Leadership

STAFF

CHARLIE DEAN [LEAD PASTOR]
Charlie grew up in rural Peoria county and spent a good chunk of his childhood playing baseball, building forts in the woods behind his house, and pulling weeds in the family garden. After going away for college and graduate school, Charlie returned to the Peoria area in 1999 to serve as the high school youth pastor in his home church. After that, he went on staff with a large church where, among other responsibilities, he served as the young adults’ pastor and one of the teaching pastors.

In the fall of 2007, Charlie really saw God’s leading, and through the community of his small group and with the support and blessing of the church he was currently serving, he left to start Imago Dei.

When he’s not meeting with people, studying for his next talk, or brainstorming new ideas and approaches to ministry, Charlie can often be found at his home hanging with his high school sweetheart and wife of twelve years and their four boys.

You can follow Charlie’s thoughts on his blog or check out the articles he’s written for the ImagoWEEKLY newsletter.

DAVE CROW [ASSOCIATE PASTOR]
Dave Crow is a graphic designer who accidentally became a pastor.  (Be careful; it could happen to you). He is from the Peoria area and was in Charlie’s high school youth group. In 2005, he graduated from college with a degree in graphic arts, married his high school sweetheart, and, six days later moved to Appleton, Wisconsin to serve as the graphic designer at a large church.

In August of 2008, Dave and Megan followed God’s prompting to come back to Peoria and be a part of Imago Dei. Dave gets to do all the things he loves at Imago: leading music, as well as graphic design, web development, hanging out with good friends, and making new ones.

Apart from his responsibilities at Imago, Dave enjoys finding new music, biking, collaborating on freelance projects with friends, and eating his wife’s delicious cooking.

Check out more of Dave’s thoughts in the stories section.

MARY MORRIS [KIDS' COACH]
Mary grew up in Metamora, just outside Peoria.  After an announcement at her childhood church, she began teaching Sunday School and stumbled upon her passion & calling – to lead children into a deeper relationship with God and a further understanding of the Bible.  After high school, she graduated from a ministry school near Chicago and accepted a ministry position at a Christian non-profit organization working with inner city kids. After getting married, she & her husband, Seth, started a photography business which kept her busy, but didn’t quite fulfill the longing in her heart.

After returning to Peoria, and feeling that God had led her & Seth to Imago Dei, she began to volunteer in Genesis and was later asked to be on staff as the Kids’ Coach.

Though she loves jumping around singing silly praise songs with 5 year olds, she can also be found playing tennis with Seth, watching Law & Order, and dominating in Scategories…go ahead, challenge her.

Imago Dei is currently led by a team of 9 people:

• Lucas Allen
• Cory Brown
• Vicky Brown
• Dave Crow
• Charlie Dean
• Shawn Hayes
• Ryan Hite
• Kevin Sletten
• Summer Sletten