Staff and Leadership
Staff
Pastor Don McLean
Senior Pastor
Pastor Don is passionate about teaching the Word of God and helping people grow as followers of Jesus Christ through the ministry of the local church. Don has served as our Senior Pastor since September 2008. Before coming to Atlantic, Don served for ten years as the pastor of the Glastonbury Community Church (EFCA) in central Connecticut. Don earned his Bachelor of Arts in history at Amherst College in Massachusetts and his Masters of Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Don and his wife, Laura, met in college and have been married since 1993. Don and Laura have three young adult children and one daughter-in-law: Hannah, Josh & his wife Sarah, and Nate.
Favorite book - Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy
Favorite Scripture - Matthew 13:44-46
Favorite food - chocolate chip cookies
Hobbies - Reading, hiking, cheering for the Boston Red Sox, and playing games with friends and family.
Paul Iekel
Associate Pastor of Discipleship
Paul Iekel joined the Gracepoint staff in the summer of 2023, but he is no stranger to the church or the community. Paul and his wife, Sheryl, have attended GracePoint since 2004; During that time he has been a teacher, coach, and handyman, and active in the life of the church in youth, worship, teaching, and evangelism. Prior to attending GracePoint, Paul connected with church youth through Tentmaker’s Youth Ministry in part time and volunteer positions, and then was the youth director at Elim Mission (EFCA) in Cokato, MN. Paul believes that God wants to use us in whatever we are doing to be making a difference for Him. God calls the people of His church to show His love to the world and community around us. Paul’s passion is encouraging youth and adults to discover how God has uniquely equipped each of us to serve Him fully.
Paul and Sheryl have four adult children and two daughter-in-laws living as near as Nebraska and as far as Central Asia. They have three grandchildren (and more foster grandchildren) they enjoy watching grow up.
Favorite Streaming Series - “The Chosen” - (I LOVE IT!)
Favorite Bible Verse - Acts 8:30-31
Favorite Foods - Ice Cream and BBQ
Activities - Camping, Trumpet, Track, XC Skiing, Biking, Animal Balloons.
Cheering for - NY Giants, MN Twins, Iowa State, Nebraska, Syracuse
Sarah Altman
Children’s Discipleship Director
Angie Rossell
Administrative Assistant
When you call the church, you are most likely to connect with Angie. Angie handles all the details and behind the scenes activities of GracePoint. Angie and her husband, Doug, along with their younger son, Austin, are long-time residents of Atlantic. Their older son, Josh, lives in Des Moines. Angie is working her way through reading the Old Testament.
Dick Nichols
Senior Ministries Director
Dick Nichols loves visiting with senior saints and hearing their stories. He has served as our Senior Ministries Director since January of 2022. He also conducts weekly Bible studies at the Cass County Jail and is a chaplain for Marketplace Chaplains. Before he had so much time for ministry, he was a dairy farmer and then an insurance adjuster. Now he runs a small beef and row crop farm southwest of Atlantic. He and Cindy, his wife of 44 years, have 4 grown children that live all over the country and 1 son that lives in heaven. They also have 9 grandchildren!
Favorite book - the Bible
Favorite Scripture - John 3:16-18
Favorite food - coconut cream pie
Hobbies - Beef genetics, chain saw carpentry, cheering on the Iowa State Cyclones, visiting grandchildren and their parents
Cindy Nichols
Worship Ministries Director
Cindy loves to worship God with music and to help others do the same! She is a retired music teacher and long time worship ministries volunteer. She is married to husband Dick (44 years) and they live on the same farm they moved into after they were married. They have 4 children and 9 grandchildren scattered across the country, and one son that lives in heaven.
Favorite book - The Bible
Favorite Scripture - Psalms!
Favorite food - chicken and noodles on mashed potatoes :)
Hobbies - Reading, gardening, visiting grandchildren, volunteer work
Leadership
GracePoint follows a congregational selected, elder-led model for church leadership. Each elder oversees a functional area of ministry.
Global Outreach: Ian Barrs (elder), Dan Olson (deacon)
Building & Grounds: Curt Behrends (elder), Dillon Clemsen (deacon)
Finance: Bryan Clemsen (elder), Emmet Clemsen (deacon)
Evangelism & Community Life: Jon Martens (elder), Bobby McLean (deacon)
Discipleship: Ron Russell (elder), Jon Lorenzen (deacon)
Worship: Brett Altman (elder), Alex Johnson (deacon)