Meet Our Team

Staff

Our staff is committed to supporting the work of The Bridge as set forth by the elders. Comprised of pastoral staff, ministry directors, coordinators,  and administrative assistants, the staff at The Bridge works to equip our members for ministry. Each staff member serves on teams alongside other leaders.

If you would like to speak to a staff member, click here! 

Scott Byrd

elder, Executive pastor

"I am tasked as the Executive Pastor, which means I'm invested in a lot of different ministries, specifically Admin. My week to week is filled with teaching and administrative responsibilities, meeting with several of our teams to assist and help them in their ministries."

Magan Causey 

director of women's engagement 

"Hello! I am the Director of Women's Engagement, and I get the privilege of walking alongside women of The Bridge, college and up. Our hope is to partner women in discipleship relationships, connecting them to each other, as we continue to grow in our faith together." 

Tyler Cory 

Worship and media associate 

"My time is spent supporting our worship and communications teams. I provide a lot of media and administrative support to the teams on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings." 

MacKenzie Davidson

director of Local ministry and outreach

"As the Director of Local Ministry and Outreach, I have the opportunity to build relationships with local and domestic partners and then connect them with our church family. We want to see our church serving and loving our community and beyond as Christ loves the church!" 

Madeline Davison

STUDENT MINISTRY ASSOCIATE

"I am the Student Ministry Associate. My job is to serve alongside Jake Handley as we minister to 6th-12th graders in our community! Specifically I get to work with the young females who attend the Bridge! We also get to walk alongside parents as they disciple their kids during these life stages."

Trenton Fiscus

Director of college and worship 

"In my roles, I am responsible for overseeing College and Worship Ministry at The Bridge. For worship, my hope and goal is to deepen and grow the culture of worship and help others value their relationship with Christ through worship in spirit and truth. College ministry is central to our mission in Ruston, and my wife, Abby, and I  are so thankful for the opportunity to lead these students well. Weekly, I give about 75% of my time to college ministry and about 25% to worship ministry, continuing to lead worship on Sundays. To make this possible, we have hired a part time staff member to provide administrative and media support in worship ."

Beth Foster

the bridge kids associate

"As The Bridge Kids Associate,  my role is to assist and support The Bridge Kids Team  with any needs that arise during the week. Curriculum planning, special events, and dreaming of more ways to love our kids!"

Anna Garmon

the bridge kids volunteer coordinator

"I help to coordinate The Bridge Kid volunteers for both Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. A typical week includes making sure that classrooms have enough volunteers, weekly communication with volunteers, securing sitters for different church-wide events, and guiding/training new volunteers through our church’s volunteer process."

Chris Hanchey

elder, teaching pastor

"I'm an elder and teaching pastor. One of my primary responsibilities is to oversee Sunday gatherings, so I work closely with our Worship Ministry Director and Teaching Team to plan our services. I work with lots of different areas in our church and provide support and encouragement to our leaders and teams."

Jake Handley

student ministry director + global missions director 

"As Director of The Bridge Students, I oversee our youth ministry from 6th grade - 12th grade. I invest in students through our Wednesday night services as well as our discipleship programs, and work alongside parents and small group leaders to see students' lives transformed by the gospel. Our mission is to create a culture of loving Jesus, enjoying biblical community, and staying rooted in the truth of God's Word. Being a part of our Global Missions Team allows me to connect with and support our international missionaries while planning trips for our church and community."

Kay Laningham 

college ministry associate

It is an absolute joy to serve on the College Ministry Team as the College Associate! In my time as a college student at Louisiana Tech, the Lord graciously put people in my life and provided opportunities for me to take ownership of my faith in Christ and learn how to abide well in Him. In my role as College Associate, I seek to provide structure, planning, and congruency for College Life at the Bridge as we encourage students to take ownership of their faith in and love for Christ and connect them to authentic, biblical community during this incredibly important season of their lives.

Raine Neilson

office manager and connection director

"Work weeks never look the same: I handle Human Resources and tasks related to finances and facilities. I do my best to keep the office running smoothly. I am also the Connection Director, assisting new visitors with connecting and plugging into our church family!"

Mary-Arthur Plette

communications director

 "I oversee communication ideas and churchwide + ministry-specific initiatives. It's a joy to have a visionary job that allows me to support church and ministry leaders as we dream big for their ministry areas while making sure our body is staying informed, equipped, and inspired."

Matt Slate

elder, teaching pastor

"I've been on staff for 13 years now. I have the pleasure of overseeing our Groups ministry. Along with that, a normal week for me looks like sermon preparation, supervising staff, and counseling as a Pastor and Elder. "

Lori Waits

director of the bridge kids

"I am the Director of The Bridge Kids. My job encompasses 3 things that I love - Jesus, kids, and fun! Our Bridge Kids team and volunteers get to share Jesus with babies through fifth graders every week! We also get to walk alongside parents as they disciple their children during these life stages."

Cindi Woods

Office assistant

"As the Office Assistant, I’m the roomba of The Bridge office! I get to pick up whatever tasks are laying around - and I love doing it!"