East Side Baptist Staff & Leadership

PASTOR STEVE WHICKER

SENIOR PASTOR

I grew up in Danville, Indiana and graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Agribusiness Management. After several years in sales, my wife and I moved to Michigan where I attended Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary and served as Associate Pastor of Youth and Christian Education at Orangeville Baptist Church in Plainwell. In the fall of 2007, we moved to Crawfordsville and started our current adventure of faith!

A verse that gives direction to my ministry is Colossians 1:28-29; “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works in me.” 

PASTOR NATE CHAMBERS

ASSOCIATE PASTOR (Discipleship & Next Generation Kids)

Hi, I’m Pastor Nate. God directed me and my family to the East Side in 2012. We love it here and are excited to see what God will do in and through us here.  

Before coming to East Side, I was all over the world. I grew up in Cedarville, Ohio (mostly), but while in high school, I moved with my family to Zambia, Africa, to serve as missionaries. I graduated from Clarks Summit University (’99) & Baptist Bible Seminary (’05) in northeast Pennsylvania before moving to Indiana, where I served for 10 years as Program Director at Twin Lakes Camp. Before coming to East Side, I also served briefly as the Discipleship Pastor at another church.

PASTOR LUKE FRANZEN

ASSOCIATE PASTOR (Music, Youth & Counseling)

I am originally from Rockford IL, but the Lord called me to the great state of Indiana in 2017. I started out serving at Twin Lakes Camp during the summers of 2017-2020 while still attending Moody Bible Institute. It was during these summers that I fell in love with East Side Baptist Church. My family and I are products of years and years of East Side’s investment. East Side took me on as an intern from January of 2021 through the summer of 2025, married my wife and I in 2021, trained my wife and I in Biblical Counseling, ordained me in January of 2025, and called me to be an Associate Pastor of music, youth, and counseling in July of 2025. We are excited to see how the Lord will work in and through our church.    

SARAH LEWIS

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT


ESBC Deacons

Don Baker

Clifton Cloncs

Will Frye

Mike Hart

Chad Miller

Greg Mishler

Mike Murdock

Larry Musselman

Mike Seaman

Jonathan Tarter

Robert Tarter

Greg Woodsmall