Our team

Ken and Serena Murphy

Lead Pastor

Ken is the Senior Pastor of Cypress Church, dedicated to the mission of Cypress and reaching Central Ohio and the surrounding region for Christ.   Known for his gift of evangelism and inspirational leadership, he passionately fosters a healthy church culture.  Working alongside the Leadership Team and Board of Elders, Ken shapes the future direction of Cypress.  Ken received his undergraduate degree from Oral Robert’s University and a Masters from Asbury Theological Seminary.

Serena, a member of the Strategic Leadership Team, plays a pivotal role in directing communications and new initiatives.  Before moving to Columbus, Serena's career spanned from Augusta, Georgia, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Lexington, Kentucky, where she served as a public relations and marketing director.  During the early years of raising their three boys, Serena was a stay-at-home mom who led a weekly women’s bible study. This study, which started with over 200 women, eventually evolved into a small group ministry that reached more women throughout Columbus and the regional area.

Ken and Serena have been married 32 years, have three sons and two daughters-in-law, and love to see people know and experience Jesus and families, and marriages flourish.

Jordan Lee

Executive Pastor

Jordan serves as an Executive Pastor at Cypress Church and leads Cypress' Pastors, Campus Expansion, and Administration. Jordan was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. He grew up attending church as the son of a worship pastor. Jordan sensed God’s call to ministry while in college at Seattle Pacific University. After that, Jordan attended seminary earning multiple graduate degrees. In 2019, Jordan earned a doctoral degree in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California. Jordan is passionate about seeing Jesus transform lives and helping people take next steps in their relationship with God.


Prior to joining the team at Cypress, Jordan served in senior leadership at two thriving multi-site churches in the greater Seattle area. Jordan is married to his high school sweetheart Jennifer. They have two energetic kids, Vienna and Braddock.

Mark Knight

Executive Director of Operations and Finance

Mark is the Cypress Executive Director of Operations and Finance and serves on the Leadership Team. Mark’s management experience in the corporate world as a Marketing Manager, Human Resources Manager, and Director of Labor Relations prepared him for his role at Cypress.  Before joining the staff at Cypress in 2013, Mark served in many areas, including the Elder Team. 
 
Mark and his family began attending Cypress when he was a child.  He has witnessed many changes as Cypress expanded its ministries into more communities around Central Ohio. Mark met his wife Susan at Cypress, where her family also attended for many years.  Mark and Susan have been married for 43 years.  Susan was on the Cypress staff for over 20 years before she retired and became a stay-at-home grandma. Mark and Susan have three married adult children, and they currently have four grandchildren.  
 
In his spare time, Mark enjoys spending time with family and friends, golfing, biking, and attending his grandchildren’s activities.

Gina Rogers

Executive Director of HR, IT, & Systems

Gina Rogers, a member of the Strategic Leadership Team, serves as the Executive Director of HR, IT, & Systems for Cypress Church and all Cypress auxiliaries. Her extensive corporate sector background and hands-on experience have equipped her with valuable skills to bring innovative solutions to the table. She has served in a variety of roles at Cypress for over 13 years.
 
For Gina, her position at Cypress is more than just a job; it's a calling to honor and serve God, using the gifts He has given her to accomplish the church's mission.
 
Gina and her husband, John, have attended Cypress for over 30 years.  They have one adult son, two daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandkids.

Jackson Murphy

Alton Darby Campus Pastor and Central Small Groups Director

Jackson is a familiar face around here. The oldest son of Pastor Ken and Serena, Jackson was pretty much raised at Cypress. A life in ministry, however, was not always the plan. Jackson’s dream of being a physical therapist was redirected during his sophomore year of college when he sensed God’s call to ministry.
In May 2019, Jackson married his wife, Olivia. Jackson and Olivia are both graduates of Indiana Wesleyan University and have a heart for seeing people far from God come to know Him in a personal way.  Today, Olivia oversees the Cypress Resident and Intern Program and has influenced hundreds of young leaders to discover their gifts and fulfill the purpose God has for their lives.

In May 2022, Jackson graduated with his Master of Ministry degree from Asbury Theological Seminary. Before joining the Alton Darby team as the Campus Pastor and Director of Small Groups, Jackson led Guest Services and the Set-up & Tear-down Team as a volunteer at the church he attended in Indianapolis. He also helped set up our Cypress Online Campus and developed our Small Groups Ministry and Coaching structure.

Jackson loves all things football, food (especially his wife's sweet potatoes), and freshly brewed black coffee.

