree in psychology and minoring in philosophy taught him to engage the culture with passion and conviction.

Jason’s greatest joys are being married to Jill for over 25 years (after first meeting as newborns!) and of course being dad to Chandler, Caleb, and Faith.

Executive Pastor

Dana Erickson is our Executive Pastor with responsibility for overseeing the staff, ministries and operations of Illuminate.  Dana has been in ministry for 32 years mostly in Executive Pastor roles. He spent 21 years at a Overlake Christian Church in the Seattle area, 9 years at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Southern California, and has spent the last two years at Compass Christian Church in Chandler before joining the staff team here at Illuminate. Dana has expertise in Change Management, Strategic Planning, Crisis Management, Team Building, and Leadership Development. His passion is helping individuals and organizations find their “sweet spot” in ministry. He loves the church and seeing the life change that happens through Jesus Christ.

Dana is married to Denise, his wife of 30 years. They have 5 children, two who are married with three grandchildren, two other adult children and one child still at home. Dana loves all things Star Wars, Lord of the Rings etc. Disney and the Ocean are his “Happy Place.”

Worship Pastor

Chris is a Midwest native who moved to Arizona 11 years ago.  He and his wife Carrie met 23 years ago in music theory class during their freshman year of college.  Chris completed his Bachelor’s of Science in Bible/Music Ministry with a minor in Family Ministry and has over 18 years of full-time ministry experience, serving primarily in worship ministry, college and camp ministry.  Chris and Carrie have been married over 19 years and have three children, Colin (14), Charis (12) and Cuyler (10). They love traveling and building memories as a family, especially in the mountains of Arizona and in Southern California.  Chris’ passion for worship and discipleship is to see God exalted vertically in worship so we can bring glory to Him and live on mission for Him daily.

Discipleship Pastor

Steve is a pastor with over 40 years of local, cross-cultural, and international ministry. Four days after accepting Christ as a high school senior, Steve set his heart on becoming a pastor. He graduated from Arizona State with a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Communication, and then finished a Masters of Divinity at Western Seminary, a Masters of Sacred Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and he is currently finishing his doctoral dissertation on integral discipleship at Phoenix Seminary.

Steve has served as a church planter and the Teaching Pastor of several churches in Arizona, California, Florida, and Argentina. He led Latin America Mission (an interdenominational ministry with several hundred Anglo and Hispanic missionaries and partners in over 20 countries), and most recently served as Executive Vice President of Phoenix Seminary.

Steve and Shellie have been married for 45 years and find incredible joy in loving their four adult children, and spoiling their 9 grandchildren. Steve is a crazy fanatic of real futból – soccer.

Young Adults & Local Outreach Pastor

Scott is a California native that moved to Phoenix and pursued a ministry internship when he was 18 years old. Scott met Jenna, his wife of 10 years during that internship. They have lived in California and Illinois while pursuing various ministry positions and educational opportunities before settling at home in AZ. Scott completed his Bachelors of Science in Christian Ministries and Counseling at Arizona Christian University and after seven years of work with youth in a local treatment facility, Scott entered into full-time vocational ministry as a College Pastor.  Scott and Jenna have two sweet girls, Avery (6) and Ellison (4), and Bode (1) and love exploring their city, creating memories with their family, and visiting the beach as much as humanly possible. Scott’s heart for ministry is to see young adults, and the larger church body live in such a way that His light shines through us in every opportunity; walking alongside others to be a true example of Christ in their homes, families, workplaces, and communities.

Family Life Pastor

Todd is a Southern California native, spending his first 25 year along the coast. He graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 1999 with a degree in Business Communications. Todd was heavily involved in student ministry and at the age of 21 became a pastor. Todd and his wife Sonja moved from Orange County to Gilbert in 2001 to help plant a church. Over the years he has held many positions in the church but still has a huge heart for young people. Todd is passionate about the gospel and loves to disciple young men who are considering the ministry.

Todd and Sonja have been married since 2000 and now have two teenage sons, Caleb and Noah. They are a very active family, enjoying hiking their dogs, days at the lake, and watching their boys play baseball.

Director of Ministry to Women

Lisa grew up in Southern California and found her way to the Desert in college where she attended The University of Arizona. There, she met her husband Zach and graduated with a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Religious Studies. Seventeen years later, they have three girls (Zoe, Ellie and Laney) and have made their home in Phoenix.

Zach and Lisa spend lots of time on sports fields cheering on their girls but whenever possible, they escape to the beach to rest and recharge. 

Lisa has served in various leadership roles within Illuminate over the years. To her core, she is passionate about the Word of God, prayer and walking with women as they pursue all that God has designed for their life.

High School Director 

Hudson is in his final year at Grand Canyon University, majoring in Christian Studies. He feels called and led to pursue vocational pastoral ministry and is excited to join the team at Illuminate. You will most often find him at a local coffee shop drinking a pour-over, chatting with a friend or listening to a podcast.

Office Administrator

Administrative Assistant

Nicole has spent half of her life in California and half in Arizona. She graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. in Communication with an emphasis in Advertising and a minor in Marketing. Nicole enjoys traveling and going on adventures. She met her husband Jason on a mission trip in Mexico, started dating in Peru, and got engaged in Argentina. They have three awesome kiddos who will soon be joining their adventures. She loves spending as much time as possible with her family, being outdoors and finding God’s beauty & creativity in all things. She feels blessed to be able to use her gifts for Him on a daily basis!