Dave Cover

Co-Lead Pastor

Dave is one of the founding pastors of The Crossing. Before that, Dave and his wife, Jeannette, served with Cru at Mizzou for 17 years. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Missouri State University in Springfield, MO in 1982, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from the International School of Theology in San Bernardino, CA in 1992, and a Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO in 1999. Dave and Jeannette have been married over 30 years and have two grown children, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and four grandsons.

Keith Simon

Co-Lead Pastor

Keith became a Christian as a freshman at the University of Missouri. After graduating and marrying Christine, the two of them spent five years on staff with Cru. He then moved to Chicago to get a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Keith and Christine have three sons and a daughter. Keith joined Dave Cover in planting The Crossing in the summer of 2000. As a pastor, he participates in various ministries, but what he enjoys most is preaching on Sunday mornings.

Kyle Richter

Co-Lead Pastor

Leaving Kansas City for Mizzou in 2003, Kyle found a new home in Columbia. While in college, God used The Crossing to reshape the direction of his life. He joined Veritas staff in 2008. After completing his M.Div. at Covenant Theological Seminary in 2015, he was ordained as a pastor in 2016. 
 

Kyle enjoys leading and casting vision at The Crossing, with an emphasis on Veritas and Crossing Twenties. His greatest passion is seeing lives transformed by Jesus.


Kyle and his wife, Noelle, have three kids. Being a husband and father is his most rewarding joy. Feel free to say hello—Kyle would love to connect!

Patrick Miller

Co-Lead Pastor

Patrick Miller has called Columbia home since 2006. He met his wife, Emily, at Mizzou, where they both completed their undergrads. Together they have two children. Patrick started following Jesus his Freshman year of college after getting connected to The Crossing. He joined the Veritas college ministry staff team in 2010, helped co-direct the ministry in 2015, and became the Director of Crossing Twenties in 2017. He graduated from Covenant Theological Seminary in 2018 and was ordained as pastor shortly after.

Patrick leads the Digital Relationships Team, co-hosts our podcast, Ten Minute Bible Talks, leads two Covenant Seminary cohorts, and teaches Men's and Women's Bible studies.

Shay Roush

Co-Lead Pastor

Shay has served as one of the pastors since August 2002. He shares the preaching and teaching responsibilities and oversees Connections Classes, Crossing Men, Counseling Ministry, and Care Ministry. After graduating from Mizzou with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, he served on staff with Cru for 5 years. He then received his Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago, where he met his wife Lynn. Shay and Lynn have three children: Jack, Emma, and Owen.

Addison Hawkins

Pastor, Crossing Twenties Co-Director

Addison was born in Columbia, but his family moved to Kansas City soon after. He returned for college at Mizzou, where he met his wife Lynnette and connected to The Crossing through Veritas. He joined the Veritas staff team after graduating in 2010 and moved to attend Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis in 2013.

After receiving a Master of Divinity, Addison became a pastor at a church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he and his family lived from 2016 until 2022. Lynnette and Addison have three kids: Theo, Louisa, and Sullivan.

Chris McKinney

Pastor, Crossing Men

After graduating from Kansas State University, Chris served in campus ministry with Cru at Mizzou. While serving as the ministry's director, he attended Covenant Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Divinity. 

Chris and his wife, Elizabeth, launched a neighboring ministry with Cru, equipping churches and believers to love their literal next-door neighbors. Together, they co-authored two books on neighboring, Placed for a Purpose and Neighborhoods Reimagined. They also host the Placed for a Purpose Podcast. 

Now Chris oversees all Crossing Men events and other operational details while also focusing on leader coaching, teaching, and cultivating a culture of hospitality.

Chris and Elizabeth have 4 daughters. In his free time, he is either playing pickleball, thinking about pickleball, or watching YouTube videos about pickleball. 

Kermit Summerall

Pastor, Crossing Men

Kermit serves as a pastor to Crossing Men. He loves to help men find life-changing identity, significance, and purpose through following Jesus together with other men. And he helps to lead men’s events, studies, and discipleship groups.

After serving in student and singles ministry in his hometown of Huntsville, AL and then as a missionary to Japan, Kermit graduated from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis with a Master of Divinity.

In 2006, Kermit and his wife, Nicole, returned to her hometown of Columbia to help start and pastor Veritas, The Crossing’s college ministry, where they served for 9 years. From 2015 to 2022, Kermit served as a pastor of Small Groups. He and Nicole have a daughter and two sons.

Nathan Tiemeyer

Pastor, Biblical and Cultural Studies

After graduating from the University of Missouri, Nathan entered into vocational ministry as a staff member with Cru. After a few years, he decided to further his theological education at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, where he received his Master of Divinity. He and his wife Rachel have been involved with The Crossing since its beginning in the summer of 2000. They married just a few months later and now have three kids. Nathan has served as a pastor since 2006. His desire is to help people grow in their understanding of biblical truth as well as the contemporary culture in which they’re called to live it out. His responsibilities include directing Crossing Twenties—The Crossing’s ministry to those in their twenties—and teaching in various contexts.

Ryan Wampler

Pastor, Small Groups Co-Director

Born and raised in Illinois, Ryan moved to Columbia to attend the University of Missouri.  After a year of serving in college ministry in Hungary, he moved to St. Louis to attend Covenant Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Divinity. About a year after the start of The Crossing, Ryan returned to Columbia to join the staff team here. Over the years, he has worked with high school students, college students, twenties, and now oversees the Small Groups ministry.