Drew Gillespie

Dublin Campus Pastor

Drew grew up in the south (Georgia & Texas), in a family that was never really connected to church life. Late in high school, his family moved to Cincinnati, OH. It was there that he was invited to a local Young Life club, and eventually introduced to a life-changing relationship with Christ. After college, Drew spent 15 years on staff with Young Life, eventually serving as the Metro Director in Columbus. In 2001, he made the transition to Cypress, serving in various roles over the years, all of which were preparing him to serve as Campus Pastor in Dublin.

Drew and his wife, Nancy, have two  adult children. Their daughter, Hannah, lives in Virginia with her husband and works on Young Life's staff while also serving in the local church. Their son, AJ, is a ministry major at Indiana Wesleyan University where he also plays soccer. Drew’s heartbeat is seeing people outside the Church experiencing Christ and the life change that only He brings.

Rick Rucker

Grove City Campus Pastor and Central Student Ministry Director

Rick was born and raised in Ohio. In 1995, Rick started attending Cypress. Rick quickly got involved in the student ministry and began serving in it regularly. As a high school student, he had the desire to see his friends know Christ so he started a Bible study in his parent’s basement. Reaching out to others has always been a passion of his. Rick attended Ohio Christian University for a degree in Student Ministries while working part-time as the Cypress Middle School Student Pastor on the weekends. Upon graduation in 2001, Rick became a full-time, Student Pastor at Cypress. Rick was involved in student ministry for 15 years and then transitioned into working as the Director of Hospitality and leading Cypress’ Resident and Intern program. Ministry has always been Rick’s heart and he longs to see people come to Christ and begin their faith journey.

Rick and his wife, Crystal, have three children: Kalliandara, Bransen, and Maria.

Jody Pickett

London Campus Pastor

Jody was born and raised in Louisiana, and attended the University of Louisiana, where he met his wife Allison. They served together in ministry positions in Shreveport and Monroe LA, and Jody was previously on staff at the Alton Darby campus as the Cypress video storyteller.

Jody is a lover of pizza far more than Cajun (even though he is a Louisiana native!), a reluctant runner, a father of four young children, and a man who deeply loves his family and friends.

Victor Ortega

Online Campus Pastor

Victor was born and raised in the Northern Virginia area. Before joining the team at Cypress, Victor served as the worship leader and helped with tech at his church in Virginia. In 2019, Victor came to Cypress to serve as our Central Tech Director. Since then, he has helped direct online services and worked with our video team.
For Victor, leading the Online Campus feels like coming home, especially since he first found Cypress via our Online Campus while still living in Virginia.

He is excited to serve as the Online Campus Pastor and to connect with people who may not be able to attend a physical campus and also those who might be checking Cypress out for the very first time online. In his own words, he's passionate about doing whatever it takes to see people come to know and follow God, and he believes the Online Campus is another great opportunity to make that happen!

In his free time, you can probably find Victor either on a golf course, in the kitchen, working on his house, or exploring the Columbus area with his wife, Kassidy. They are proud parents to a lovely son named, Jovi.

Julio Obando

Cypress Español Campus Pastor

Julio nació en Costa Rica y fue criado en West Palm Beach Florida. Cuando acabo su escuela sus padres se mudaron de regreso a Costa Rica con toda la familia, ahí fue cuando el tuvo un encuentro con Dios en su adolescencia, inmediatamente empezó a ser interprete para muchos grupos misioneros de la iglesia Wesleyana. Cypress fue una de esas iglesias haciendo misiones en Costa Rica hace aproximadamente 23 años atrás.
Julio se caso con su mejor amiga Raquel en el 2008, Raquel es la hija de los pastores de la iglesia donde Cypress hizo misiones hace 23 años. Ambos tienen tres preciosas hijas Abigaille, Adrielle e Isabelle. Como pareja Julio y Raquel tienen muchos roles de liderazgo en el cuerpo de Cristo. Su gran motivación es ver a otros creciendo y tomando pasos para conocer más a Dios.

Jacob Shockley

Marysville Campus Pastor

An Ohio native, Jacob grew up attending Cypress. Throughout high school and college, he was involved in various ministries where he grew and developed his passions, love for Scripture, and unique gifts to help lead others. Jacob received his undergraduate degree from Liberty University in 2017.

In 2016, he joined the Cypress team as a resident. It was in the Resident and Intern Program that he met his wife, Ashley, and the two were married in 2019. Both Jacob and Ashley have held various roles at Cypress that prepared them to lead the way for the work God is doing in the Marysville community.

Jacob received his master’s degree in Pastoral Ministry from Wesley Seminary and was ordained by the Wesleyan Church in 2021. He loves working alongside his wife to help the people of the Marysville community embrace the life God has planned for them: a life full of love, grace, freedom, forgiveness, redemption, and so much more.
Jacob loves mowing grass, playing sports, roasting and drinking coffee, and eating copious amounts of Chinese food. He and Ashley are proud parents of their sons, Raymond and Elijah.