Leadership

Pastor AJ is the Lead and Founding Pastor of Verdant Church. He has served in vocational ministry since 2010, with experience in youth, college, discipleship, worship, and pastoral ministry. In 2014, AJ joined the staff of Evergreen Church, where he served in several pastoral roles before being sent out with a team from Evergreen to plant Verdant Church in 2026. AJ is passionate about seeing people become mature disciples of Jesus who are deeply rooted in Christ, growing in meaningful community, and carrying the gospel into the world. His heart for Verdant is to build a healthy, gospel-centered church that faithfully serves the Tulsa community for generations to come.

AJ holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Leadership from John Brown University. He married his high school sweetheart, Ashley, in 2012, and they have three children - Armando (the fifth), Austen James, and Gabriella. Outside of ministry, AJ enjoys spending time with his family, lifting weights, running, and fantasy football. His favorite sports teams are the Oklahoma Sooners, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Mariners, and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Taylor has been part of Verdant Church since its founding and has served on the team from the very beginning. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from the University of Oklahoma and is currently deciding how he'd like to continue his theological education. Taylor and his wife, Ashlyn, have been married since March of 2023 and have a Golden Retriever named Cowboy.  His call to ministry became clear while serving with his college ministry at OU and serving in the local church. Taylor enjoys college football, road trips, and spending time with his family.

Andrew serves as the Worship & Creative Pastor at Verdant Church. He has served in ministry for over a decade in the areas of youth and college ministry, worship, and various other areas. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Worship Ministry and a Master’s Degree in Counseling. In addition to serving in the local church, Andrew is a Licensed Professional Counselor in his private practice, Vineyard Counseling. Andrew and his wife Lindsay have three children. Outside of ministry and counseling, he enjoys good coffee, golf, the Dallas Cowboys, and the OKC Thunder.

Taylar serves as the Verdant Kids Minister, where she is passionate about creating spaces where children can know, love, and follow Jesus. She has been leading in children’s ministry since 2023. Before serving on church staff, Taylar was a classroom teacher at a local elementary school, bringing her experience in education into her ministry to children and families. She holds a Bachelor's Degree of Science  in Education from Oklahoma Baptist University. Taylar and her husband Cody are high school sweethearts and have three children together.  Taylar enjoys reading, running, and spending quality time with her family and friends.

Mandy Burke has been married to her husband, Jason, for 24 years. Together, they have 8 children and 2 grandchildren. They have a passion and mission for the foster/adoption community. Mandy has 8 years of ministry experience in different roles including Children’s minister, weekday preschool director and administration.